Page 33 of Fear for Her Life

Jenna placed her pen on the desk, reached for a cup of coffee, and took a few long sips. The details of the murder were horrific. Even after all the times she’d stood in an autopsy room during an examination, the horror of what one person could do to another still made her sick to her stomach. Kane had always insisted that empathy was a good thing, and once she lost that, she needed to quit her job. “Okay and what about Maya Brooks?”

“She suffered a flesh wound caused by a gunshot to her upper thigh. This had been treated and I concur that this happened as recorded in the 911 call. Her cause of death is from massive blood loss from a severed carotid artery, resulting in cardiac arrest. There are no signs of sexual assault in either victim. Once I have completed all my tests, I will send you a full report.”

Twirling her cup in her fingertips, Jenna frowned. “Defensive wounds?”

“Not in Maya Brooks. She has scratches consistent to running through the forest, but from the angle of the wound to her throat, she was attacked from behind and above. I’d say she was on the ground, maybe on her hands and knees, when attacked.”

Picturing the scene in her mind, Jenna nodded. “Thanks. Rio and Rowley are notifying next of kin. They are local, and Rio and Rowley will collect DNA swabs of the victims’ mothers’ for identification.”

“That’s good. I already have positive IDs on both male victims. They are, as you suggested, Troy Lee, from the first murder, and Robert Moore, from the second. If that’s all, I’ll get back to work.”

Jenna searched the faces of her team. No one had questions. “Okay, thanks, Norrell.” She disconnected and leaned back in her chair. “Suggestions?”

“I figure we need to spread out across town and hang out anywhere they might drop by for food.” Carter waved a toothpick held between finger and thumb. “They wouldn’t be foraging for food. All of them are city folk. We know they have cash. The cabins were ransacked and they have clothes as well.”

“They’ll park some ways from their target store and walk. Two vehicles and three men. One might remain with a vehicle.” Styles stood and refilled his cup from the coffeemaker. “We’re not dressed like FBI and won’t be noticed.” He carried his cup to the table and sat down. “Taking them in will be a problem. They have nothing to lose and might take hostages if cornered.”

Shrugging, Jenna blew out a long breath. She would be noticed. Her face was all over the front pages of the newspapers this morning alongside the pictures of the prisoners, and moving through town would make her a target. Leaving the ranch had put her in danger. She needed to be sensible. “I’m sure you are all competent in taking down these men. If you spot one, call for backup. Rio and Rowley will be back soon, and Raven is available as well. Use your coms and keep me updated. If Beth or Kalo gets a sighting, I’ll call you.”

Everyone stood, apart from Raven, and headed out talking among themselves. She turned to Raven. “I can’t sit here doing nothing.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a tourist map. “I figure we check out these old buildings.” She circled them with her pen and pushed them toward him. “If we see signs of habitation, the DOC teams are close enough to call in for backup.”

“You’re not concerned about being shot at?” Raven raised both eyebrows.

Shaking her head, Jenna looked at him. “I’m not planning on getting out of the truck. All these places, we can drive around.”

“Dave said his truck was bombproof but guys exaggerate.” Raven shrugged. “I’m not sure if risking your life is what he had planned for me.”

Standing, Jenna holstered her weapon. “Dave never exaggerates, and trust me, the escaped prisoners don’t have the weapons to take out the Beast. Let’s go.”

THIRTY-NINE

Hours later, exhausted, Jenna climbed from the Beast, and grabbing her cup of to-go hot chocolate, headed inside to her office. For once in her life, she regretted having her office at the top of a flight of stairs. Her back had been getting worse over the last couple of days, and with Wolfe being away and Norrell being so busy conducting the autopsies, she didn’t have anyone to ask if this was a normal part of pregnancy. She went into her office and sat down in her chair, putting her feet up on the footrest Kane had given her. Keeping her feet elevated prevented swollen ankles he had insisted. She smiled as she recalled his concerned expression as he slipped it under her desk and lifted her feet onto it. She checked her watch. It was a little after five and she wondered what he was doing right at this moment. Not knowing was driving her crazy. She had dated many men in the military during her time with the DEA while living in DC and realized that being the wife of anyone in the military would be extremely stressful. Forcing her mind back to work as Raven came into the office carrying bags of takeout, she glanced up at him. “All the sightings of the escaped prisoners that came in on the hotline didn’t pan out. Rio and Rowley have been running around town all day. I just sent them home. We might need them later.”

“It’s been a washout.” Raven went to the coffee machine and refilled it before sitting down in one of the chairs before her desk. “They can’t have been noticed by the prisoners. They visited anywhere that sells food and swapped venues back and forth all day. Oh, and Styles went to collect Beth and drop Jo at the ranch. Beth did the same group of eateries and didn’t see any of the escapees. I’ve no idea what they’re eating unless they took supplies from the last cabin they ransacked.”

Ravenous, Jenna pulled a pack of sandwiches from one of the bags. She’d missed lunch, but Raven had insisted she drink the milkshake he grabbed for her from the convenience store at the end of town. “That’s likely, but after being away for so long, a burger would be tempting. The eateries are open late, so maybe they’ll come into town again tonight.”

“I figure what’s tempting them is more likely to be someone to murder.” Raven helped himself to a burger and fries. “Beth and Styles are grabbing a meal at Aunt Betty’s. Carter is on his way in, so I ordered enough food for everyone.”

The egg salad sandwich tasted like ambrosia, and Jenna let out a long contented sigh. “That’s good. I hope you ordered a ton of it because I’m starving.” Recalling that Raven was a registered GP, she eyed him over the top of her to-go cup. “I know you’re not an obstetrician, but do you know if a really bad backache is a problem in pregnancy?”

“Many women suffer backaches during the third trimester. Mainly due to the weight of the baby and the position. I can see that your baby has dropped dramatically in the last forty-eight hours or so. This is quite normal as they are getting ready to be born. When are you due?”

Rubbing her belly, Jenna smiled. “About three weeks, but my obstetrician believes the baby is a little more mature than the dates would indicate. She believes it will be early.”

“Well, sometimes backache can be early labor pains, so if you get any contractions, you’d better let me know.” Raven gave her a long look. “I’ll take you to the hospital and notify your obstetrician you’re on your way. Don’t panic, babies take their own time, but if your water breaks, we’ll need to leave right away.”

Nodding, Jenna smiled. “No contractions and my back feels better now I’m sitting down, but thanks. It’s good to know I have you looking out for me.”

“My pleasure.” Raven nibbled on a fry. “I’m enjoying being involved in this case. I’ve learned a great deal being with you this week.” He turned to toss his dog, Ben, a fry. “Do you have any dog food here? I’ll be happy to replace it. It’s time to feed Ben.”

Jenna pointed to the closet behind her. “In there, the stuff in the blue bag belongs to Carter. Zorro is picky. We have bags of it at the ranch as well because Duke will eat anything. The red bags are high protein and they make Duke drool just looking at the bag, so I think in dog food, they must be like steak. Use what you like, no need to replace it. He’s one of the team and it goes on the office tab.”

“Thanks.” Raven went to the closet, took out a clean bowl and filled it. He placed it beside the water bowl and indicated toward it. “There you go, Ben. Enjoy.” He sat down and lifted his burger. “Best burger in town, like everything else from Aunt Betty’s.”

“You got that right.” Carter walked in the door. “I hope there’s one of those burgers in the bag for me.”

“Yeah, I ordered enough for everyone.” Raven pushed the bag toward him. “Hot food in this bag and there’s peach and apple pies in the refrigerator.”

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