Page 21 of Their Wicked Games

“You know I was.” Bannister lifted his gaze from the bar. “The forest warden checked my fishing permit. I was there for only about an hour when all hell broke loose. I knew something was going down. Two forest wardens came on horseback and then blocked the trail back to the fire road. It was lucky I didn’t come in that way or I wouldn’t have been able to get back to my vehicle.”

“Who else did you see in the forest?” Kane leaned one elbow on the bar. “From all accounts it was a busy place on Sunday morning.”

“No one at the fishing hole apart from the forest warden.” Bannister rubbed the back of his neck. “I did see a woman carrying a crossbow. I figure it was a woman, with long hair tied back in a ponytail, like, low on the back of her neck. She was wearing camouflage gear and carrying the crossbow on her back. I figured at the time she was heading to a designated hunting area because the Devil’s Punch Bowl is for hikers.”

Jenna made notes. “I see. So no one else at all?”

“No, not in that area. I didn’t see anyone else until I reached Stanton.” He shrugged. “It was a waste of a morning. I didn’t catch any fish or get any peace of mind.” He shot a glance at Kane. “That’s what we go fishing for, right?”

“I guess.” Kane straightened. “You compete with the crossbow, don’t you?”

“Yeah, on occasion. I hunt with a crossbow too.” Bannister shrugged nonchalantly. “Why?”

“We noticed that there are two prominent teams in this county, your team and another team that has a woman member by the name of Alicia Palmer. I assume you’ve met her before?” Kane stood feet apart and back straight. “Could the woman in the forest have been her?”

“Possibly, but I was over one hundred yards away and, yeah, I’ve spoken to Alicia during competitions and at the dentist. She’s a great shot.” Bannister lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “I don’t know if it was her.”

After making a few notes, Jenna looked up. “Have you ever hunted with her or met her socially?”

“Nope.” Bannister smiled. “She isn’t my type and I find women are usually a problem when hunting.”

Frowning, Jenna stared at him. “What do you mean by ‘a problem’ exactly?” Her phone was vibrating in her pocket but she ignored it.

“Oh, you know.” Bannister looked straight at Kane. “Most of them can’t stop talking or they’re asking to stop for a bathroom break every five minutes. Then others always find a need to wear perfume. You should try hunting down an elk or deer with a woman stinking of perfume.”

“I figure you’ve made your point.” Kane pushed his Stetson firmly on his head and looked at Jenna. “Are you just about done here, Sheriff?”

Unfazed, Jenna nodded. “Just a second. You mentioned you hunt with your crossbow. Do you hunt with any of the other team members?”

“Yeah, all the time.” Bannister rolled his eyes skyward. “Anything else?”

With a shake of her head, Jenna handed Bannister one of her cards. “If you see this person around town and recognize them, please give me a call. Thank you for your time.” She followed Kane out of the bar and stopped in the foyer to look at her phone.

She checked the missed calls and, seeing that it was Maggie trying to contact her, she returned the call. “What is it, Maggie?”

“A fisherman out at Dead Man’s Dropsnagged the body of a naked female. The man’s name is Jud Cole. I’ll text you his details.The FBI agents are here and Rowley and Rio are on a break. Who do you want me to send?”

Jenna stared at Kane and he shrugged. They had one more suspect to interview but dead bodies took precedent over everything else. “I’ll go. We’re at the Cattleman’s Hotel. Contact Wolfe and give him the details. We’ll meet him at the office.” She disconnected and turned to Kane. He’d been moving slower and it was obvious his chest hurt. He hated her fussing over him, so she rubbed her cheek. “My head is a little sore. I need something to eat and some Tylenol. What about you?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry and Tylenol is looking good, but we haven’t got time to stop.” Kane frowned and touched her face with gentle care. “Is it hurting bad?”

Jenna leaned into his hand and sighed. They really didn’t have time to spare. “Nope. We’ll grab some sandwiches from the bar and eat on the way.”

“That works for me.” Kane turned around and headed back into the bar, returning a few minutes later loaded up with sandwiches. He walked beside her to the truck. “Did Maggie mention any obvious cause of death?”

Thinking over the conversation, Jenna frowned. “No, but the body is naked.” She opened the truck’s door for Kane and he dumped the sandwiches on the seat before turning to get Duke into the back. She piled the food into the console and waited for him to climb behind the wheel. “Dead Man’s Drop isn’t a place anyone goes skinny-dipping. You’ve been there before. It’s way too deep and the water is dark. Cold as ice too.”

“I recall the place.” Kane’s stomach rumbled as he unwrapped a sandwich and bit into it. In three bites it had vanished. “Drowning is a possibility if anyone is stupid enough to jump in.” He started the engine. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” He looked at her. “Best we take Rio and Rowley with us. We can’t send Rowley out to interview Jesse Davis. He’s an acquaintance. Why don’t you send Jo and Carter to speak to Davis?”

Jenna selected a sandwich and nodded. “We can ask them. Right now, they’re here as consultants. I can’t order them to do anything.”

“Well as Carter mentioned being bored stupid in Snakeskin Gully, he’d be happy to be involved.” He flicked her a glance. “I believe we’ve gone past the ‘calling in the FBI to assist us’ with them. They’re friends and as friends they’ll help out when they can. They don’t want recognition for an arrest and as field officers they go where they’re needed.”

Nodding, Jenna swallowed her food and sipped water from her bottle. “I guess. I’ll need to change into hiking boots back at the office. Rio and Rowley are on a break. They should be back by the time Wolfe arrives. It’s quite a trek to Dead Man’s Drop. Will we make it there and back before sunset? I don’t want to be out in the forest at night and that body isn’t going anywhere.”

“It will only take ten minutes or so if we ride the dirt bikes. We can set up a travois to carry the body. In fact, I’m sure Wolfe has one. Call him and catch him before he leaves the office.”

Jenna made the call and explained. She disconnected and looked at Kane. “Yeah, he has a travois and he figures we can use his trailer to carry four bikes to the forest. It will save time. Two will fit on the back of Rio’s truck.”

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