Page 40 of Their Haunted Hearts
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, make it happen. I’ll call Raya and ask her to collect Tauri before the storm and take Duke home with her.” She looked at Raven. “Is Ben good with storms?”
“Good as gold.” Raven smiled. “I’ll help set up the trail cams and then shoot home to feed my dogs. Then I’ll take the first shift.”
“There’s no need to be in the office.” Kane smiled. “The webcams feed to our phones. If there’s any movement, they send a notification. We can all go home and monitor them from there.”
Glad to see him volunteering, she ended the call. “See you all soon. She turned to the team. “It’s kind of you to offer, Raven, but Rowley, you take the shift until eight because it’s difficult to have alarms going off with kids. If Raven can do eight to one and Rio one to five, we’ll take over from then until we’re all back in the office. There’s a storm brewing. Don’t go anywhere without your satellite phones.” She looked at Kane. “You organize the trail cams, and Raven, go with Rio to get them up at the hospital and the ranch. We’ll handle the Triple Z and roadhouse. Don’t forget, direct them to the road only, not a private residence. We’re only watching traffic. Which reminds me, the vehicles currently registered to the suspects are in the files.” She looked at Rowley. “You chase down their vehicles and then see if you can get any details on the last victim, Gabby Turner.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley stood.
Jenna looked at Kane. “Let’s go.”
Forty
As Jenna headed out to the Beast, the wind howled around, buffeting her and making it difficult to walk. The temperature had dropped and so had the visibility as the dark clouds rolled in and day turned to night. Raya had arrived a short time earlier and they’d taken Duke down to her vehicle. The bloodhound hated storms and he would feel safer hiding under their bed at home. She needed to explain to Tauri why he’d been taken out of school early. Her little boy had straightened in the seat and told her he would be the man of the house and take care of everyone if the storm came by. Jackson had been sound asleep in his car seat, his cheeks still flushed from teething. She’d kissed his fat cheeks and ran her hand through his silky black hair, but he’d slept on in blissful ignorance of the brewing storm overhead. A pang of worry gripped her as Raya drove away. She wrestled with the truck door as the wind tried to rip it away from her grasp and climbed inside. “I hope they make it home before the storm hits.”
“They will.” Kane stared at the sky. “I figure it’s some time before it gets here. Have you ever counted the thunder after lightning flashes? When you see a flash of lightning, count the seconds before you hear a rumble of thunder. Then divide the seconds by five. That’s a good indication on the distance you are from the storm. It’s heading toward us and they’re driving away from town.”
Nodding, Jenna watched Raya’s truck until it vanished in the traffic. Along the sidewalk the Halloween decorations were waving and churning as if the skeletons were dancing around the light posts, their teeth chattering like castanets. She turned in her seat as Kane headed in the opposite direction. “I figure we need to cover the road outside the Triple Z Bar and another one facing in the opposite direction so we pick up anyone who’s going into the roadhouse.” She frowned. “We can’t be seen doing this. If the killer is anywhere around, he’ll go underground until he can disable the trail cams.”
“We’ll have plenty of cover in the forest to place the cameras anywhere you need them. The trees will cover them and no one will even know they’re there.” Kane accelerated along Stanton and out of the town limits.
An eerie light fell across Black Rock Falls. Above, the sky resembled a turbulent sea, black and churning. Clouds heavy with rain rushed toward them as if goaded along by the lightning zigzagging across the mountaintops. Light rain fell across the blacktop and it seemed that everyone was rushing to get under cover. The highway leading to Black Rock Falls had traffic backed up, and impatient drivers were risking their lives overtaking the eighteen-wheelers trying to outrun the storm. The blinking fluorescent lights outside the roadhouse and the Triple Z Bar blazed out in the distance. As the Beast passed the bar, a line of eighteen-wheelers drove into the roadhouse, and in another hundred yards, more of them rumbled into the Triple Z Bar parking lot. With a motel out back, it had become a popular place for truckers to stop during bad weather.
“I’ll turn into the fire road just ahead and we’ll go in on foot.” Kane left the highway and they bumped along a fire road deep into the dark forest.
The fire road ran parallel to Stanton and would give them access to a view of the Triple Z Bar and the roadhouse. Jenna stared at the GPS screen. “If you stop about twenty yards ahead, we should be able to walk through the forest and attach the trail cams.”
“Okay.” Kane slowed to a stop, jumped out, and grabbed the cameras from the back seat. “You can wait here if you like.”
Jenna stared at him. “You’re not planning on climbing trees? I’ll do it. You’re injured.”
“I can pull myself up with my right arm.” Kane shook his head. “You’ll get blown out of the tree, Jenna. Don’t worry, I heal fast. Wait here. I’ll be fine.”
Shaking her head, Jenna grabbed a flashlight and followed him from the truck. “No way. It’s pitch black in there. I figure you’ll need someone to hold the flashlight while you secure the cameras.”
They moved swiftly through the forest, and Kane selected a suitable tree and climbed with ease. Sudden violent bursts of wind circled around them, and the forest gave a mournful moan as branches creaked and dead leaves rose up in spirals as if the dead were escaping from their graves. A chill shivered down Jenna’s back. She’d been through many storms but this one put her nerves on edge. She wondered if this strange weather event would forever after be called the Halloween Storm. Lightning flashed, illuminating the forest for split seconds as Kane climbed down from the tree. “That’s not the safest place to be in the middle of a storm.”
“One more to go.” Kane took her arm. “Jump back into the truck and we’ll drive. It’s more dangerous walking along the fire road right now.” He glanced up. “That’s a weird storm. Black clouds with green. Maybe it’s hail.” Another gust of wind buffeted them. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
As they stepped out of the truck a wall of rain crashed down on them and underfoot the dirt paths turned to mud. Gusts of wind pushed Jenna’s hood from her head and within seconds soaking wet hair stuck to her face. She pulled the hood up again and, turning away from the wind, secured it but water had leaked down her collar and trickled down her back. She followed Kane deeper into the forest. The wind howled around them snapping the smaller branches of the trees and turning them into missiles. Ahead she made out the sign outside the Triple Z Roadhouse blinking in the darkness. She raised her voice to be heard over the wind. “Can you see anywhere where there’s a clear view both ways?”
“Yeah, this one will be fine.” Kane walked around a tall pine with many lower branches. “Easy to climb too. Keep your flashlight facing the ground.” He turned on a penlight and held it between his teeth as he climbed.
Jenna held her breath with each lightning crash. The violent storm raced toward them. She counted the seconds between flashes and the thunder shaking the ground beneath her feet. Loud cracks and the smell of pine rushed toward her as the wind broke trees like twigs. She raised her voice to be heard. “Hurry. We need to get out of here.”
Seconds later, Kane dropped down beside her, took her hand, and they ran through the forest. The fire road resembled a muddy river as they splashed their way toward the Beast. They dived inside and Jenna reached for the towels she kept on the back seat and handed one to Kane. His face was wet but his Stetson hadn’t moved but dripped water from the rim. “I figure my hoodie would keep me drier than my hat but it didn’t. I’m soaked through. You look dry apart from your face. Shoulder okay?”
“I’m fine and it’s a great hat but the rain has leaked through my jacket in a few places. I figure I’ll need to change the dressings on my wounds when we get back to the office.” He smiled at her. “Don’t worry about the storm. We’re safe and dry in here.” Kane dried his face and hands and then checked the camera feed. “Everything is set and the other cameras are in place as well.” He peered out at the lashing storm. “I’m glad you sent the boys home. They’ll be safer at the ranch and Duke will hide under our bed until I get home.” He started the engine. “See if you can get a weather update. If we lived along the coast, I’d be concerned. That sky looks worse than a hurricane but it doesn’t resemble a twister.” He flicked her a glance. “This close to Halloween some of the people are going to believe it’s some evil curse rolling across the sky.” His mouth turned up at the corners. “People sure seem to get spooked around Halloween.”
Forty-One
Helena
Light rain was falling when Julie stepped out of the conference hall with Rhett at her side. She glanced across the parking lot for the bus. “The bus is late again. I need to get back to the hotel and pack.”
“I’ll give you a ride if you’re not scared of motorcycles.” Rhett smiled at her. “You might get a little wet but I have a spare slicker in my saddlebags if you want to wear it.”
Julie smiled. “I would appreciate a ride, and the slicker, thanks. I’ve ridden with my dad before. I like motorcycles. My dad has a Harley.”
