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  Kane gaped at him in disbelief. “She did what?”

  “Oh yeah, she is a feisty one and she is gonna get herself killed.” Johnson gave him a disparaging stare. “The man is Rick Horal. He got out of jail not three days ago.”

  Kane frowned at Sheriff Johnson. “Has he done this before?”

  “Yeah, he is a repeat offender. Never hurt anyone before but he went down for armed robbery.”

  Kane met the man’s gaze. “I’d like permission to take the lead on this one. Sheriff Alton’s safety is my responsibility and I’m trained in hostage situations.”

  “She thinks the sun shines out your ass and said you’d be by before he shot her.” Johnson gave him a long, unreadable look. “Heard you shot one of the Daniels boys right between the eyes during your negotiations.”

  Ignoring the hostility, Kane moved his attention back to Jenna. She appeared calm and stared at him then lifted one elbow and made a halting gesture with the other hand. He figured Jenna planned to take the gunman down alone. He shrugged, not wanting to offer any signal to the gunman, and flicked a glance at Johnson. “I do what’s necessary.”

  “Well then, go rescue your sheriff. My men will follow your lead. I have a vest in my car. I’ll send someone for it.”

  Kane noticed the slight tremble of the gunman’s hand, the finger resting above the trigger, and the sweat beading on the man’s top lip. He is losing it. “No time.”

  “It’s your funeral.” He motioned his men to his side and spoke to them in hushed tones. “Deputy Kane has experience in hostage situations so listen up.”

  Kane turned to them. “Stay back and don’t get trigger happy. Leave him to me. I don’t want Sheriff Alton hit.”

  As if ice-cold blood slid through his veins to heighten his perception, Kane surveyed the situation, taking into account the position of all the players and every possible outcome. He had to make himself the target and allow Jenna to solve the problem. The idea of not trusting her with his life despite the gun to her head and recent flashbacks did not come into the equation. I trust her. She won’t fail.

  Dammit, I can’t have a flashback now. Cold sweat dampened Jenna’s shirt and the slight tremor in her hand often came without warning. She had gotten herself into this situation and she was more than capable of getting herself out.

  Seeing Kane in the crowd had settled her, and she concentrated on his face, mentally willing him to draw the gunman’s attention and allow her to do her job. Worried he might believe her to be in mortal danger, which she was to some extent, she hoped he understood her signal to back the hell off. When Kane moved almost nonchalantly from the cover of the cruiser without wearing a Kevlar vest to protect him, she wanted to scream at him to go back. Instead, she took a deep breath to focus and calm her nerves. She noticed the hard line to his mouth and flicked her eyes toward the group of deputies standing behind the cruisers. It was obvious he did not want the Blackwater deputies involved in the situation.

  They had trained together for almost a year now and run through many similar scenarios. She had the ability to take down the gunman without his help, but with a pistol pressed against her temple, she needed a distraction, and it seemed Kane had volunteered. When he met her gaze and gave her a slight nod, she flicked her eyes hard to the right. Once the gun was away from her head, she would strike out with deadly force.

  To her relief, Kane understood her frantic gesture. He moved out into the open, keeping to the man’s right, and held up his hands. If Rick Horal aimed his weapon at him, she would get a split-second chance. She ground her teeth and forced her trembling knees to calm. The training to slow her heartbeat and remain in control, which Kane had reinforced in her over the past months, fell into place. I am in control and I’m going to take down this son of a bitch.

  She held her breath as Kane’s movement caught the gunman’s attention.

  “Hey, Rick, what’s all this about?” Kane shook his head slowly. “I hear it’s not like you to take a hostage.”

  “You ain’t a Blackwater deputy and you got no say in what I do.”

  When the muzzle of the gun moved away from her temple, Jenna got her feet under her and casually as possible lifted one elbow level with Horal’s stomach then closed the palm of her other hand over the fist. Ready when you are, Kane. When Kane’s gaze flicked back to her, confidence flooded through her. If Kane could make the gunman angry enough to draw fire, she would strike.

  “Yeah, maybe, but that’s my sheriff you have there, and the mayor of Black Rock Falls would have my badge if I allowed you to shoot her.” Without hesitation, Kane took another step forward. “It’s not too late. Hand over the gun, and the sheriff won’t have you charged with kidnapping her.”

  “No one is gonna let me walk away, and I’ll kill her if you take one step closer.”

  “That would be a stupid thing to do unless you plan on dying today?” Kane moved another few paces to the right. “Right now, we can work this out, but the moment your finger moves to the trigger, your brains will be all over the street before you have time to take a breath.” He smiled at him. “That’s a promise, and look behind me—you have the entire Blackwater Sheriff’s Department just waiting to shoot you full of holes. You can’t win.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe I’ll take you out first. The sheriff here ain’t got no weapon and she ain’t no threat to me.” Horal stepped behind Jenna, using her as a shield. “They won’t risk shooting her, will they?” He moved the pistol away from Jenna’s head and lifted his outstretched arm to aim it at Kane.

  She had a millisecond to save Kane’s life. As if in slow motion, Kane hit the ground, drawing his Glock out of its holster in one fluid motion. Jenna slammed her elbow into Horal’s guts. As the gunman cried out in pain then bent in agony, she brought up her thigh and slammed his face into her knee. His nose shattered with a satisfying crunch and she stepped to one side as he folded, dropping his pistol. The chop she delivered at the base of Horal’s skull sent him sprawling face down on the blacktop, screaming for his mama. Disgusted as the smell of urine burned her nostrils, she stepped over him and kicked his weapon out of reach then bent to draw his arms behind his back and cuffed him.

  After dragging the gunman to his feet and handing him over to Sheriff Johnson, Jenna ignored the congratulations or bemused stares of the deputies then retrieved her weapon. She nodded to the sheriff. “I’m not pressing charges against him but you might want to ask the pregnant lady.”

  “Thanks for your help.” Sheriff Johnson tipped his hat.

  Jenna waited for Kane to brush the dust from his uniform then glared at him. “Didn’t you hear the sirens?”

  “Not until I’d left the social worker’s office.” The nerve in Kane’s cheek twitched. “I’m surprised you got involved in a local matter. Were you aware the gunman just got out of jail for armed robbery?”

  She gaped at him in astonishment. “A pregnant woman had a gun to her head and Johnson was acting like it was a day at the beach. Dammit, Kane, if I died no one would give a shit. That woman has a family.”

  “I’d care.”

  Noticing the other deputies watching them with interest, she headed to the other side of the road, away from the dissipating crowd. “Drawing his fire without wearing a vest is suicidal. Do you have a death wish or something?”

  “No. I trusted you to bring him down and you did.” Kane shrugged and his concerned gaze moved over her. “Are you mad at me, ma’am? I figured I was following orders.”

  Adrenaline still surged through Jenna’s veins and her heart had not slowed but exhilaration thrummed through her. The PTSD flashbacks had crippled her in similar situations, but the rigorous training Kane had put her through had paid out in silver dollars. She looked up at him, not sure what to say. As usual, he had placed his own safety above her own. “No, but you broke the protocol you insisted we all follow. Why the hell weren’t you wearing a vest?”

  “No time, ma’am.” Kane walked with her along the sidewalk. �
��I assessed the situation. The guy was shaking so bad, I knew once he turned the gun on me, he wouldn’t have been able to hit the side of a barn.” His lips twitched at the corners. “He sure underestimated you. Wham, bam, bam.” He punched the air. “Did you see the faces on the Blackwater deputies?” He laughed.

  Although thrilled by his compliments, Jenna kept her face expressionless. “Okay, I admit I was expecting you to show and draw his fire.”

  “I’ll always have your back, Jenna.” He glanced at her. “You would have done the same for me.”

  40

  “Well, that was a waste of time.” Jenna peered at her lunch, the café in Blackwater didn’t come close to the delights served at Aunt Betty’s Café.

  “Yeah, social workers are all much the same.” Kane shrugged. “I thought she might at least tell me that support groups existed in the area.”

  “Never mind.” Jenna sipped her coffee. “I spoke to Sheriff Johnson about Angelique and he will have a female deputy waiting outside her residence at two. He did mention her case, mainly what he knew about the abduction, but nothing about what transpired during the court case. Same as what we’ve been up against; it was closed court.”

  “Yeah, and we have no chance to get a judge to grant access either as we don’t have a shred of evidence against any of our suspects. Did he mention if he noticed any change of behavior in her?”

  The adrenaline rush had left a headache in its wake and Jenna rubbed her temples in slow circles. “Yeah, he said she’d been different. She used to attend church every Sunday with her parents and that stopped. She keeps to herself, has few friends, and works part-time in the library here and in Black Rock Falls.” She glanced at Kane. “She prefers to work after hours. As far as he knows, she restacks the shelves and does the odd book repairs.”

  “That would be why she was in Black Rock Falls the day I interviewed her brothers.” Kane pushed his plate to one side and leaned back in his chair. “I wouldn’t mind betting she was in town at the time of the murders. It would be easy enough to check.”

  Jenna finished her coffee. “I agree.” She pushed to her feet. “I wondered why she specified a time for us to speak to her. I guess she isn’t working today. I’m not sure I would like to drive from here to Black Rock Falls to work part-time. She can’t be making much money.” She dropped bills on the table and frowned. “I’m concerned about a motive. As far as we know, Stewart Macgregor was the only person named in her case. If she is our vigilante, what is her reason for killing Price and Dorsey? If she’d planned to kill someone, wouldn’t she go after Macgregor first?”

  “We need to find out if anyone else was involved in her abduction. After all this time, she might be prepared to talk.” Kane pulled out his wallet and matched her pile. “I don’t believe for one second any of these men acted alone. She was able to identify Macgregor and his house but if there were others involved, perhaps she couldn’t identify them and kept quiet.”

  Jenna led the way to the door and they strolled to Kane’s black SUV. “I asked Sheriff Johnson if she mentioned anyone else was involved at the time. All she remembered was the clown at the party. She was a little girl. Think about it, Kane. They kept her in a cellar for three days; it would be dark, and to a small traumatized kid, any man with a clown face would look the same.”

  “That’s a point you could bring up with her. She will most likely clam up; they all do, but we have to find out if she was abused by the same group of men.” Kane unlocked the car and climbed behind the wheel.

  Jenna slid into the passenger seat. “I’ll do my best.”

  Kane pulled up beside a neat brick home set in a row of similar houses not far from Blackwater’s main street. A cruiser waited outside, and on their arrival, a middle-aged deputy climbed out to greet them.

  “Don’t forget your com device.” Kane’s forehead creased into a frown. “Tell the deputy to keep well back then you won’t appear so threatening. Maybe explain she is here as you don’t have jurisdiction to interview her.”

  Jenna attached the earbud and waited for Kane to fit his own then tested the reception. “Okay, let’s get the show on the road.”

  She pushed open the door and slid onto the road then strolled to greet the deputy. “Thanks for coming.”

  “My pleasure. I am Christine Parkes. What do we have, ma’am?”

  Jenna explained the situation and headed toward the stoop in front of the neat house. A curtain moved then footsteps came and a woman with graying hair peered at her. “Yes, what do you want?”

  “I’m Sheriff Jenna Alton from Black Rock Falls and this is Deputy Parkes. I’ve come to speak to Angelique.”

  “It’s okay, Mama.” A petite woman with long, flowing black hair came to the door. “Pierre called and explained why they are here. It is nothing to worry about. I’ll speak to them in the living room.” Her accent held a hint of French. “Can you watch my cookies so they don’t burn?” She looked at Jenna. “Come in.”

  Jenna followed her into a room awash with color. Bright yellow walls and pale blue sofas dominated the room. Floral scent filled the air from a vase overflowing with flowers on a coffee table. The chairs sat around a modern fireplace. Jenna took a seat and Parkes stood by the door to observe. The mantel held photographs of generations of a large family. From the images, Jenna noticed Angelique had hardly changed from the photograph she had seen of her at twelve years old. You look too sweet and innocent to be a killer. What happened to you?

  “My brother mentioned you are looking for pedophiles.” Angelique sat in the chair opposite her and frowned. “Why would you think I would know any?”

  Jenna offered her a smile then took out her cellphone, found the photographs of Price and Dorsey, and held it up for her to see. “These men were found murdered recently and we’ve discovered both worked as clowns with the same company as Stu Macgregor.” She noticed the girl’s face had paled. “At their homes, we discovered girls they had kidnapped.”

  “That’s awful but I don’t know anything.” Angelique rocked back and forth in her seat, clearly agitated.

  “I know what happened to you.” Jenna lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Could there be any chance that the man who molested you could have been more than one man?”

  “What do you mean, more than one man? I don’t understand.”

  Obviously, she needed to be blunt. “Tell me about the man who kidnapped you. How many times did he visit you in one night?”

  “Oh my God.” Angelique’s hands went to her face. “I went over this in court.”

  Jenna pushed a little harder. “I’m sure you did but I am not allowed to view the files and I have reason to believe at least four men are abusing girls. Two are dead and we need to arrest the others involved. This has been going on for at least ten years and you might have vital information. Will you try and think about that time again to help the other girls?”

  “Two are dead? If it has been ten years, I’m not surprised—people die every day.”

  The cold look in Angelique’s eyes sent a shiver down Jenna’s spine. “Someone murdered these men.”

  “Maybe they deserved it.”

  Jenna cleared her throat. “Where did Macgregor hold you?”

  “In a dark room, a basement. When he came down, he only had a flashlight and he’d shine it on me.”

  “You identified him, so he never wore a mask?”

  “He had a clown mask, but I knew he was the magician because he took me from the party.” Angelique let out a long sigh. “He has a tattoo on his arm as well. It is a heart, blood dripping, with an arrow through it.” She chewed on her nails and frowned. “I saw it at the party, and when he took me, he had pushed up his sleeves.”

  “Can you answer the questions I asked before? It may be very important to my investigation. Did he visit you once or twice or many times?”

  “I can’t believe you’re asking me this.” Angelique gripped the edge of her seat and her knuckles went white. �
�Many times, all the time. He would go away for a few minutes then return.”

  “How many times, say in one evening?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe six or eight.” Angelique blinked a few times as if recalling the horror. “That’s impossible for one man, isn’t it?” She rubbed at her face. “I was so frightened and at first I was tied to the bed and blindfolded. I begged him to take off the blindfold and said I couldn’t breathe. I’m sure I saw flashes before he removed the blindfold. I think he took pictures of me, the sick asshole.” She lifted her angry gaze to Jenna. “Yes, I guess there could have been more, but they did not have fat guts like those men in the images on your cellphone. Macgregor was twenty-two, I think, at the time. If there were other men, they didn’t say anything to me and all I could see was a grinning clown mask.”

  “Do you remember if they smelled different?”

  “Smelled different? How does a stinking man smell? They all smell the same… I don’t know.” Angelique’s eyes flashed with anger but Jenna could see the frightened child cowering within.

  “Okay, that’s all about that for now, but if you can recall anything at all, give me a call.” Jenna handed her a card. “I understand you work at the Black Rock Falls Library part-time and here as well. When are you usually in Black Rock Falls in case we need to speak to you again?”

  “I’ll be working there all week from tomorrow. Before it was odd days: Monday through Wednesday, and Friday.” Angelique changed back into the sweet-tempered woman who had greeted them without missing a beat. “I’m moving there in the morning. My brothers have a house just out of town. It’s such a long drive back and forth from here.”

  “You’ll be moving in with them?”

  “No, I already have an apartment on the outskirts of town. Living there, I can avoid the festivals. I received a settlement after the court case so I don’t need to work, but I love books and it’s nice working in the library after hours.”

  Jenna smiled. She had admitted being in town at the time of the murders; all she needed now was to pinpoint the times. “What time are you usually in town?”