Free Safe In His Arms (Manhunt) by Rita Herron Page A

anything from the other hands?”
    Sheriff Leonard gestured toward a thin, dirty-blond haired guy dusty from working the ranch. “Troy Durgin over there said he thought he saw someone in the woods behind the dining hall earlier. Fits with the time of death.”
    “Which was?” Alex asked.
    “Shortly after lunch.”
    So everyone had cleared out of the dining hall except Joleen.  The shooter would have known she was alone and that no one would show up until dinnertime.
    She’d been vulnerable.  If she’d tried to call for help, Jones would have killed her to keep his presence unknown.
    Sick fucks like him took pleasure in tormenting their victims. Playing with them. Enjoying their fear.
    Alex walked over to the lead crime tech, and the ME and introduced himself.
    “What can you tell us from the body, Doc?”
    Dr. Cato pointed to Joleen’s bloody chest. “She died of a single gunshot wound that pierced her heart. No other visible injuries.”
    Alex frowned. “No bruises or rope marks to suggest that she was coerced?”
    Cato shook his head. “I’d say the shooter surprised her with the gun. She probably thought if she cooperated, he’d spare her.”
    “Any sign of robbery?” Alex asked on the off chance that her murder wasn’t connected to Jones. Robberies turned into murder all the time.
    Lt. Ponderson from the CSU team spoke up, “It didn’t appear that anything was missing. Her ID, wallet with a hundred dollars in cash, was still intact. She was still wearing a gold cross and wedding band.”
    “Even if her jewelry wasn’t worth much, a robber would have at least taken the cash,” Alex said.
    “So we think one of the workers on the ranch killed the woman?” Lt. Ponderson asked.
    “Either that or someone who snuck on the ranch did,” Alex said. “We’re questioning each of the employees. Now we know the time of death, we can check alibis.”
    “But you have another theory?” Dr. Cato asked.
    Alex explained Mia’s situation and Jones’s prison escape.
    Henry ran toward them, his breath ragged. “There’s smoke at the house! I gotta go.”
    “Smoke?” Panic seized Alex, and he turned to the sheriff. “I have to go, too. Mia’s there. Question the rest of the man, and don’t let anyone leave until you get his alibi for the time of death.” He glanced at the ME and Lt. Ponderson.  “Call me if you lift any prints, DNA or other forensic evidence.”
    He palmed his gun as he followed Henry outside to his truck. They jumped in and Henry pressed the gas, his craggy face terrified as they bounced over the ruts in the dirt drive leading back toward the farmhouse.
    Smoke curled upward in a thick cloud from the front room, flames sparking through the window in the distance. Three more minutes and they would be there.
    But fire could spread quickly, especially in an old wooden home.
    “Call the fire department!” Henry shouted.
    Alex punched in the emergency number, praying that Mia and Joy were all right.
     

     
    The smoke was so thick Mia couldn’t see. She shouted for Joy, but she didn’t hear her respond. Where was she?
    Frantic, she plowed through the den back toward the kitchen, hoping the woman had escaped. But Joy was nowhere to be seen.
    Mentally she debated on whether to call for help before the fire spread or to find her.
    Joy. She had to make sure her friend was safe and alive.
    She screamed her name again, smoke already filling the kitchen and starting to fog her vision. She stumbled forward, ran into the table and winced.
    “Joy?”
    A low groan echoed from her right, and she spun toward the sound, her lungs straining for air.
    Joy. Dear God. She was lying in a heap on the floor half unconscious.
    Mia darted toward her, knelt and stroked Joy’s cheek. “Come on, we have to get out of here. The living room is on fire.”
    Joy moaned, and Mia saw blood trickling down her forehead.
    Someone had hit Joy over the head. Had Geoff tried to kill her as he had Joleen?
    She gently shook