Page 41 of Fear for Her Life

BLACK ROCK FALLS

Saturday

Waking in a luxury hotel might be some people’s idea of fun, but Jenna had spent a fitful night. She preferred her own bed, but most of all she missed Kane. Not hearing from him for so long and not knowing if he was safe was tearing her apart. Even before they were married, she gained comfort from just knowing he was around. His love for her was a warm glow in her heart. He’d told her once that that’s where he’d be if he weren’t around, and all she had to do was close her eyes and think of him. She stared into the dawn and pictured him. “Come home to me, Dave. We need you.”

Unable to sleep, she called room service and ordered breakfast and then trudged to the shower. Everyone had slept in the Cattleman’s Hotel last night, apart from Rio and Rowley, who lived closer to town. Dressed and ready for work, she checked the time. It was coming up to seven, so she called Nanny Raya to give her an update. The nanny was already in the kitchen making breakfast for Tauri. She had been calling her son many times since heading into town yesterday. Not having either parent at home would be stressful for him, but surprisingly he took it in his stride. “I’m glad you’re having a good time. I’m sure the bed I slept in last night had lumps in it.”

Hearing Tauri giggle lifted her mood. He was indeed a ray of sunshine and every day with him was a blessing. “I hope I’ll be home today. We’re still hunting down the baddie men.”

“I hope so because I miss you and Daddy.”Tauri grunted as he climbed into a chair at the kitchen table. He lowered his voice to a stage whisper.“Nanny Raya’s pancakes have lumps in them just like your bed. I like Daddy’s pancakes best.”

Jenna smiled. “I do too. Eat your breakfast. I’ll call you later. Bye.”

“Bye, Mommy.”

She hadn’t heard Jo in the background. Maybe she was asleep or chatting to her daughter, Jaime. Having Jo at the ranch was good because she always helped with the chores and enjoyed tending to the horses. A knock on the door brought room service along with Raven and Carter. Two carts rolled into her room as the men followed them inside. Carter tipped the servers and smiled at Jenna. She went to rescue her breakfast from the cart and looked at them. “What brings you to my room first light?”

“Norrell called.” Carter grabbed plates of food and a large pot of coffee and placed them on the table. “We have a positive ID for Callahan. She did a preliminary autopsy last night and my gunshot went through his head.” He shrugged. “I had no choice but to take him down, Jenna. He attacked me with a knife.”

Nibbling on a slice of toast, Jenna nodded. She didn’t need to know if Carter was coping with killing a man. Like Kane, he managed to separate his feelings. “Good job. I’m glad you took him down. After seeing what he was capable of doing, you only accelerated the death penalty. No doubt many relatives of the victims he killed will sleep better knowing he’s dead.” The news hadn’t affected her appetite, and Kane had drummed into her to eat when possible during a case. She scooped up scrambled eggs on her fork. “I can’t see a problem with the shooting. It was self-defense and you have a witness.” She leaned back to ease the pain in her back. “I’ll sign a report for your superiors.”

“How’s the back?” Raven’s gaze swept over her. “Any cramps overnight?”

Giving her head a shake, Jenna swallowed her food. “I feel better since resting. Although the baby was in a fight last night. It just wouldn’t settle. It seems the moment I try to rest it wakes up and starts kicking.”

“That’s normal.” Raven waved a strip of bacon around as he talked. “When you walk around, you’re rocking the baby to sleep; when you stop, they wake up and become active. It’s good it’s active. Usually they go quiet before delivery, so that’s a good thing right now with Dave away.”

“That’s good to know.” Carter was demolishing scrambled eggs, bacon, and a stack of pancakes. “I do know how to deliver a baby but it’s not something I really want to do.”

“I’d deliver it if push came to shove.” Raven sipped steaming coffee. “But Jenna has an obstetrician on standby and Norrell if needs be.”

Slightly annoyed, Jenna looked from one to the other. “This baby is not coming along unless Dave is here. I’m not taking that pleasure away from him. So I’m not doing anything that might cause an early delivery.” She waved at them. “I’ll keep strenuous activities to a minimum for a time. You and the rest of the team can continue to hunt down the prisoners. The DOC search parties are close to the Triple Z Roadhouse, so it won’t be long before they hit town.”

Her phone buzzed and she stared at the caller ID. “What’s up, Rio?”

“I’m at the old cemetery. I had a call on the 911 line that someone’s dog found a body at the bottom of an open grave. It’s damaged, but from the general description, I figure it’s Romero. I processed the scene took photographs and a video. There’s no evidence around the gravesite. It rained hard last night, no footprints at all. Norrell and her team are removing the body now. She has Romero’s DNA, so she’ll run a test ASAP. There is a big problem. The body had a tarot card right on top of it.”

Jenna swallowed hard. “Is it the usual card left by the Tarot Killer? They’re distinct.”

“Yeah.”Rio’s boots crunched on gravel.“The thing is, it’s pretty obvious the guy fell into the grave, likely broke his neck due to the fall. It looks broken, but there’s a large boulder on his head and it smashed his skull. He didn’t do that falling down a hole.”

Sighing, Jenna leaned back in her chair. “Well, if it is Romero, I guess we owe the Tarot Killer a gift of gratitude. Although, how he found Romero when we couldn’t is a mystery.” She cleared her throat. “Beth and Styles searched that area last night. They walked the entire cemetery and didn’t see anyone, but we did have a report of someone there earlier.”

“Maybe he’d already fallen into the grave before they arrived?”Rio sounded optimistic.“I doubt they’d have been checking open graves for him, or maybe even seen the open graves in the dark. There wasn’t a moon last night.”

Sipping her coffee, Jenna nodded. “True. Can you call the DOC search party coordinator and tell them? Also, send out an ambiguous media release saying two of the prisoners have been found. Don’t mention they’re dead. I don’t want Margos to know.”

“Sure. I’ll bring everything into the office and update the server.”Rio disconnected.

Jenna looked at Carter and Raven. “Two down.” She pushed hair behind her ears and raised her eyebrows. “If we can find Margos, life might return to normal.”

By eight-thirty they were all in the conference room. Jenna looked around the table. “Okay, Mason Margos is still out there. The DOC has its search parties ready to roll, and they’ll keep moving toward town, searching local ranches, outbuildings, and any cabins in the forest. We’ll make ourselves known. Wear your Kevlar vests and jackets clearly distinguishing you all as law enforcement and be visible. The townsfolk need to know we’re on the job.”

“Would you suggest we split into three groups and search the more unusual places, empty buildings?” Carter moved a toothpick across his lips. “After chasing down Romero, it’s obvious they know about the old warehouses. They’d make a good hideout.”

Jenna nodded. “Okay, pick an area to search and we’ll meet back here after lunch. Take regular breaks. We have a tab at Aunt Betty’s Café. I need you all ready to move out if we get a sighting of Margos. Rio and Rowley, I want you in town.”

“I hope you’re planning on directing traffic from behind your desk today.” Carter pushed to his feet and then held up both hands. “I know it’s not my place to tell you to rest up, but if Dave knows we stood by while you overtaxed yourself, there will be hell to pay.”

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