Page 6 of Tears on Her Grave

“That sounds like a plan.” Jenna nodded. “If we’re through here, we’ll head to the college and see what we can discover.”

Kane removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash. “Lead the way.” He turned to Wolfe and Norrell. “Thanks.” He followed Jenna from the room.

FIVE

Panic rose up the back of Josie Campbell’s throat, cramping her belly and taking her breath away as the news came over the radio. It had been twelve long years since that Halloween night in the forest with her friends. Twelve long years of keeping a secret, unable to utter a word or even mention the names of the friends they’d buried inside the cave. The terrible nightmare had faded from her memory but now it was front and center. Every excruciating, vivid, and horrifying detail of that night flashed across her mind. As the newsreader requested information about anyone going missing approximately twelve years ago in Black Rock Falls, it was obvious that they’d found the bodies. With trembling fingers, she lifted her phone and called Marissa Kendrick. Many things had happened since that night in the forest. A few of the group of friends had married. All had careers and a life. Everything would be ruined if the truth came out. The phone rang and when the voice of her friend came through the speaker it was evident that Marissa had heard the news as well. “I’m guessing you’ve heard the news, Marissa?”

“Yeah. It was quite a shock, but think about it. It’s been twelve years and there wouldn’t be any evidence left to point to us. Only our small group of friends knows the truth and I’mnot guessing that any one of them plans on speaking to the cops. We all have lives now and what happened was a stupid mistake. I figure we should just go about as normal and deny everything if anyone asks us any questions. If we all stick together like we did before, no one is ever going to find out what happened.”

Sick to the stomach, Josie hugged her belly. “We need to have a meeting so we can discuss what to do. We can’t use the phone because I don’t call the others very often, maybe once or twice every few years. It will look suspicious if the cops check out our phones and suddenly we’re calling each other the moment the media releases the information. I can walk into town and use a payphone to speak to Jess. Maybe he’ll be able to contact one of the others.”

“Lily Jones is my hairstylist, so I’ll drop by the beauty parlor and speak to her.”Marissa sounded calm and in control, but she’d always been the strong one. “We’ll have to meet somewhere where no one will see us. What about the Old Mitcham Ranch,where we used to hang out at Halloween when we were in high school? I doubt it will be flooded on that side of town. We’ll see if we can arrange to be there at seven tomorrow night. No one will see us there. It’s very isolated.”She heaved in a deep breath.“I’ll drop by different stores and purchase a few burner phones. You do the same. Don’t purchase two in the same place and use cash. We’ll be able to keep in touch then and no one will know.”

Nodding, Josie sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah, that would work. I’ll tell Bob I’m going to the store. He’ll be watching TV and will never miss me.” She let out her breath in relief. “We can exchange phone numbers of the burners when we meet up at the Old Mitcham Ranch.”

“Okay.”Marissa sighed. “Don’t stress. We’ve been doing this for twelve years and we can hold our tongues for as long as ittakes. I’ll see you tomorrow at seven. Bring a flashlight.”She disconnected.

As Josie’s heart rate slowly returned to normal, she stared at her reflection in the glass-fronted cabinet. The young college girl who had kept a deadly secret no longer existed. She’d worked from home as a teleworker. Her husband, Bob Campbell, was in construction and they had no kids by choice. She gathered her things together, pulled on her coat, and headed for the door. She needed to speak to Jess Hallon. She’d dated him in college, but after what happened, they’d drifted apart and he’d married and now had a son. As he was the manager of his parents’ ranch, his phone number was all over town on advertisements for prime beef. Contacting him would be easy.

SIX

The rain-soaked college campus, with its wide sweeping glistening blacktop and impressive buildings, was relatively quiet. It was spring break, but the offices were always open. A few students dashed from place to place, hoodies pulled up over their heads. The dining halls would remain open for the residents as many students lived in. When Kane parked the Beast outside the office, Jenna gathered her things and, pulling her slicker over her head, climbed down from the vehicle. She turned to admire the new truck. The old Beast had been like a reliable friend all the time she had known Kane, and when this new tricked-out glossy black Beast had arrived, seeing the old vehicle being loaded onto the semitrailer had brought tears to her eyes. The new truck was literally bombproof, with bulletproof glass and every gadget known to man. It was supplied by the government to protect Kane and now his family. It was strange, the old Beast had its own smell and, funnily enough, she missed it. It was like they’d taken a piece of her husband. Knowing she missed it, Kane had purchased her a Mustang for her birthday. All thoughts of the old Beast slipped away when the powerful vehicle, all black and shiny with stripes, slipped down from the trailer. It was a dream come true for her.She would enjoy driving it for as long as she could fit behind the wheel and reach the pedals—if the darn rain would ever stop.

“You have that look in your eye again.” Kane came to her side, shoulders hunched against the rain. “Missing the old Beast?”

Self-conscious, Jenna blinked, surprised that he could practically read her mind. “It’s as if we sent away a part of you. I mean, when I saw that truck, it meant you were close by. This one is magnificent, with everything we could possibly need to keep us safe, and I’m sure I will get used to it. It’s just that I miss the other one.”

“I miss it too, but it was getting too old and I was working on it every other weekend to keep it running.” Kane pulled down his Stetson to shield his face from the rain. “We could have tried another new engine and replaced the brakes again, but when push came to shove, it may not have performed adequately to save our lives. This is the reason it was replaced and we should be very grateful that POTUS has supplied this new updated version for us.” He smiled at her and cupped her chin in his warm fingers. “I’ll always be close by, Jenna, and if you need me, you only need to call. You know that, right? I’m sticking right by your side, come rain or shine. You and Tauri are my priority and always will be.”

Reluctantly, Jenna moved away and headed for the campus office. It was strange how small things seemed to get under her skin since she’d been pregnant. She had always imagined that the change in hormones causing mood swings was a myth, but little things seemed to play on her mind. She worried more about her family and was currently going through the fear that most women in her condition suffered: Would she and the baby survive the pregnancy? Although she had been assured she was fit and healthy and could have more children if they were lucky enough to conceive them, it didn’t help her concerns. Itwasn’t about herself. She worried what would happen to Kane if anything happened to her. He had suffered enough heartache in his life and didn’t deserve any more. Losing his wife and child in a car bombing had taken him years to come to terms with and she couldn’t do that to him. The moment she’d discovered the pregnancy, she’d taken every precaution to ensure she would carry to full term. As she approached the office door she pulled her mind back into the game. As sheriff of Black Rock Falls, the townsfolk depended on her to keep them safe. She straightened her back and walked into the registrar’s office. The nameplate on the front counter read:elizabeth haubold, registrar.

“Someone should be around.” Kane rang the bell and leaned across the counter, peering into the passageway.

A woman came out from a back room wearing a tailored suit and smiled at them. “Good morning, Sheriff and Deputy Kane. What can I help you with today?”

Returning the smile, Jenna moved closer to the counter. “Two bodies were found yesterday in the river. We believe they are from twelve years ago. One of them was wearing a college football jacket with the year on it and an Alpha Pi fraternity pin. We’d like to identify them. Do you recall any of the students going missing around that time?”

“I do recall two students missing in Stanton Forest.” Elizabeth tapped her bottom lip in thought. “Give me a minute. I’ll pull the previous yearbook from our files and the names will come to me.”

“Do the yearbooks list members of fraternities?” Kane leaned on the desk looking at her.

“Yes, they do.” Elizabeth smiled at him. “I guess it’s just as well because for me to give you that information, you’d need a warrant. I’ll get both books.”

She returned shortly after and they waited patiently for her to thumb through the pages. When she turned the bookaround and pointed at a fresh-faced young man by the name of Cole Peters, Jenna took out her phone and took a photograph. Moments later, she indicated to a girl with a bright smile and long dark hair eerily familiar to the desiccated body she’d seen previously. The girl’s name was Abby Jaye. After taking another image, Jenna lifted her gaze. “Do you recall anything about the circumstances surrounding their disappearance?”

“In fact, I do.” Elizabeth found the list of Alpha Pi fraternity members for that year and pointed it out to Kane. “There was a lot of scuttlebutt around it because it happened at Halloween. A group of students went camping alongside the river some ways from the Whispering Caves. They went up there to scare themselves silly because of legend of the Whispering Caves Axman. Apparently a hundred years or so ago, he walked the forest murdering anyone who crossed his path, and the legend goes that he wanders through the forest over Halloween murdering people.” She rolled her eyes. “The thing is, a search was conducted all through that area and no one found a trace of the missing students. You see, everyone knew Cole. Being a star quarterback and a real nice boy, he was popular. One of the girls mentioned that Abby and Cole left the group before midnight. When they didn’t return, she assumed that they’d left early and traveled back down the mountain. No one ever saw them again. Of course, the general consensus on campus was that she’d run away with Cole, but his vehicle was found parked near the ranger’s station at the bottom of the mountain alongside Stanton Forest a few days later. The other members of the large group had no idea anyone was missing. Some noticed Cole and Abby leaving but assumed that they had gone somewhere to make out. It was a day or so later we discovered they’d never returned home.” She sighed. “That’s all I remember.” She frowned. “I’m not sure where the idea came about that they’d run away together. Cole’s future was bright. It wasn’t something anyonewould just throw away. I recall him being excited about his five-star rating. He’d be living the dream.”

“Five stars?” Kane whistled. “He was an elite athlete.”

Jenna glanced at him. “There’d be no reason for him to take off with his girlfriend. I wonder who started that rumor?” She gave him a meaningful stare.Maybe it was the killer to throw everyone off the scent?

“Do you recall the names of the people in the group that went into the forest that night?” Kane had been making notes and looked up at Elizabeth. “Any names would help.”

“No, I gather it was a large group and it’s been a long time to recall specific names, but I do know the story about the missing students didn’t come out in the press until later that week—so probably November second. I watched it on TV. I recall thinking that the sheriff had moved too slow to save them if something had happened. It was different back then, not like now with so many murders. I guess he was waiting for them to show before he alerted the press.” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, I guess if he didn’t investigate the missing persons cases, we’ll never know just how long serial killers have been in town.” Kane raised one dark eyebrow. “He didn’t mention the students going missing at all. Did he even investigate or set up a search for them?”

“The parents and friends hunted through the forest.” Elizabeth frowned. “They had flyers on trees all over but never found a trace of them.”

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