“Yeah, good idea.” Carter smiled and pushed his toothpick to one side of his mouth. “But he seems a mite young to be our bomber, unless his daddy taught him.” He looked at Jenna. “It might be an idea to find out if the kid was related to the DC bomber?” He accessed a database and they all waited expectantly. “No, Harvey Haralson is not related and has lived here in town all his life.”
“I don’t think he’s involved but we shouldn’t discount him completely. These days, men of his age are volatile and some are easily led into crime.” Jo looked from one to the other. “I’ll contact county and inform them he’s a person of interest in the bombing. They’ll be able to hold him until we can get to interview him.”
“But why would he risk being caught in a stolen vehicle after the bombing?” Carter frowned.
Jenna nodded. “I agree. No one is that stupid. He’d have known someone could’ve seen him by the ranch. He was out there before dark in plain sight.”
“Yeah but remember, if we’re dealing with a psychopath, they never believe they can be caught.” Kane crossed his legs at the ankles. “The arrogance I witnessed is typical behavior.”
Jenna stood and added Harvey Haralson and the vehicle to the whiteboard. A thought grabbed her. “Has the Triple Z recently installed a CCTV in the parking lot?”
“Now that would be a first.” Carter snorted and grinned at her. “Trust me, none of the clientele in that place want a record of their comings and goings. This one is going to be tough.”
“No one said solving crimes was easy.” Jenna pushed both hands through her hair. “Kane, call the impound yard and make sure no one goes near the car before Wolfe collects it. Carter, get out another media statement asking for any information on the vehicle. Someone might have seen it after the explosion. If the fire had people out sightseeing someone might have passed it on the highway.” She frowned. “Let’s get to work, we have a missing girl out there and someone has to have seen that car.”
Eleven
The Whispering Caves
Deep inside the Whispering Caves, water trickled just out of Sophie’s reach. Trying to ignore the tantalizing drip into the small pool of crystal-clear water, she swiped her parched tongue over her cracked lips and picked up the small rock. Trying to concentrate as she dehydrated had become harder by the minute but determined to cut herself free, she used the sharp rock to keep up a relentless sawing across the zip-tie binding her ankle to the ring in the ground. Blood trickled from her palm making the stone slip and slide. She’d dropped it so many times and suffered waves of frustration when it blended into the rock bottom of the cave. Acutely aware of any sounds in the catacombs, she stopped to listen but the skitter scatter wasn’t the man returning, it was the critters that shared her hellhole. Right now, he couldn’t see what she was doing and she knew exactly what turned on the trail cam. If she moved, the red light came on, so she turned her back, covered herself with the blanket and waited. Once the whir of the camera stopped, she moved one hand carefully to avoid triggering the motion sensor. The camera had come on at other times as well, so she figured he must have a way of watching her at any time.
Time was non-existent inside the cave. It had become one endless night and she’d gone from her stomach reminding her she hadn’t eaten, to rolling in waves of pain. Her body ached and her brutal captor reminded her each time he visited how nobody missed her or cared if she lived or died. He’d described in detail how her family would have looked after the fire. The sound of his laughter at her suffering filled her head in an endless tormenting earwig. He wanted to watch her starve to death and no doubt would find the rats consuming her dead flesh entertainment. She had to get away.
In desperation, she tugged at the fraying zip tie and suddenly it snapped. Lunging on unsteady legs, she crawled to the pool of water. It tasted metallic but she didn’t care and scooped it up in her hands to quench her thirst. Her stomach rolled as the freezing water slid down her throat making her nauseas. Slowing her pace, she sipped slowly. Sharp rocks dug into her bare flesh but she didn’t care and splashed water over her face. Breathing heavily, she didn’t hear the footsteps at first but the cough was unmistakably human. Frozen with fear, she turned and stared into the lens of a camera. The echo of footsteps rumbled toward her. The unmistakable rhythm of his walk was imprinted in her mind. He’d decided to torture her again.
Panic gripped her as she scampered back to the filthy mattress and snatched up the blanket. She fashioned it around her for warmth. Trembling, she glanced at the lantern. Indecisions clutched at her. If she took it, he’d find her in seconds but her fear of the dark made the pitch-black tunnels leading away in all directions terrifying. A cool wind blew against her cheek and she moved closer to the forbidding abyss. There had to be a way out. And the draft was coming from outside. She glanced behind her down the main tunnel as a slither of light bounced off the walls from his flashlight. His footsteps had gotten closer and now she could hear him whistling. Whatever the darkness held for her it had to be better than suffering a moment longer. She gathered her courage and ducking under cobwebs, ran into the darkness.
Twelve
Jo climbed into Jenna’s sheriff department’s SUV and glanced at Carter. They’d decided to take both vehicles, mainly to carry all their gear and two dogs. “What possessed you to give the lead to Jenna? You’re one of the top people in your field.”
“Like I said, she has a reputation in the local counties, many of the deputies have worked under her before. It was the right move and leaves my hands free to investigate. If Kane has the knowledge he claims to have in explosives, then we’ll be working on identifying the bomber using our expertise. Jenna is great at finding potential suspects and with you profiling, we have everything covered.” He glanced at her and his green eyes flashed with amusement. “They can’t arrest anyone unless the killer walks into their county but we have that covered. Don’t worry, Jo, everything will work out just fine.”
“Oh, I don’t have a problem with Jenna, I just don’t want you and Kane butting heads.” Jo sighed. “It doesn’t take a behavioral analyst to recognize something isn’t sitting too well with Kane. His reaction to the images of the car bombing surprised me.” She shook her head slowly. “I was expecting this case to freak you out, not Kane, he seems so laid back.”
“Did you know, he has a metal plate in his head?” Carter flicked her a glance. “I read up about him: after the marines he joined the force and took a bullet in the head during a gunfight. I’m guessing he suffered PTSD and maybe the images triggered an episode. He took a deputy’s job in a backwoods town for some peace and quiet.” He snorted. “He’s not having too much luck to date, is he?”
They soon arrived at the crime scene and Jo climbed out and waited for Jenna and Kane. She had questions but would ask them later, when she and Jenna were alone. She waited for them all to pull on protective suits and gloves. “Okay, it’s best if Carter explains the technical side of the explosion. We have the report from the Black Rock Falls Fire Chief as well.”