Free Deceived (A Hannah Smith Novel) by Randy Wayne White Page A

shoulder. “The reason the raincoat is important is—well, there are a couple of reasons. A killer with an axe knows there will be a lot of blood, so it shows premeditation. You described him as big and sort of shapeless.”
    “It was one of those cheap, poncho-type rain slickers,” I said, “but looked bigger, I guess. Sorry, you’re right. I left that part out.”
    Ransler thought about it. “Sort of like a tent, and he was wearing a hood.”
    “No,” I said. “A few years back, fishermen started using sun masks. Skin cancer is a real problem. They’re tubular, sort of a stretchy material you pull down over your head.”
    “You sound sure.”
    “Patagonia sells some with shark jaws below the eyeholes. You know, a great white shark’s teeth where a fisherman’s mouth would be? It’s popular. Right away, even with the lights off, I recognized what he was wearing.”
    “Shark jaws,” Ransler said with a wince that told me he was thinking about the hammerhead we’d seen. “A big man wearing gloves and a sun mask.”
    “As tall as me,” I said. “Taller, maybe.”
    “But shapeless because of a rain poncho, or whatever it was draped over him.”
    “You saw for yourself how dark it is in that kitchen.”
    Ransler paused to consider the careful wording of what came next. “Then how do you know it was a man, Hannah?”
    The question surprised me. “Well . . . his voice, I guess. The way he handled the axe. You know,
strong
.” But then had to admit, “I guess it is possible. He didn’t actually say anything, just sort of bellowed when he came at me. I suppose it could have been a woman, but I’d bet against it, I really would.”
    “Did you know Crystal Helms was released from Raiford three weeks ago?”
    Another surprise, but I shook my head to refuse the idea he was suggesting. “I haven’t seen her in years.”
    “Was she a big girl?”
    “Well, yes, but Crystal could never—”
    “Hurt you or her own mother?” Ransler cut in. “I’m not saying she did, but I want you to be aware of the situation. And the son—I forget what Billy said his name is—he was paroled in early March.”
    “Mica’s out, too?” I said softly. “We had no reason to stay in touch, even with Crystal—not since grade school. Our mothers stayed friends, that’s all, but my mother never said a word.”
    “In the morning, I’ll check the records, but I know the Helms family has a long history of felonies related to drug dealing. The daughter especially—again, I have to pull the file—but one of my guys said Crystal spent some of her time in the psych ward.” The man squared himself and placed his hands on my shoulders in a comforting way. “That’s just between you and me. I wouldn’t share this with most people—I’m not allowed to, in fact.”
    He waited until I looked at him before adding, “I like you, Hannah. An attractive woman who can handle a boat—can handle just about
any
situation, from what I gather. I trust you, and I’m worried because you’re an unusual woman—and the person who did this is insane. My opinion, of course.”
    I moved slightly, thinking Ransler would remove his hands. He didn’t, but that was okay. “I appreciate it, Joel,” I said.
    “I take care of my friends, Hannah Smith—even the few who’ve proven they can take care of themselves.”
    My eyes had tried to drift away, but now I had no choice but to reply, “You did a background check after our charter, didn’t you? Or was it before?” There was a long list of information he could have discovered—I’m single and live alone, for one thing. From the way he said
proven
I could take care of myself, though, I could tell he was referencing an incident that had put my name in the news some months back: I’d shot and wounded a man who’d threatened to rape me.
    Ransler’s hands tightened on my shoulders while his expression asked
Does it matter?
“I’m going to have the sheriff’s department keep an