Page 28 of Their Haunted Hearts
Jenna’s heart raced at the sight of a thick splinter of wood embedded in Kane’s calf.
“I’m sure Raven has fixed worse than that in combat zones.” Kane frowned. “I need it out so I can walk out of here.” He looked at Jenna. “Call someone to meet us on the fire road.” He indicated a trail through the forest. “It’s that way. Give them GPS coordinates. They’ll find us.”
“Okay.” Raven scanned the area. “Over there. The boulder is flat and big enough for you to lie down.” He lifted Kane under one arm and helped him to the rock and then turned to Emily. “My kit has everything we need. Numb him up and get to work on the sutures. I’ll do the splinter.”
After making the call to Wolfe, Jenna called Rio and brought him up to date. “Get the drones up and look for anyone carrying a rifle. We figure someone spooked the elk herd on purpose. Contact the game warden and ask him to check out anyone hunting in that area. I don’t believe it’s a designated hunting area. It’s a hiking trail.”
“Do you figure they’d still be hanging around?” Rio sounded skeptical. “How long have you been stranded on the bridge? They could be long gone by now.”
Jenna frowned. “Maybe but do a search anyway. If hunters were passing through, they’d have checked in with the game warden. They might have seen someone. Talk to him first.” She paused a beat. “Tell the warden that elk have fallen into the ravine. They’ll need to send someone to remove the carcasses when they reach the lake.”
“Okay. I’m on it.” Rio disconnected.
Deciding to keep Kane distracted as the doctors went to work, she went to his side. Kane lay staring at the sky, his hat lying on his chest as if he didn’t have a care in the world. She wondered how many times in his secret past he’d been worked on in the field. Teeth chattering, she edged closer beside him, trying to share heat. It was freezing and everyone was soaked through. She took his hand. “Tauri will want to know everything that happened. Do you figure it’s too disturbing to tell him about the bridge?”
“We can tell him about the stampede and escaping on the bridge.” Kane’s eyes moved to her face. “Not about me falling through.” He suddenly smiled. “Jackson will say I have an ‘ouchie’ and to kiss it better like you do.” He squeezed her hand. “Do all moms kiss things better? I recall my mom doing that to me, but not my dad. He’d say, ‘Suck it up and be a man.’”
“You never say that to our kids.” Jenna rested a hand on his chest as Raven cut into his leg. “You’re very loving to our boys.”
“It’s a different world now.” Kane sighed. “But I don’t rush over and make a fuss if they fall over. You don’t either. We both wait those few seconds to see if they get up and keep going first.”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, well I’ve seen kids that cry every time they fall over when they’re not hurt. I noticed early on that Jackson waits to see our reaction first, if it’s okay with us, then he just carries on unless he bangs his head or whatever.”
“Bringing Up Kids 101, huh?” Raven looked up at them. “Are your shots up to date. Tetanus, for instance?”
“Yeah.” Kane lifted his head. “Why?”
“The hunk of wood you had embedded in your leg has a rusty nail in it.” Raven was stitching the wound. “I’ve got it all and it’s going to be fine. The muscle wasn’t damaged as first I thought but it will be sore for a week or so. Ten days for the sutures and a course of antibiotics. You’re not allergic to anything are you?” He tied off the last suture.
“Nope.” Kane frowned. “Why?”
“When we’ve bandaged you, you’ll need to drop your pants. I have a shot that needs to go into your backside.” Raven grinned. “Sure you don’t want morphine?”
“I’ll be fine.” Kane frowned and sat up slowly. “I have pain meds for my headaches. If I need anything, I’ll take them.” He looked down at the damage. “Can you use waterproof bandages? I’ll need a shower when I get back to the office and get into some dry clothes.”
“Not a problem. You must keep this leg elevated for a day or so or it will bleed. Okay?” Raven shivered and packed up his bag. “I’m sure glad I have a change of clothes at the office too. I’m wet through.”
Jenna’s phone chimed. It was fortunate she’d decided long ago to never leave home without the satellite sleeve. “Yes, Rio.”
“I called the game warden and he heard the shots and went to investigate. He found a couple of kids shooting rodents. They had no idea their shots had spooked the elk herd until it was too late. They swear they didn’t see them. He let them off with a warning. Oh, yeah, and he’ll organize the elk cleanup.”
Jenna sighed. “Okay, it was a shot in the dark. Good about the cleanup, and before I forget, the body was a pig. It’s been here a day or so and it was wearing Darlene Travis’ locket. A stampede went through the area, so it’s pointless doing a retrieval. We figure it was a distraction to get us away from town. Is it all quiet there?”
“Yeah, the hotline calls have slowed. Do you want us to follow up on the other suspects?”
There was no way she could drag Kane around interviewing suspects right now. “Okay, thanks.” She disconnected.
“I’m good to go.” Kane stood and pushed on his wet hat. He went to pick up his backpack and Raven grabbed it. “There’s no need. I’m good.”
“I’m your doctor right now, which makes me in charge.” Raven raised both eyebrows as if waiting for an argument. “That shoulder could slip right back out under the weight of this. I’ll carry it and no arguments.” He slung it over one shoulder. “Lead the way.”
Jenna grinned at Kane’s stubborn expression. “I’m sure Wolfe will want to check you over too.”
“You called Wolfe?” Kane snorted. “I’m not dead yet.”
Twenty-Eight
As Rio drove to the hospital, Rowley checked his notes on the next suspect. Daniel McCulloch, a maintenance worker at the hospital, had a sketchy past. Complaints had been leveled against him and he’d been fired from his last job. The mention of drugs stolen from the hospital concerned him, mainly because of the drugs discovered in the stomach contents of the first victim. Drugs could be stored and used on another victim and as McCulloch had only arrived in Black Rock Falls in July, it put him into the timeframe. As Jenna and Kane had mentioned, killers of this type usually moved around to avoid detection. They only lived in an area long enough to look as if they belonged and then moved on once they’d committed the crimes. He turned to Rio. “When you called the hospital, did they say anything about this guy?”
