Page 10 of Deputies Under Fire
Eden frowned when she turned toward the trail. She wished that they had looked there the night before, but it’d been too dark for them to see much of anything. Added to that, their focus had been on getting Brenda some help and talking to her to see if she could ID her attacker.
“That trail’s even rougher than the one we used,” Rory remarked.
“Yes, it is,” Lou agreed. “If the killer came that way, he or she would have needed an off-road vehicle, and even that wouldn’t have been a pleasant drive.” He shifted and pointed toward the back of the barn. “There were drag marks there. Along with some of the victim’s blood.”
“So she was bleeding before he put her in the barn,” Rory muttered. “That means whatever vehicle he used would have her blood, too. And there’d be blood at the location where she was attacked.”
They were looking for another crime scene. SAPD had already ruled out Brenda’s house and office, so the next step would be to search Ike’s house.
Rory took out his phone and requested a warrant to have the CSIs examine all of Ike’s vehicles and the main house. She was betting Ike and his lawyers would fight that, but it was a fight they’d lose. With Ike’s motive and means, and with no verifiable alibi, that would be enough for a judge to issue a warrant.
Once he’d finished his call, the two of them started toward the front of the barn. “The attack happened elsewhere,” he said as if spelling it all out for himself. “And the killer brought her here. Not an easy trip. And a risky one. Why take that risk?”
“To make some kind of statement,” she mused. “To put her in the same place as Mellie.”
Rory stopped in the entry of the barn and turned to her. “But he didn’t put her in the same place. He put her at the back of the barn. And he didn’t use the same trail to get here. He used one that’s more visible from the main road.”
True, and that caused Eden’s mind to whirl with possibilities. “We didn’t disclose the exact location of Mellie’s body in any of the reports.” She stopped, cursed. “And that means we could be dealing with a copycat.”
“Bingo,” he murmured, and she could see the worry in his eyes.
Two victims. Two killers. And if one of those killers wasn’t his father, then someone was trying to set Ike up.
They were about to step inside when they heard the approaching vehicle. A motorcycle. They turned to see Rory’s brother, Dutton, and he pulled his Harley to a stop behind the cruiser.
“A problem?” Rory immediately asked. “Is the baby all right?”
“He’s fine,” Dutton said, nodding a greeting to Eden. He walked closer, stopping next to them and staring at the barn. “I considered just calling you, but I decided this was a conversation best done in person.”
Rory sighed. “You’re here to tell me something that could get Ike arrested,” he said, guessing.
“No. Not Ike,” Dutton said. “Aunt Helen.”
Eden didn’t know who was more surprised by that, Rory or her. “What did she do?” Rory asked.
“It could be nothing, but it’s been eating away at me all night.” Dutton gathered his breath. “Two days ago, Helen came to the ranch. I know because I happened to be taking out one of the new horses for a ride, and I spotted her with Ike. They were on the back porch, arguing. About what, I couldn’t tell, but as I rode closer, Helen whipped out a knife from her purse and seemed to threaten Ike with it.”
Sweet heaven. “Neither one of them mentioned a word about this,” Eden said.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Dutton grumbled. “I got off the horse and hurried to them, and when Helen looked in my direction, Ike knocked the knife from her hand. Then, he mocked her, saying she was nothing but a coward. Always had been, always would be. He continued to goad her until she burst into tears and ran off the porch. She got in her car and sped away.”
Eden shook her head. “What was the argument about?”
“Ike wouldn’t say. I called Aunt Helen, and she finally answered a couple of hours later. She said it was all a misunderstanding.” Dutton shrugged. “Maybe it was. Ike and Helen have certainly had a lot of clashes over the years.”
Rory made a sound of agreement. “But I’ve never known Helen to pull a knife on him. What did Ike say about the incident?”
“He laughed it off, insisted it was no big deal, that Helen had just gotten her dander up, and he added a few more clichés, like making a mountain out of a molehill.”
It didn’t sound like a molehill to her. “What did Ike do with the knife?” Eden asked.
Dutton shook his head. “I don’t know. It wasn’t on the porch by the time I got back there after I went to check on Helen.” He paused. “Why? You think it was the murder weapon?”
“Well, we don’t have the murder weapon so it’s possible. What did the knife look like?” she persisted.
“It was one of those Swiss Army ones. Not a long blade. Maybe three inches,” Dutton answered.
Rory took out his phone again. “I’m texting the ME to see if he can determine the depth of the stab wounds on Brenda’s body.” He finished the message and looked at his brother. “And I’ll talk to Helen.”
