Chapter 16
Sean retrieved the knife from the trash and examined it by candlelight in the bathroom. There was blood on it, most likely the same blood he found on the roof in the snow. Forensics would clear Jennie of any wrongdoing, but that was hours, maybe days, away from happening.
The knife looked like a chef’s knife, with a blade about seven inches long and a pointed tip. He immediately thought of Chef Luke and the drug paraphernalia he had found in his room. But right now, he needed to make some phone calls.
It was time to bring the local sheriff up to speed.
Sean called Sheriff Ben Johnson’s office, and a man answered on the second ring.
“Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department,” the man replied. “Is this an emergency?”
“This is Sheriff Sean Callahan from Deerfield County,” Sean answered. “I need to speak to Sheriff Johnson, please.”
“Uh, um, let me just—” the deputy coughed. “I’m sorry. Who is this again?”
Sean repeated himself and then quickly described the situation. The deputy asked Sean to stay on the line, and after ten minutes of silence, he returned. He said he would transfer Sean to Sheriff Johnson’s cell phone, but he asked for a minute because he’d never done a transfer like this before.
“I’m just on call for the weekend,” the deputy said. “We normally don’t get stuff like this around here.”
“Lucky me,” Sean said.
The deputy laughed, but it was nervous and forced, and then he asked Sean to stay on the line again. Another minute passed, and then Sean heard a gruff and irritated greeting from Sheriff Johnson.
“What the hell did you get into in my county, Sean?” Johnson asked.
“Thought you could use a little overtime, Sheriff,” Sean answered.
Sean was friendly with sheriffs in neighboring counties and across most of the state. They often attended the same conferences, and when a case crossed county lines, coordinating was easier knowing they all had each other’s backs.
Once Sheriff Johnson was up to speed, he sounded worried.
“The snowstorm last night has made most of the roads impassable,” Johnson said.
“I can get as many snowcats moving as I can, but it’s still going to be hours before we can get to you.
” He grunted. “The note said sundown tonight? That’s what, five o’clock? ”
“That’s right,” Sean answered. “I’m piecing together what I can, but without forensics, the blood samples I have will be useless.”
“As I said, I’ll get the crews going as fast as I can,” Johnson said, irritated. “Christ. The Bonnie, really? Nothing like that’s happened there since…what, the fifties?”
Most folks seemed to know the hotel’s history, which Sean hadn’t taken the time to learn before his trip. But he knew now, though he wasn’t sure how much of the hotel’s history was going to factor into the kidnapping.
The blood, on the other hand…
Sean glanced at the bloody kitchen knife again. “There’s one more thing. I think I may have found the murder weapon.”
“Does that mean you have a body?” Johnson asked.
“No, not yet, but the amount of blood I found on the roof, I don’t think there’s a scenario where that person survived,” Sean answered. “A bloody knife was found in my hotel room.”
Johnson remained silent for a long minute.
“Are you trying to tell me something, Sean?” Johnson asked.
“I just want to be transparent about this,” Sean answered. “Fingerprints and DNA will prove that neither my girlfriend nor I had anything to do with this. But I wanted to be upfront due to the optics.”
“Right, right,” Johnson said. “Yeah, okay, well, it might be best if you don’t do anything else until we show up.”
Sean frowned. “You just said it’s going to be hours before you can get here. I can still work the case, Ben. Every second counts?—”
“Look, Sean, I get that you want to help, but right now, I don’t need you to make anything worse, all right?” Johnson said. “Just try not to screw anything up before I get there.”
“Sure,” Sean replied, and then ended the call.
Sean was a little taken aback by Johnson’s request to stand down.
And while he had no doubts about his and Jennie’s innocence, it was clear that the sheriff still had some hesitation.
But then he thought of the missing girl, the blood, and listened to the sound of the grandfather clock still ticking away in the lobby.
They couldn’t afford to waste any more time, so he made one more call.
It was Saturday, which meant Rivers was on call.
She didn’t answer until the tenth ring, and even then, she sounded groggy. “Deputy Rivers,” she said, stifling a yawn.
“Leila, it’s Sean,” he said.
“Sheriff?” Rivers asked. “What the hell are you calling me for this early? Aren’t you on vacation?”
Mable, Sean and Jennie’s dog, who was staying with Rivers while they were on their trip, whined near the phone.
“Vacation’s on pause right now,” Sean answered. “Did you bring your laptop home from the station yesterday?”
“Uh, yeah,” Rivers answered.
“Good, I’m going to need you to look up a few things for me,” Sean said.
Another voice was muffled in the background, corralling Mable. It sounded like Wilson Hughes, his other deputy.
“Are you at the station?” Sean asked.
“Uh, no,” Rivers answered.
Sean blushed when he realized what might be going on, and then he cleared his throat. “If now’s a bad time, you can call back after you’re…more awake,” Sean said.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Rivers said, sounding as if she were moving around. “What do you need me to look up?”
“I need background checks on a list of individuals,” Sean said. “I’ll email you the names.”
“If I use the fiber optic connection at the station, it might be faster,” Rivers said.
“I don’t think you’re going to make it to the station,” Sean said.
“Why not?” Rivers asked.
“Look outside,” Sean answered.
Sean waited until Rivers muttered a four-letter word, and then she regained her composure.
“How the hell do I get out of here?” Rivers asked.
“Start digging,” Sean answered. “But first, handle the names I’m about to send you. The list will be broken up between guests and staff. Start with the staff first.”
“Are you working a case right now?” Rivers said.
“I’ve got a missing kid and a missing bride, and a lot of blood on the roof,” Sean said, choosing to keep it brief. “Get those background checks ASAP.”
“Sure,” Rivers said. “Oh, wait, how did it go? Did she say yes?”
“I haven’t asked yet,” Sean answered.
“What are you waiting for?” Rivers replied. “I mean, you guys are practically married already. All that’s missing are a few kids and a piece of paper.”
Sean winced. They hadn’t told anyone else about the miscarriage, but that wasn’t Rivers’s fault. “Yeah, things have kind of taken a turn,” Sean said.
“Right, well, I’ll get working on the list,” Rivers said. “Tell Jennie I said hi.”
“I will,” Sean said. “Give Mable a pet for me. And thanks.”
With his deputy working background on the staff and guests, Sean stared back down at the knife. Sean hadn’t told Rivers about the knife, but he probably should have. Either way, she’d find out eventually.
The kitchen blade gave him another lead, and it was time for Sean to speak with Chef Luke.