Chapter 2
TWO
Nobody ran when Jenna stepped inside the Triple Z Roadhouse and inhaled the smell of hamburgers and fries.
She scanned the room with Kane close behind her.
Having his six-five two-hundred-and-seventy-pound wall of muscle behind her was very reassuring, plus he could draw and shoot with accuracy most people could only dream of.
Most of the drivers tipped their cowboy hats or nodded in their direction.
Not one avoided their gaze. She walked up to the counter, ordered two cups of coffee to go, and casually asked about the woman.
The server behind the counter waved them through a locked door and into a back room.
Jenna looked at her. “We still want that coffee, make it four cups, please, and bring the fixings.” She handed the woman some bills.
“I need to talk to her in private. Can you keep everyone away for a time? We won’t be long. ”
“That’s fine. I’ll bring it right along.” The server smiled and turned back to the diner.
“This is Ellie McBride. She is the middle school teacher from our local school. Someone tried to kidnap her tonight.” Raven’s brow furrowed.
“She received a nasty blow to the head. I’ve applied ice but she needs sutures.
Now you’re here, I’ll get my medical kit from my truck. It’s just outside in the alleyway.”
“I’m Deputy Kane and this is Sheriff Alton. You’re safe now. No one is getting in here.” Kane pulled out a seat.
The woman said nothing and just stared into space.
“Ellie.” Jenna sat opposite her. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Nothing.
“Concussion?” Kane looked at the woman and then at Raven. “Has she spoken to you?”
“My head hurts but I’m thinking straight. I’ll be okay.” Ellie scrubbed her hands down her face and looked at Kane. “You’re both so big and intimidating, the dog keeps growling, and I’m too afraid to move.”
“We’re here to protect you.” Raven frowned. “I’ll fix your head, but I’d like you to have a CT scan.” He looked at Jenna. “She needs to spend the night in the secure ward at the hospital so I can run more tests.”
Seeing the woman’s sheet-white face under the bloodstains, Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I’ll make that happen. Grab your kit. We’ll take it from here.”
As Raven left, the server arrived with a tray of coffee in to-go cups. Jenna waited for her to set them down and leave before looking at the blood-soaked woman. “Can you remember what happened?”
“Yes, I remember everything.” Ellie blinked. Under her eyes, bruising was spreading. “My head hurts.”
Placing her phone between them, Jenna activated the recording app and took out her notebook.
Allowing Ellie to tell her story in her own time, and then asking questions, worked well with traumatized victims. The concern on Ellie’s face as she stared at the blood on her fingers meant that she needed to take a softer approach.
The woman needed reassurance. “Deputy Raven is a doctor. He’ll have you feeling better in no time.
Just tell me what you remember. Let’s start with just before the attack. Where were you and what time was it?”
Ellie told her story, but important information was missing. Jenna pushed a cup of coffee toward her. “Take a few minutes to gather yourself.” She glanced up as Raven came through the door. “Do you mind if we ask you questions while Deputy Raven is tending to your head?”
“No, it will take my mind off it.” Ellie spooned sugar into her to-go cup and drank the coffee black. “I believe I’ve told you everything I can remember.”
As Raven went to work cleaning and suturing the cut on Ellie’s head, Jenna looked at Kane and gave him a slight nod. He had an interviewing technique that assisted people to remember small details and was the best person to take the interview from here.
“Did you notice any vehicles in the parking lot when you arrived at the convenience store?” Kane held his hand loosely around his to-go cup on the table.
“Yes, two eighteen-wheelers.” Ellie flinched as Raven injected a local anesthetic into her head. “I figure they belonged to the two men sitting at the counter eating hamburgers and fries.”
“What made you believe they were drivers?” Kane sipped his coffee.
“One of them had a jacket with taylors written across the back and I noticed the same name on one of the trucks.” Ellie picked at the blood on her fingers. “The other man just looked like one—the ball cap, the work boots, and the conversation about where they were heading in a potential blizzard.”
“That’s great.” Kane smiled at her. “So as you left, more men came into the store. Could you describe them?”
“Not really.” Ellie stared into her to-go cup. “I kept my eyes averted and left as soon as they’d headed toward the counter. They arrived in eighteen-wheelers, so I imagine they were drivers like the others.”
“When you walked back to the parking lot, did you see anyone else or any other vehicles?” Kane leaned forward slightly when Ellie shook her head. “Okay, now close your eyes and imagine you’re walking out into the snow. Look around. What do you see?”
“Only the line of eighteen-wheelers and footprints in the snow leading to the store.” Ellie kept her eyes shut tight, a small frown creasing her blood-smeared brow.
“Now go back to when you were placing your groceries in the SUV. Did you hear or see anything?”
“Not at first, but then I heard heavy breathing close by.” Ellie’s hands shook. “It happened so fast. The smelly hood went over my head and I panicked.”
“Okay.” Kane exchanged a look with Jenna. “Keep your eyes closed. You mention smell. Did you smell anything before the hood went over your eyes, or hear anything at all?”
“Why?” Ellie opened her eyes and frowned and then winced.
“When we’re looking for suspects we need all the information we can gather.
” Kane turned the cup in his fingertips.
“If the attacker smells like oil or gas, he might work in the automotive industry or with machinery, and if he smells like cows or horses, we’d look for him at one of the ranches.
Smell can be a very important tool to finding someone and identifying them as your attacker.
Cast your mind back. What can you smell? ”
“Onions, frying.” Ellie’s eyes popped open. “Cologne. Cologne, it was strong. Not nice, cheap and nasty.”
A solid clue. Jenna smiled. “Could you recognize it again?”
“Yes.” Ellie looked up at Raven as he gently cleaned the blood from her face and neck.
“Can you recall anything about the vehicle?” Kane pushed the packet of wipes Raven was using toward her to clean her hands. “Make, color, license plate?”
Concerned by Ellie’s pale complexion and trembling fingers, Jenna gave Kane’s arm a squeeze. She looked at the young woman. “Are you okay to keep going? We can do this tomorrow.”
“I want to keep going. I know how important it is for you to get information so you can catch this person before they hurt someone else.” Ellie looked up as Raven checked her eyes again. “I feel better than I did before.”
“I don’t believe you have a concussion, but there’s excessive bruising.” Raven took two pills from a bottle and handed them to her. “These will help with the pain. When the local wears off, it will hurt again, I’m afraid.”
“Thank you for helping me.” Ellie’s lips quivered into a smile.
She turned her attention back to Jenna. “The vehicle was an SUV hatchback. I have one and I’m familiar with the inside.
That’s how I knew to get out through the back.
” Ellie swallowed the meds with the remainder of her coffee.
“Not a new one, maybe seven years old, it looked just like mine. It had a blue or gray interior, same with the outside. It was either gray, silver, or light blue. I didn’t see the plate, I told you.
I climbed out of the side door and ran.”
“Great.” Kane sipped his coffee. “Now, the person who grabbed you spoke to you—man or woman? Size? Height? Did you see any part of them?”
“I’m only small, so everyone seems big to me.
” Ellie fingered the dry blood in her hair and shuddered.
“Not tall like you but wider than me. I fought them and they were strong and took control really fast. I’m not sure if they were male or female.
Their voice was muffled but I made out what they said.
” She swayed a little. “That’s all I can remember. I really need to lie down.”
“I’ll take her to the hospital.” Raven gathered up his things and removed his gloves. He looked at Jenna. “I’ve already called ahead and they’re waiting for us.”
Jenna stopped recording and folded her notebook.
“I know you’re anxious to run tests, but she is likely covered in evidence.
You’ll need to cover your seat with a foil blanket and make sure there’s no cross-contamination from your vehicle.
I’ll call Wolfe to meet you at the hospital.
He’ll get things done fast and she’ll be able to take a shower and wash off the blood.
” She looked at Ellie. “Rest up. You’ll be perfectly safe.
We have a secure ward. No one gets in or out without permission. ”
“Who is Wolfe?” Ellie looked at Jenna with eyes like saucers.
“Dr. Shane Wolfe, the medical examiner.” Kane smiled at her. “He’s a very nice guy.”
“I have left groceries in my SUV.” Ellie sighed. “The groceries will likely be frozen solid by now.”
“We’ll go and check your vehicle at the convenience store.” Kane smiled at her. “Don’t worry.”
“What happens in the morning?” Ellie looked from one to the other. “I need to feed my cat and I need to be at work on Monday.”
“I’ll be by to see you in the morning.” Raven helped her to her feet. “We’ll make plans then and I’ll make sure your cat is fine. If the tests come back clear and you feel okay, you might be able to return to work.”
“What if they try to grab me again?” Ellie looked wildly around.
The woman was echoing Jenna’s thoughts. “I’ll make sure you’re okay. For now, stay at the hospital because it’s safe. I’ll arrange security for you when you’re ready to leave.”
“I don’t have my purse, my keys, or my phone. They could be in the back of my SUV.” Ellie bit her bottom lip. “I need my phone.”
“We’ll go and look for your vehicle.” Kane stood. “I’ll make sure you have your things.”
Jenna watched as the poor woman left with Raven. “What did they hit her with? Not a knife, a sharp metal object?”
“I think so, maybe a car jack?” Kane headed for the door. “If we can find her vehicle, we might find some answers.”
Jenna glanced toward the servers moving around outside the break room.
“I need to speak to the staff and take a look at the CCTV footage before it’s wiped.
” She searched her pocket and pulled out a thumb drive.
“We need a copy of the footage for an hour before we arrived. I figure whoever did this will be on the tape. You go and see the night manager and I’ll speak to the servers. ”