Page 30 of Their Haunted Hearts
“Nope.” McCulloch shook his head. “If I want a meal, I go to Aunt Betty’s Café. Look I really need to get this fixed.”
“Okay, Mr. McCulloch.” Rio handed him his card. “If you remember anything else we need to know about that night, call me.” He turned and headed for the door.
Folding his notebook, Rowley followed. Outside in the hallway he turned to Rio. “What do you think?”
“He’s way too nervous.” Rio headed toward a band of elevators and pressed the button. “I figure we keep him on the list. He’s the right size, if we’re going on the description of the man seen with Darlene Travis.”
The elevator doors slid open and they climbed inside. Rowley pressed the button for the ground floor. “From what I’ve seen so far, they all are.”
Twenty-Nine
With every muscle screaming, Kane made it to the fire road. He rested his left arm inside his jacket for support and held Jenna’s hand along the way, trying to reassure her that he was fine, but this time his body had taken a beating. He’d struck his back, upper thighs, and knees during the fall; his shoulder had taken his full weight as he fell; and the transfer to his right hand had taken every ounce of strength he possessed. Luckily, he generated strength at a fast rate, but being human meant that the bruising, pulled muscles, and damaged tendons might take longer to heal if left untreated. He needed to surrender himself to Wolfe for a course of treatment. He grimaced. Admitting he needed help wasn’t in his vocabulary, but Jenna needed him beside her to catch this killer.
Wolfe’s truck was parked at the tree line and he jumped out to greet them with blankets. As he handed one to Kane, he pulled him to one side. “I’m injured. Dislocated shoulder, knees are damaged, thighs took a hit on a metal bar, and I could have broken ribs. My back is cramping.” He looked into Wolfe’s gray eyes. “I need a quick fix. This case is too dangerous for Jenna to handle alone.”
“You got it.” Wolfe nodded. “Head okay?”
Kane rubbed his chin. “Yeah, that’s the only place I didn’t hit.”
“Get in the truck.” Wolfe climbed in and looked at the others. “I’ll get y’all back to where you left your vehicles and then take Emily home.” He looked at Kane. “Take a shower and then I want you in my office. I’ll do scans of your shoulder and make sure there’s no ligament damage.” He frowned. “It’s me or waiting at the hospital. Make up your mind. My patients don’t mind you jumping the line.”
Smiling, Kane looked at him. “Yeah, that’s fine. Just don’t forget I’m breathing.”
“I’ll do my best.” Wolfe chuckled. “I must admit, sometimes when I’m working on a live patient and they talk to me it gives me a start.” He took the next bridge over the ravine and headed back to Stanton. “Emily mentioned it was a collaborative surgical team working on you. You’ll need antibiotics for two weeks. Splinters with nails are bad news.”
Kane nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been through similar before. That’s what’s good about a bullet: it burns its way through.”
“I irrigated the wound with saline solution and gave him a shot of penicillin.” Raven leaned forward from the back seat. “I see just fine, and Em held a flashlight on the incision to make sure I removed all the debris. I excised a good part all around the splinter. I’m sure it will be okay.”
“I’ve no doubt y’all did a great job.” Wolfe glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “I’m confident both of you are skilled, but Dave here believes he’s unstoppable and sometimes goes against doctors’ orders. I’m just enforcing the need to take his meds and get some rest.”
“I’ll handcuff him to the bed.” Jenna giggled.
Turning painfully in his seat, Kane looked at her. “That’s not a good idea. Unless you plan on using it for firewood anytime soon.”
Kane’s muscles cramped during the ten-minute drive to the Beast. He waited for Raven to head off and then Wolfe before he turned to Jenna. “I’m sorry but you’ll need to drive.”
“That’s okay.” Jenna opened the passenger door for him and he slid inside. “You’re coming into my locker room and I’ll help you undress. I won’t take no for an answer. It’s bad, isn’t it?”
Shaking his head, Kane smiled at her. “Dying or losing a limb is bad, this is an inconvenience. It slows me down, is all. Wolfe has many things to help me recover fast. Once we’re through, take me home and let me sleep. I’ll be good as new when I wake.” He wriggled his right hand. “My right side is fine. I can hold my boys, eat, and draw my weapon. It’s all good.”
“Why don’t you update Rio so he knows what’s happening?” Jenna handed him his phone and started the truck. They took a slow drive back down the mountain to the office. “Tell him we’re only dropping by to change and then we’ll be heading home once we’ve seen Wolfe. Put him in charge. He’ll have Raven, so he won’t miss us for the rest of the day.”
Reluctantly, Kane made the call. He didn’t want to go home but he did need treatment and the drugs would make him inefficient and there’d be no way he could get out of taking them with Wolfe standing over him. “We’ll be dropping by for a shower and then heading to Wolfe’s. Before we go, Jenna needs an update on the suspects’ interviews. Did you discover anything interesting?”
“Yeah, the three we interviewed so far all fit the description. Two have priors, as you know. They all could be involved. None of them sticks out. All are smartasses. None of them admit to knowing Bunny outside her workplace or admit to being near the roadhouse on Monday night.”
Kane exchanged a knowing look with Jenna. “Okay. If you have time to interview Sly Goldman this afternoon, leave Rowley to run the office and take Raven with you. He’ll be able to answer any questions on what happened today. I need to have a few scans and then rest up. We’ll be back in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll call the sheriff with an update later today.” Rio disconnected.
Sighing Kane looked at Jenna. “He likes being in charge.”
“Maybe, but he knows I’m the sheriff and that’s all that matters.” She flicked him a glance as they turned into the office parking lot. “If he challenges me for sheriff at the next elections, it’s all good. If I win, I stay; if I lose, we’re heading for that island in the sun.”
Thirty
Duke greeted them as they headed through the office. The dog did his happy dance, his thick tail wagging in circles and his tongue lolling out in a happy grin. Jenna bent to give him a rub on the head. “It’s good to see you too, Duke. Better still will be going home to see the kids soon. You’ll like that won’t you?”
