Chapter 20
TWENTY
The smell of fresh coffee wafted through the open door and Kane turned in his chair as Jenna walked into the room.
She carried two coffee pots to the counter and slid them into the coffee machines.
He returned her smile. At last, something had turned their way in the case.
“That’s good to know and I’ve found Laney Prescott’s next of kin.
She has a sister in Atlanta and her aunt lives in Helena.
I’ve instructed the local police to inform them of Laney’s death.
I’m hoping they will contact us so we can make arrangements for her body when Wolfe releases her. ”
“The social services director has agreed to go through her files and see if he can find any problems she had with her clients. He hasn’t said he will release the names to me, but if he does find anything suspicious, then our next step would be to get a search warrant so it covers him from being prosecuted for divulging the names.
” She filled cups with coffee and handed them around to the team.
Kane stood, collected the fixings from the counter, and put them in the middle of the table.
He added cream and sugar to his cup and opened his mouth to ask for more details when Jenna’s phone chimed.
He regarded her expression as she answered the call.
All the color had drained from her face.
Assuming something had happened to the children, he stood. “What is it?”
“It’s the office administrator from the middle school. I’ll put the call on speaker.” Jenna placed her phone in the middle of the table. “Okay, you’re on speaker and my deputies are in the room with me. Please take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened.”
“I believe someone has hurt Ms. McBride. I’ve called the paramedics and they’re on their way. One of the maintenance team found her in the boiler room.”
“That’s good the paramedics are on their way. I assume you haven’t gone to see if she’s okay?” Jenna looked at Kane and raised one eyebrow. “Why is that?”
“The man who found her said she looked like she’d been strangled. He ran all the way back here and we locked ourselves in the office. The rest of the maintenance staff and the other two teachers who came in today have left. They wanted to get home before the blizzard got any worse.”
A man’s voice came through the speaker.
“I’m Jesse Holland. I escorted Ms. McBride to the boiler room.
I checked it out and didn’t see anyone. She noticed her purse in there and headed inside when I got a call to go and help with a burst pipe.
Once we’d repaired it, I went back past Ms. McBride’s classroom to see if she was okay.
When I didn’t find her, I went to tell Ms. Bell.
She sent me back to the boiler room and I found Ms. McBride lying on the floor with a cord around her neck.
Her face was blue. I didn’t spend any time hanging around.
I just got out of there and ran back here to tell Ms. Bell. ”
“You mentioned your boss.” Jenna stared at the phone. “Where is he and are there any other people in the school we should know about?”
“No, once we’d sealed the pipe, the boss told us all to go home.” Jesse gasped in a deep breath. “I saw them head for the parking lot, but I figured I should look in on Ms. McBride, considering what had happened to her.”
Kane cleared his throat. “This is Deputy Kane. I want you to tell me the reason Ms. McBride needed to go to the boiler room.”
“Someone pranked Ms. McBride again this morning.” Ms. Bell breathed heavily.
“She found a note on her whiteboard saying they’d left her purse in the boiler room.
She wanted to go and look for it, so I sent Jesse with her to make sure she’d be okay.
” She let out a small sob. “I didn’t know he’d left her there alone. ”
“I’ve been here all day and I didn’t see anyone but the normal guys working around here.
” Jesse’s indignation came through the speaker.
“No one goes down to the boiler room unless there’s a problem with the furnace.
It’s way down the other end of the school.
The chances of anyone from the outside getting in, especially now we know someone is trying to hurt her, would be virtually impossible. ”
Kane exchanged a glance with Jenna and shook his head. “And yet they did.”
“When the paramedics get there, tell them to check for signs of life and that the sheriff is on the way.” Jenna stood. “Tell them that it is a crime scene and to respect it as such.”
Kane downed his coffee. “When you hear our siren, make sure someone is at the door to let us in. I’ll be contacting the medical examiner.”
“Okay, we’ll be here locked in the office until you arrive.” Ms. Bell disconnected.
“We’ll need to clear the building.” Jenna looked around the table at her deputies. “Grab your gear and Kevlar vests. We’re not taking any risks with this killer. Go straight to the school. I’ll call Wolfe.”