Chapter 39

Kane made the call to Agent Styles and explained his concerns about Eduardo Souza. He found Styles likable and efficient. His military police background showed through. “I understand that you checked Mateo’s prints against the prisoner with his name in jail.”

“I checked them but I didn’t collect them. I asked a local FBI agent in LA I trust to go to the prison and take his prints. I ran them against the copies of Mateo from the previous arrests we had on file. When they didn’t match, I jumped on a plane and went to LA to interview the doppelganger. I forwarded all the information to Jo Wells out at Snakeskin Gully as she is your go-to person.”

Drumming his fingers on the desk, Kane stared into space. “Yeah, she called. Did you by any chance check Eduardo Souza’s prints while you were there?”

“Oh, yeah.”Styles chuckled. “I figured if they tried it with Mateo, they would definitely try it with Souza. I scanned the mug shots of the arrests made that evening and noticed two of the men looked very similar. So I personally took Souza’s prints and ran them through our software when I got home. I can personally guarantee that Souza is in jail awaiting trial.”

Relieved, the tension in Kane’s jaw relaxed. “That’s good to know.”

“I hear that you have Carter as a suspect in your current homicide cases.”Styles cleared his throat. “From what my partner is telling me, the evidence is stacking up against him. I’ve known him for a time, and he sure doesn’t act like any serial killer I’ve met. I hate to play devil’s advocate but I figure we need to get to the bottom of what the heck is happening here.” He blew out a sigh. “Anything you need me to do, I’m there.”

Running a hand down his face, Kane thought for a beat. “It’s pointless searching Carter’s cabin or his apartment at Snakeskin Gully. If he was involved, he’d hide the murder weapon.” He thought for a beat. “I know for a fact that Carter is more than capable of building a high-amperage stun gun. No doubt you could as well. We’re in the process of determining whether or not the two other suspects have the knowledge to do this as well. If one of them does have this ability, then we know to concentrate on him instead of Carter.”

“Beth… ah, Agent Katz, believes there is more to this than meets the eye. Hang on a sec, the coffee’s ready and I’ve been out all day.” Styles’ spoon clinked in his cup as he stirred his coffee. “Beth believes it’s possible the stun gun was purchased on the dark web. She was able to access Carter’s devices and he hasn’t been near the dark web or anywhere else online where he could purchase such an item. The only way we’ll be able to discover if the other two suspects use the dark web for whatever reason, is if Beth gets the hard drives from their media devices. It doesn’t matter how hard they try to delete information from their history. She’ll find it.”

Leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, Kane sighed. “Without probable cause, that ain’t gonna happen. We’ve got two men who admit speaking to the victims, and that’s it. Sure, they fit the description of the people who saw them speaking to the women. Both men have been interviewed and although they could fit the profile of a serial killer, we have absolutely no motive. There are no links to the women in any way whatsoever. Holden sold them carvings. Strauss spoke to them at work casual-like. Both admitted to speaking to them.”

“No, not enough probable cause for a search warrant, that’s for darn sure.”Styles’ chair creaked. “Leave it with me. I’ll see what I can do about it. Having someone like Beth Katz in the office, sometimes miracles happen. Her expertise in cybercrime has given her access to more places than you would imagine.”

Glad of the support, Kane pushed a hand through his hair. “Thanks, I’d appreciate any assistance you could offer.”

“Anytime.” Styles disconnected.

“Get any information?” Jenna peered at him from across her desk.

Nodding, Kane stood and went to the kitchenette to pour a cup of coffee. He hunted through the cabinet below, looking for a jar of cookies. “Yeah. The man they have on remand is Eduardo Souza. Styles took his prints while he was there to interview Mateo’s doppelganger.” He grabbed the jar of cookies and straightened. “The general consensus of the FBI is that something unusual is going on. We have Beth Katz working on it. She’s an expert in cybercrime but really needs access to the suspects’ computers to get anywhere.”

“I’m sure Kalo will get involved as well.” Jenna indicated to her screen. “I’ve been scanning our suspects’ files right back to grade school. They’re both smart. They have strong IT backgrounds, which are at odds with their current employment. This wouldn’t assist them with the stun guns, but it could easily give them the skills to gain access to the victims’ homes. We know how easy it is to hack a security system or any local cameras. Either of them has the skills to have been watching the victims undetected.”

Nodding, Kane poured two cups of coffee and sat at Jenna’s desk. He went back for the cookies, and a doggy treat for Duke. “Yeah, since I discovered that just about all Wi-Fi cameras can be hacked, even nanny cams and robot vacuum cleaner cams, it opens up a whole new world for Peeping Toms.”

“Or the best time to lie in wait for a victim to arrive home from work.” Jenna sipped her coffee and munched on a cookie. “How can we eliminate either suspect or Carter without gaining access to their computers or other devices?”

Kane shrugged. “We’re between a rock and a hard place. I guess we could haul them both in for questioning and see what happens when we shake the tree. Other than that, I guess we wait for him to make a mistake.”

“You mean when he kills again?” Jenna grimaced. “That can’t be our only option. I’m writing down what we have and we’ll take it to the judge. Circumstantial evidence might be enough.” She gave him a long look over the rim of the cup. “We’ll pull the suspects in first. If they’re not involved, they might just surrender their devices voluntarily. Stranger things have happened.”

Kane snorted and tossed a doggy treat to Duke. “One day pigs might fly too, but I’m not holding my breath.”