Page 30 of Their Frozen Bones

“Nope.” Wolfe stood and took his bowl to the sink and rinsed it. “I’m running tox screens on the victims, but I haven’t discovered anything abnormal. I need to check everything over again just in case I’ve missed something, but I doubt it.” He nodded to Kane. “Thanks for breakfast.” He grabbed his hat and coat and headed down the stairs.

Kane handed Jenna her coat and then put on his own. “These two suspects both own hunting cabins. They don’t have nine-to-five jobs, so are free to move around. They’ve had assault charges brought against them in the past. We must be getting close to catching this guy.”

“I hope you’re right because we still need to find Carolyn Stubbs.” Jenna pulled on her hat. “Although I don’t like her chances. She fits the general description of the other women. If she is alive, we need to stop this man before he kills her.”

THIRTY-SIX

Escape seemed futile. Carolyn searched every inch of the cabin looking for a way out. The windowpanes were too small to crawl through and the front door was solid. There was no way of breaking the lock. After hammering her fists on the wooden panels, she cried out in frustration and then went to sit in front of the fire. The floorboards creaked beneath her feet and she moved back and forth feeling the give in the old wood. She thrust the coffee table to one side and tossed the mat out of the way to inspect the floor. A cold draft seeped through the gap where the boards had shrunk. She scanned the room for something to use to pry up the floorboards and her gaze rested on the poker. She tested the strength in her hand, in truth she’d thought of using it as a weapon, but he was too big. He’d disarm her in seconds.

She fell to her knees and dug the end of the poker down the crack between the floorboards and wiggled it back and forth. The ripping nails whined as she dislodged the floorboard and peered down the hole. She jumped up and ran to the bench to grab the lantern, returned to the hole in the floor, and pushed it into the darkness. Underneath the cabin was dirt, animal scat, and so many cobwebs she couldn’t see very far, but the gap between the floorboards and the ground was wide enough for her to crawlthrough. She attacked the second floorboard and dragged it out to make a gap big enough for her to climb through. The bitter cold rushed through the hole, sending goosebumps running down her arms. If she planned to live through her escape, she would need to protect herself from the weather and take food and water with her, but how much time did she have? She had no idea when her captor would return and he could easily follow her tracks in the snow.

Running into the bedroom for her backpack she dragged out her clothes and dressed in as many clothes as she could fit under her coat. Next, she wrapped bottled water in her PJ’s, a few cans of beans, a can opener, and a spoon and pushed them into her backpack. Her boots were waterproof and dry and she had her gloves, a woolen hat, a scarf, and the hood of her coat to keep her warm. She gathered a few other necessities: the lantern, a lighter, and a roll of toilet paper. She didn’t have a flashlight but she hoped she would find another cabin along the way before it got dark. The lantern would just have to do. She eased her way down into the hole and shivered as fat spiders ran to get out of her way. Her fear of enclosed spaces gripped her by the throat as she looked around for a way out. The extra clothes had made it difficult for her to move her arms and legs, but by pushing her backpack in front of her to clear her way, she managed to crawl toward the back of the cabin.

Sweat was dripping between her shoulder blades as she edged closer to the back wall. The uneven ground made a gap narrow in places. Gritting her teeth she pushed onward, through the filthy, stinking dirt. She dislodged a bundle of dry grass ahead of her and disturbed a nest of rats that, instead of running away, ran all over her, their tiny claws sticking in her hair. She screamed and they scampered in all directions. Moving as fast as she possibly could, she dragged herself to the edge of the cabin. All around her was a wall of snow and under her theground had frozen solid. She turned around and, lying on her back, ignored the spiders crawling around in the cobwebs above her and kicked a hole in the snow. She turned around and, using her backpack, punched at the white wall. It was harder than she imagined and took every ounce of her strength to push her way through.

At last she could see daylight and wiggled through the hole. The forest surrounded her, hidden behind a wall of white rain, but to one side of the cabin sat a small rickety shed. Vegetation grew over the roof and the wooden exterior was gray and weathered. Paint flakes still clung to the window frame, but one strong puff of wind would topple it. Shrugging into her backpack, and pulling up her hood, she waded through the thick snow. Flurries buffeted her as the wind whistled through the trees and small pieces of ice battered her hood. Exhausted by the time she’d gone the ten yards to the shed, she pushed open the door and peered inside. It was more difficult walking in the snow than she’d imagined. Every time she had gone out in the snow before it had been on skis or riding in a sleigh. Trying to move through drifts so thick was difficult.

Nervous at what she might find, she peered inside the shed. It was empty and she moved inside, hoping to find a flashlight or something he’d left behind she could use. Her attention settled on two things of interest: the first being a pair of snowshoes, the second an old, dilapidated map stuck on the side of the wall. The map had a date on the bottom, of 1969, so how it had survived for so long amazed her. The rats should have made it part of their nest by now. She grabbed the snowshoes. They were the old type made from leather set in a wooden frame, with leather straps to secure them to her feet. Beside them, covered with cobwebs, two poles leaned against the wall.

After securing the snowshoes, she gently took the fragile map from the wall and laid it on the bench. She peered ata spot marked with an X. Beside it was a hand-drawn house. She looked all over, noticing the marked trails leading in all directions. Some of the trails ended with a little house with people’s names attached. This must be a map the owner of the cabin first made when he arrived. His closest neighbors lived in the cabins. Many people lived in cabins or used them for hunting or fishing. She recalled getting here on the back of the snowmobile after he’d parked his truck on a fire road. He’d driven the snowmobile along various tracks to get here. She must avoid running into him at all costs but needed to get to shelter as soon as possible. The highway was clearly marked, as was the river. She stared at the map wishing it could give her advice on which way to go. She measured the distance to the closest cabin. She found two set some distance apart, which ran alongside a track with the name Darcy’s Way. That track weaved all the way to the highway.

Determined to get to safety, she folded the map with care and pushed it inside her pocket. She stepped out of the shed, surprised to see her footsteps fading already. With luck, he would never know which way she’d gone. There was a strange silence out in the forest. Visibility was limited to a few yards at best and the sudden blasts of wind sent chunks of ice tumbling down from the trees. Walking was easier with the snowshoes as she headed along the track. Using the sticks to keep her balance, she pushed on for some time, gasping for breath before stopping for a short break. Snow filled her eyebrows and yet a trickle of sweat ran down her spine. Moving through the snow was exhausting and she took the time to pull a bottle of water from inside her jacket and take a few sips. The snow was coming thick and fast, as he’d said earlier. It was like being inside a snow globe. His face drifted into her mind and she pushed away from the tree and kept moving. She’d been walking for what seemed like hours when a slow rumble came in the distance. Snowfalldampened noise. Had she traveled in the wrong direction? Was he coming after her. She looked frantically around. The snow was covering her tracks at a fast rate and they’d be obliterated at the cabin by now. She stood still and listened. Perhaps it was him returning to the cabin and he hadn’t discovered her missing yet. Turning back to the path, she kept on pushing forward. A whiff of woodsmoke on the air drifted toward her and she quickened her pace. There must be a cabin just ahead. The sound of a snowmobile roared louder, and it was coming toward her. Help was maybe a few yards away but the snow was like quicksand. She lifted her knees in an attempt to go faster and burst out of the forest. Ahead, she made out a cabin with smoke pouring from the chimney. The area outside had been cleared of snow. She could see a truck in a garage. As she ran toward the door, a snowmobile came out of a curtain of white. Carolyn screamed and ran toward the cabin. She tripped and fell. The snowmobile was heading straight for her.He’s found me.

THIRTY-SEVEN

After bringing Rio up to date, Jenna followed Kane outside. They’d left Duke inside in the warm. He was more than capable of letting Maggie know if he needed to go outside. She pulled her hood down against the blizzard and, watching her step on the frozen sidewalk, slipped and slid her way to the Beast. “So I guess the first person we’ll hunt down is Dan D. Williams. Did you have any luck when you spoke to the barbershop in town?”

“He’s due to arrive around ten.” Kane backed the truck out of the parking space and headed along Main. “He only comes in for a couple of hours a few times a week to help out if the regular barber is busy. I figured the last thing anyone wants in the middle of a blizzard is a haircut and most men in these parts don’t even bother to shave when it’s this cold.”

Jenna couldn’t remember when she’d ever seen Kane disheveled or unshaven. “Maybe you’re not the only man in town who likes to look slick all the time.” She grinned at him. “You have no idea how many times I had the urge to ruffle your hair, especially when you were angry with me.”

“I don’t recall ever being angry with you, Jenna.” Kane glanced at her before returning his gaze to the road. “Exasperated when you put yourself in danger and refuse myprotection maybe, but it takes a whole lot more than that to make me angry.” He sighed. “I figure the last time I got angry was when Tauri’s life was threatened. It rose up on me white-hot, and I needed to drop into the zone to calm down before I did something stupid, but I handled it.” He pulled to the curb. “This is the place. Now I’m going to annoy you again because I want you to wait for me to help you climb over that mound of ice. If you slip and sit down heavy on your butt, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, so bend a little, huh?”

Although she’d never told him, Jenna quite enjoyed being protected by the man she loved. At first, he’d taken a lot of getting used to, and when chasing down serial killers with him, she’d constantly needed to remind him that she wasn’t going to break. After discovering many years later that he’d spent most of his time alone on missions, and his family had raised him to respect and protect women, she’d needed to show him how capable she could be in the field. He’d countered by improving her skills across the board with morning workout sessions and time at the firing range. The one thing she did value was his respect for women. He might be old-school, but being a gentleman suited her just fine.

She took Kane’s hand and slipped and slid over the hard-packed ice alongside the sidewalk, finally making it to the heavy coating of sand and salt. They crunched into the barbershop and she ran her gaze along the row of men waiting to be served. She bit back a smile when she read a notice on the wall:Half-price haircuts Wednesdays and soup of the day.

She hung back as Kane smiled at the proprietor. He had his hair cut here regularly and had since arriving in Black Rock Falls.

“I’m pretty busy today, Deputy.” The barber waved a hand to the waiting men. “Tomorrow is good, but I cut your hair only two weeks ago. You sure you need a haircut already?”

“No, I’m good.” Kane smiled. “I just want a quick word with Dan Williams when he’s through with that customer. It will only take a few minutes.”

“I’m done here.” Dan Williams, ruggedly handsome, well built with dark brown eyes, flicked a glance at Jenna. “Is there a problem? Someone die?”

Jenna moved forward. “Is there a place we can talk?”

“Sure, out back, but I can’t be long. I have people waiting.” Williams led the way to a back room. He turned and shut the door when they walked inside. “What’s this all about? You trying to make me look bad in front of my boss? Do you know how hard it is for an ex-crim to get work?”

“No, you can tell him whatever you need to explain why we’re here, but we need to know the location of your cabin in the forest and when you were last there.” Kane leaned against the door and stared him down.

“I’m not sure.” Williams rubbed his chin. “Why, and do I need a lawyer?”

Jenna exchanged a meaningful look with Kane and slowly took out her notebook and pen. “Is there something you need to tell us about, Mr. Williams? You seem a little jumpy. We only want to know if you’ve been out to your cabin lately. You’ve heard about the air crash at Bear Peak? Well, we have people missing. If they made it out alive, they’re likely to take shelter in one of the cabins. Right now, we’re speaking to people who own cabins in that area and collecting information, such as is there a CB radio in the cabin or a landline? With the blizzard, hunting down survivors is proving impossible.”

“Okay, okay.” Williams let out a long breath. “I was out there earlier. Well, I’ve been out there a few times this week. I have a meat locker and been dropping by to collect meat, mostly to feed my dogs. I didn’t see anyone. I only made it there and backbecause the fire road has been cleared. I can’t drive my truck all the way to my place but I can use the snowmobile.”

“So what time did you start work this morning?” Kane’s grim expression bored into him.

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