Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Black Rock Falls
Raven glanced up as Kane walked into the kitchen running a hand through his tousled hair. He’d never seen Kane with a hair out of place. Somehow that man kept himself immaculate most times. Now he carried a worried expression and dark circles under his eyes. “Is Jackson feeling better?”
“Once I dressed him, he fussed. I picked him up and he fell asleep on my shoulder.” Kane gave Jenna a thin smile. “The bath and Tylenol worked. He’s not burning up right now. I put him to bed.”
Raven buttered toast. “He will get hot again unless he gets the meds. Wolfe might give him a shot to hurry things along.” He took in Kane’s exhausted stance. “You look like you could do with more than toast. Anything I can get you?”
“Thanks, but I can manage. Right now, I need protein.” Kane went to the fridge and pulled out the eggs. “Tell Jenna about the new suspect. I’ll get us some eggs.” He went to work.
Noting the evident exhaustion and worry etched in their faces, Raven looked at Kane. “If you have chores, I’m happy to do them. I’m great with horses.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it, but Carter handled everything this morning.” Kane smiled. “He even held Jackson while I took a shower. For a tough guy, he has a heart of gold.”
Raven smiled. “That’s good to know.” He sat beside Jenna and explained his suspicions about Bill Larkin. “The thing is, why would the women in the group speak to him when Dave had already recommended a safe contractor?” He turned to Jenna. “We figured he goes door-to-door looking for work.”
“In that case, he’d have murdered people outside the group as well.
” Jenna frowned. “It can’t be a coincidence that three members of the women working on self-defense are murdered in the same week.
” She nibbled on a slice of toast and then leaned back from the table as Kane slid a plate of eggs in front of her.
“There’s something else linking him to the women, or we’re missing a clue. ”
Surprised when Kane placed a loaded plate in front of him, Raven’s stomach growled in appreciation. He had skipped breakfast, his need to speak to Jenna a priority. “Thanks.”
“Okay.” Kane sat at the table and ate a large forkful of golden scrambled eggs glistening with butter.
“We need to make a list of who is inside the group’s circle.
” He spread butter on a slice of toast. “The women, and you, me, and Rio. Who else showed up at the meetings apart from the list of suspects we already have?”
Raven cast his mind back. “Maya Trent’s grandpa dropped by once or twice and Jolene Hurst’s mom. I’ve spoken to both of them and they are very supportive of the group. I had dinner invitations from both of them.”
“They probably imagined you were a good candidate to date their relatives.” Jenna chuckled. “We have a town filled with matchmakers.”
“Getting back to Bill Larkin.” Kane eyed Raven over the rim of his cup. “Do a background check on him. If he comes up clean, go and see him. Find out where he was at the time of the homicides.”
Raven nodded. “Yeah, as it’s Saturday, there’s a chance he’ll be at home. From what I gather he works from a home office, orders what he needs, and then installs them.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Jenna leaned back in her chair. “Make sure you call in your location if you’re going to see him alone. I don’t like my deputies interviewing suspects without backup.”
Raven nodded. “He lives in town on Fern. I checked out his location and there’s neighbors each side of him. I don’t figure he’ll risk trying to take me down in broad daylight.”
“That’s if we’re dealing with a normal guy.” Kane twirled his cup in his fingertips. “If he’s a psychopath, all bets are off.”
Sipping his coffee and wondering how everything he ate or drank in the house tasted so good, he nodded. “I’m aware and I’ll have Ben with me. He has a great instinct and will act fast if anyone attacks me.”
“I’m assuming you’re wearing one of Kalo’s belt buckles?
” Kane raised one dark eyebrow. “I know using a tracker for a guy seems like a cop-out, but it saves lives. There will be times when you can’t get to your phone or radio.
In this town, having a tracker is a must and it’s not accessed by anyone unless you activate it, so there’s no privacy issues. ”
Raven noticed the change in Kane’s eyes, a flicker of anger as if remembering something unpleasant. It vanished a second later. “That’s good. I knew a couple of guys in the service who had trackers implanted. They said it made them feel like microchipped dogs.”
“I imagine it would.” Kane shrugged. “If we needed to track your phone or vehicle, we could as they’re all issued by the sheriff’s office, but it’s not something we do.”
Sipping more of the excellent rich brew, he looked at Kane. “This coffee is the best I’ve tasted. What brand is it?”
“Kane’s Special Blend.” Kane grinned at him.
“I found myself in Oregon at one time and I walked past this store with the aroma of roasting coffee beans. They were roasting beans right there in the window. It looked as if it had been there forever and kind of dragged me inside. I stood there inhaling for a time. It’s an old store, been in the same family for decades.
The storekeeper came out and spent time asking me my tastes and mixing different brews for me to taste.
It was quite an experience. Since then, I have a standing order, which has increased substantially since I met Jenna.
We take it to work as well. The store is the Roaster’s Legacy, if you find yourself in Portland.
Or if you like my blend, they’ll make a pack for you.
It’s ordered as Blend 1521, but I’ll give you some to take home. ”
Interested to discover a small part of Kane’s mysterious life, Raven nodded. “Thanks, I’d appreciate it. Is Portland your home town?”
“Nope, I was just passing through.” Kane stood to clear the table. “I hear a vehicle. It must be Shane.”
“I’ll let him in.” Jenna sprung to her feet and headed for the door.
As Raven helped Kane clear the table, Wolfe’s voice could be heard in the hallway. He went into Jackson’s bedroom and emerged soon after the little boy started to cry again. “How’s he doing?”
“I gave him a shot in the buttocks and escaped before he saw me.” Wolfe looked at Kane.
“He’s asking for you. Jenna is getting all the blame right now.
” He frowned. “I know it sounds bad, but kids of his age often get infections no matter how hard we try and prevent them. If you plan on swimming in the creek, you should make sure the kids wear earplugs. After heavy rain the creeks and rivers are filled with debris and carcasses. They carry microbes you don’t want to know about. ”
“He hasn’t been near a creek.” Kane dried his hands. “He swims in the tub.”
“I’ll give you drops to use after he bathes to dry out the ears.
” Wolfe rubbed his chin. “Don’t allow him to get his ears wet until he’s well over this infection.
” He pulled medication out of his bag. “He only needs a few drops of this. It tastes like chocolate, so he should take it okay. Start tomorrow. The shot will cover him for today and he’ll be back to normal in three days, but finish the bottle. ”
“Got it.” Kane headed for Jackson’s room.
Raven gathered his things. “They look exhausted.”
“Worry does that to a person.” Wolfe sighed.
“It was easier with Tauri. He’d gone through most of the problems infants have, and not having any siblings, neither of them have any experience with sick kids.
Dave believes he can fix anything and seeing his son sick would have been a wakeup call.
They’re lucky Jackson is strong and healthy, and trust me, when he was born, I ran all types of tests on him on their behalf, searching for any genetic abnormalities.
Jenna had it in her head she was too old to have him, but she still isn’t.
I’ve seen women in their late forties produce healthy babies. ”
The front door opened and Raya and Tauri poured into the mudroom to remove their coats and then Tauri ran into the kitchen grinning at him.
“Uncle Raven.” Tauri laughed. “I saw Ben in your truck. He wagged his tail at me.” He bent to stroke Duke’s ears. “Hello, Duke.”
Raven smiled at them. “Has the rain cleared?”
“Yes, but there’s a mudslide near the res and Uncle Atohi sent us back home.” Tauri frowned. “He said the mountain wasn’t happy. We can go back when it’s smiling again.” He scampered away. “Mommy, I’m home.”
“Hey, not so loud. Your brother is sleeping.” Kane came back into the kitchen. “He has a sore ear and isn’t feeling well.” He rubbed Tauri’s hair and looked at Raya. “Jackson has meds and is finally sleeping.”
“I’ll go see him.” Tauri headed along the hallway not making a sound.
“I’ll take Tauri to my apartment.” Raya smiled at Kane. “I have cookies to bake.”
“Thanks.” He looked at Raven and handed him a packet of coffee. “Keep us informed of your position.” He tapped his shirt pocket. “I have my phone right here.”
Raven nodded. “Copy that and thanks for the coffee.” He headed for the mudroom.