Scene Of The Crime: Means And Motive

They were both silent as he led her to unit number three, where Sandy Peters had been found stabbed in her bed.

“Wow. Nice room,” Jordon said after they’d stomped the snow off their boots and stepped inside. They both had donned gloves and bootees, as the room was still officially a crime scene.

“All the rooms are this nice,” he replied. He stood by the door as Jordon wandered the area.

A king-size log bed was the center focal point, along with a stone fireplace and a sunken Jacuzzi tub for two. The bed had been stripped down to the mattress, but Sandy’s suitcase was still open on one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, and a thick pink robe still hung on a coat tree next to the dresser.

He’d kept things intact in the room as much as possible for Jordon’s perusal, although his men had already taken Sandy’s cell phone and computer and the bedclothes into evidence. The room had been gone over with a fine-tooth comb and fingerprinted, so this evening he’d have some of his men clear the rest of Sandy’s things from the room.

Jordon disappeared into the adjoining bathroom and then reappeared and stared at the tub, where a little basket held packets of bubble bath and two wineglasses with a bottle of white wine perched on the tile.

“There was obviously not a struggle.” It was a statement of fact rather than a question.

“And the door wasn’t forced,” he replied. “It appears that she opened the door and was immediately stabbed. She fell backward to the bed and the attack continued there. She was stabbed a total of twelve times.”

A frown danced across Jordon’s features. “Overkill... That indicates a rage.”

He nodded. “The same kind of rage was evident with the other two victims, as well.”

“And the time of death?”

“The coroner placed it between around midnight and five in the morning,” he replied. “Hannah, the owners’ fifteen-year-old daughter, saw Sandy leaving the guest shed at around nine in the evening. She had a soda in her hand and told Hannah she planned on being up late working.”

“What was Hannah doing out and about at that time of night in this weather?”

“One of her jobs here is to make sure the refrigerator is restocked each evening. She was later than usual that night.” He looked toward the window where dusk had moved in. “I’ve arranged interviews with all the staff here to start in the morning at eight. In the meantime, we should get you settled in for the night. I’ve made arrangements for you to stay at a motel not far from here.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Why would I stay at another motel? I’m assuming there are vacant rooms here?”

“Yes, but there is also a killer using this bed-and-breakfast as his personal playground.”

“All the more reason for me to stay here,” she replied.

Gabriel frowned. “I really don’t like the idea. I think it would be much better if you stayed somewhere else.”

“I’ll be fine here. I’m armed and I’m trained. Just get me a key and point me to a room.”

The burn in his gut intensified. Even though he barely knew Jordon, he recognized the stubborn upward thrust of a chin, the resolute shine in her eyes.

The killer was savvy enough not to leave any evidence behind. In savagely murdering three people he hadn’t made any mistakes that Gabriel had been able to find.

The last thing Gabriel wanted was for FBI Special Agent Jordon James to become the fourth victim.

Chapter Two (#u4f137cd9-44d5-5eed-9468-df56eeaa1453)

When they returned to the main dining room, two adults and two teenagers awaited them. Gabriel introduced them as owners Ted and Joan Overton and their two children, fifteen-year-old Hannah and seventeen-year-old Jason.

“I made fresh coffee and some sandwiches,” Joan said as she and her husband jumped up from the table where they’d been seated. She hurried over to stand next to the table with the coffeemaker and twisted her hands together as if unsure what to do next.

“Thank you—I’d love a cup,” Jordon said. “And the sandwiches look wonderful.” Joan’s pretty features lit up as if she was pleased to be able to serve somebody.

“We’ve canceled all of our reservations for the next two weeks,” Ted said. Jordon took a seat across from him and Gabriel sat next to Jason.

“There weren’t that many to cancel,” Joan said as she set a cup of coffee in front of Jordon and then sat next to her husband. “This is our slowest time of year, but reservations had already fallen off because of the bad publicity we’ve received. Social media is destroying us.”

“Your place is lovely,” Jordon said. “How long have you all owned it?”

“We bought it a little over a year ago,” Ted said. “We’d talked about leaving the rat race behind and doing something like this for years, and then this place came on the market as a foreclosure and so we bit the bullet and made the move.”

“Made the move from where?” Jordon asked. She took half of one of the thick ham-and-cheese sandwiches that were on a platter and placed it on the small plate in front of her.

“Oklahoma City,” Ted replied. He was a tall, thin man with dark hair and brown eyes, and his children took after him rather than their shorter, blond-haired, blue-eyed mother.

“Do we need to be here?” Jason asked. His cheeks colored slightly as Jordon turned her gaze on him. “I don’t know anything about what’s happened around here and I’ve got homework to finish.”

Jordon shifted her gaze to Gabriel, who shrugged. She turned back to Jason. “I don’t see any reason for you to hang around here while we talk to your mother and father.” The young man was nearly out of his chair before Jordon had finished speaking.

“What about me?” Hannah asked. “I’ve already told Chief Walters everything I know.”

“As long as it’s okay with your parents, you both can be excused for tonight,” Jordon replied. Hannah also flew out of her chair and pulled a cell phone from her pocket.

“Go directly to the house and no place else,” Ted said.

“Where’s the house?” Jordon asked as the two teenagers left the building.

“Across the street. It came with this property,” Ted replied. “It’s a nice three-bedroom with a lake view.”

“And it has a huge detached garage that’s far enough away from the house that I can’t hear the banging and curses or noises that Ted makes when he’s working on one of the cars or in the middle of a woodworking project,” Joan added.

For the next hour Jordon questioned the couple about the murders, the victims and the daily operation of the bed-and-breakfast.

Gabriel was mostly silent during the conversation. She was grateful he allowed her to go over information she was certain he already knew.

The body language between the couple indicated a close, loving relationship, and Jordon sensed no underlying tension other than what would be deemed normal under the conditions.

By the time they’d finished up, night had fallen outside. “Agent James would like to stay here,” Gabriel said when the interview had wound down. A deep frown cut across his forehead. “That wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”

“Of course not,” Joan replied with a touch of surprise.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Ted asked.

“Positive,” Jordon replied without hesitation. Gabriel’s silent disapproval of the plan wafted in the air, but Jordon’s mind was made up.

“We’ll put you in unit seven,” Ted said. They all got up from the table. “I’ll just go get the key for you.” He left the dining room through a door that Jordon assumed led into the main office.

“Breakfast is served from seven to nine. If that doesn’t work for you just let me know,” Joan said. “We’ll be glad to do whatever we can to accommodate you while you’re here.”

“I’d like you to keep things the way you would for any other guest,” Jordon replied.