Page 39 of Their Wicked Games

Shaking her head, Jenna stared at him. “You will tell me when you make it fly, right, or I’ll figure we’re sailing right out there to certain death.”

“I’m sure you’d notice the rotor blades?” Kane closed the door and stared at her, his expression serious. “They’re kinda big, sit on the roof, and spin around some.” He twirled his fingers to demonstrate. “I considered it but I figured the blades might decapitate one of us if we forgot they were up there.”

As usual, seeing her troubled, Kane had used his dark humor to lighten the mood. She wondered how many people would find his jokes as hilarious as she did. He managed to deliver them with a straight face and then stare at her dead serious. She chuckled. “So that’s a no then?”

“Yeah. For now, anyway.” He flicked his gaze to the back seat. “I sure miss not having Duke along, but he does love Zorro’s company and they both deserve a day to themselves.”

They headed through the building, their footsteps echoing, and empty dark rooms emphasized the fact that no one else was there. As they reached the courtyard and made their way through the cloisters, goosebumps rose on Jenna’s arms. Why did Bill Ripley want to remain on campus during spring break? When she’d called the office earlier, the receptionist had informed her that only three students remained. The other two being roommates in a different section of the campus. Ripley obviously hadn’t made any friends during his first semester, and although many camps had been running over spring break, he had decided to remain in his room. The campus didn’t offer any catering and anyone remaining behind would literally have to fend for themselves for meals. It was safe, as the usual security team were on duty, as were the office staff.

They took the stairs and searched the corridors for the room number Carter had given them. Unlike the description of loud video games, Jo and Carter had mentioned from their visit that not a sound came from Bill Ripley’s room. Jenna stood to one side of the door and Kane to the other. Heart beating as Kane checked the door surrounds for wires, she waited for him to give a clear signal and then rapped on the door. No movement or footsteps came from behind the door and after repeated loud knocking, she looked at Kane and shrugged. “It looks like he’s out. Do we know what vehicle he drives?”

“Nope, but the parking lot is empty.” Kane shrugged. “Maybe he went out for a meal?”

Disappointed, Jenna stared at her feet for a few seconds, debating what to do next. “I guess we’ll head back to town. I’ll do a search on his vehicle and we’ll cruise past the local diners. We might just be lucky.”

“Okay, but I think we’re chasing our tails.” Kane followed her down the steps. “He doesn’t have family, right? For now, this is his only home. Where would he go?” He took her hand and squeezed. “I think we should drop by the administration office and ask them to watch out for him. Ask them to call when he gets back and then we’ll head out and talk to him.”

Sighing Jenna nodded. “That works for me. We’ve got a ton of work to do at the office.”

The receptionist was very forthcoming. She informed Jenna that he rarely went out, and when he did, he’d return carrying grocery bags. Most of the rooms had a bar refrigerator, coffee machine, and a toaster at least. Some of the students had a microwave. It wasn’t beyond reason that he cooked in his room.

“Did you happen to see him leave today?” Kane leaned casually on the counter.

“I did indeed.” The receptionist beamed at him. “He was carrying a crossbow and the thing that carries his arrows. He left about half an hour before you arrived. If you’d have dropped by and mentioned who you were looking for, I could have saved you some time.”

“Okay, thanks.” Kane looked at Jenna and raised one eyebrow. “I doubt he’d go hunting alone, I figure we try the crossbow range.”

Eager to get going, Jenna thanked the receptionist and they headed back to the Beast. It was a short drive to the range and there was a surprising amount of people testing their skills. This time they went to the office to discover if Ripley had signed in and asked where he might be. They were directed to an area and walked along a narrow pathway behind the shooters. They found him some ways away, returning from collecting his bolts. As they approached, he stood staring at them. Straightening, Jenna walked up to him. “Bill Ripley?”

“First the FBI and now the sheriff.” Ripley eyed them with suspicion. “What’s on your mind?”

Jenna lifted her chin and stared him straight in the eyes. “We have reason to believe you were involved with the murder of three people in Stanton Forest near the Devil’s Punch Bowl on Sunday last.”

When the color drained from his face, Jenna reached for her cuffs. She required information, but anything he said needed to be recorded. “I’m holding you for questioning over the murders of Leo Kelly, Zoe Ward, and Ash Rogers.”

“If you figure I killed all of them, you’re crazy.” Ripley turned as if to run and Kane clamped a hand on his arm.

“You’re coming with us.” Kane spun him around and Jenna cuffed him. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way.” He took the crossbow from him and slung the quiver over his shoulder. “What’s it going to be?”

“Okay, but don’t damage my crossbow. I use it for competition and it cost a fortune.” Ripley shook his head. “This is crazy, you know. You can’t have anything on me.”

It was an unusual statement for someone they’d detained, and Jenna exchanged a meaningful glance with Kane. Did Ripley know they didn’t have any evidence against him? Everything they had was circumstantial. The shooters in the forest had been so clean, the attack was almost surgical. She had so many questions to ask him but held her tongue. At this stage of the investigation, everything had to be precise. Anything he said would only be hearsay and she couldn’t risk losing a conviction for her impatience.

Once back at the office, they secured Bill Ripley in interview room one before going to the conference room to bring the other members of the team up to speed. Jenna looked around the expectant faces and listened with interest at Rowley’s theory. In their absence everyone had been hard at work. “It will sure tie up a few loose ends if we can place Alicia Palmer in the team of shooters. Good work.” She smiled at Rowley. “You sure deserve your personal day tomorrow.” She stood. “I’ll go down and interview him now. I’m anticipating he’ll ask for a lawyer.” She looked at Rio. “You’d better have one on standby or we’ll be here all night. I believe Sam Cross is available for pro bono representation this week. I doubt Ripley can afford a lawyer.”

“I’m on it.” Rio stood and turned to her. “Can I have a word with you and Kane?”

“Sure.” Kane stood and opened the door.

Jenna followed them into the corridor. “What’s the problem?”

“Nothing really, but the press has gotten hold of the shooting involving Dave and wanted a statement. I told them that after pursuing a group of kidnappers, Deputy Kane came under fire. After taking a round in his vest, he returned fire, taking down five armed men. He was highly commended by the mayor and the DA for his bravery.” Rio cleared his throat. “The mayor called when the initial news story broke and asked me to extend his thanks. He wanted to give you a medal. I’m not sure how you feel about that, so I left it hanging. I managed to sidestep who was kidnapped. I said it would be too traumatic to name them.”

Shaking her head, Jenna smiled at him. “Thanks, Rio. The press never ceases to amaze me. They’re like dogs chasing a bone.” She turned to Kane. “You good with this?”

“I really don’t need the publicity, but as the town grows it’s going to be inevitable.” He shrugged. “Thanks, Zac.”

Jenna stepped back through the door into her office. “I’m heading down to interview Ripley.”

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