Chapter 44

At the office, Jenna called everyone in to view the footage Agent Katz had provided. They all stared in disbelief as Carter’s face was clearly visible on the screen. She looked at Kane. “Call him and see if he’ll come in voluntarily.”

“You at the cabin?” Kane put his phone on speaker.

“Nope just walked out of Aunt Betty’s. What’s up?” Carter sounded the same as usual.

“Drop by the office. I have something to show you.” Kane disconnected and looked at Jenna. “He doesn’t sound too worried.”

Five minutes later Carter walked into the office and smiled around a toothpick, Zorro at his heels.

“Please tell me you have a solid suspect.” Carter looked at Jenna and dropped his toothpick into the garbage.

Shaking her head, Jenna stared at him, unable to believe he was capable of murder. “I’ve already read you your rights. We have evidence implicating you in the murders of four women. Do you want me to call a lawyer?”

“What evidence?” Carter sat down and shook his head. “I haven’t killed anyone. This is crazy talk. Show me what you’ve got. You owe me that at least.”

Jenna turned around her computer screen and played the clips, the dates prominent on the screen. “You can’t deny that’s you.”

“Oh, yes I do.” Carter shook his head. “The last one, supposedly of me climbing into the pickup.” He pulled a thumb drive from his inside pocket and slid it across the table. “Kalo has copies of these as well. I took them through the library window at two yesterday afternoon. I figured someone was setting me up and when I saw that jerk who looks just like me climbing into the pickup, I took photos. I can’t be in the pickup and taking photos as well, can I? Something stinks here and it ain’t me.”

Jenna stared at the images, all date and time stamped. “Well, okay, but what about the others?” She scrolled through CCTV footage. “That’s you in the general store.”

“No, it can’t be because I wasn’t in town the day this was taken.” Carter shook his head. “I had to go back to the office, if you recall, to get files for the director.” He pointed to the next footage. “Or here.” He looked at Jenna. “What’s missing, Jenna?”

Concerned, Jenna stared once more at each set of footage. She lifted her gaze to him. “Zorro.”

“You saying someone put your face in this footage?” Kane stared at him. “How could they do that before Agent Katz collected it?”

“Call Kalo and ask him.” Carter shrugged. “He’ll know.”

Jenna made a video call and Kalo picked up. She explained the situation. “Agent Katz did mention she had trouble accessing the image files. Maybe someone tampered with them but they all look genuine to us.”

“This is the problem. It’s easy to tamper with video footage, but looping it back into the system without creating a stagger means this guy has a high level of expertise. Usually, we can tell if footage has been tampered with, but I can see from the files they are extensive. It might take some time to examine all of them.” Kalo’s brow creased into a frown. “Just a minute and I’ll take a look.” He looked at his screen array and nodded. “This is good. I’m thinking deepfake technology. As in using AI to change the face on an image or footage. It’s becoming easier and easier to use now. It’s even available on phones.”

Understanding the concept as she’d seen deepfake technology on TV, Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I know about it, but how do we tell the difference between fake and the real thing?”

“Some things aren’t quite right. For instance, speech may be delayed but not often.” Kalo’s gaze drifted from the screen and then back to her. “I’ll have to dig deep and see if I can locate the original footage. Agent Katz will need to be aware, so I’ll contact her. Between us we’ll be able to trace the source files, but it will take time.”

“Just do it before I’m charged with murder.” Carter leaned forward in his chair. “Ask Jo to come here as well. Get her a ride ASAP. I need her.”

“Okay, I’m on it.”Kalo disconnected.

“Here take this.” Carter removed his weapon and handed it to Kane. “Stick to procedure. Lock me up if you like but I’m not going anywhere. I want to find this killer and clear my name.”

Nodding, Jenna looked at him. “None of us believe you’re capable of murder, Ty. I’m sure if you were in my position, you’d want answers too. It certainly looks like someone is framing you.”

“From the evidence, I’d agree.” Kane gave Carter a long look. “You must understand that being part of a team, we must have absolute trust in each other.” He narrowed his gaze. “The problem for me is that I’ve seen the enemy infiltrate a team, live, fight, laugh, and cry together for years—and then murder everyone in their beds.” He placed Carter’s pistol on the desk. “My suspicion keeps me alive.” He met his gaze. “I’m sure you understand, being a SEAL and all.”

“I do and I can understand why y’all believe I’m implicated in the murders.” Carter tossed a toothpick into his mouth and moved it across his lips. “That sure looks like me in the footage, but if you figure I’ve been undercover for the last five years to bring down a deputy sheriff for heaven knows what, you’re batshit crazy.” He shook his head and then raised one eyebrow. “Your name was never mentioned, not at any meeting and not on any paperwork.”

“So I’ve heard.” Kane shrugged. “The story is, one of Mateo’s men took my photograph and passed it through the prison system until they got a name. It sounds too good to be true, but time will tell, won’t it? My travel arrangements to get to the trial are the problem. If I get hit before or on the way to the trial, we’ll all know it came from your team.”

Feeling the tension rising, Jenna looked from one to the other. “Then we’ll make our own arrangements.” She gave Kane a knowing look. “We’ll take it out of their hands and use our resources to get to California. That way only we know the plans.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” Kane smiled at her. “I’ll make a few calls.”

The phone rang, as if on cue. It was Wolfe. Jenna flicked a glance at Kane and raised one eyebrow. “Hey, Shane, what do you have for me?”

“A positive ID on Leona Brinley.” Wolfe’s footsteps echoed on tile. “It’s the same cause of death as the other victims. We’re scouring the vehicle for trace evidence but have found nothing significant.”

Jenna glanced at the others. “I have you on speaker. Dave will call you later, but can you use your contacts to arrange for us to travel to California for the trial? Dave isn’t trusting the FBI to watch his back.”

“I’ll call him tonight. We’ll work out something.” He chuckled. “I haven’t been to California for a long time. I might come with you. He’ll need someone to watch his back.”

“I’d like that.” Kane smiled. “We’ll get to see the ocean.” He glanced at Jenna. “Speak to you later.” The line went dead as Wolfe disconnected.

Clearing her throat, Jenna tapped her pen on the desk. “Let’s get this meeting back on track.” She looked at Rio. “What do you know about the latest deepfake developments? They’re moving ahead so fast. I’m aware of the new proposed legislations to protect people but I know this is something you follow.”

“It’s all over.” Rio shrugged. “Most times, celebrities are used to endorse products or schemes on social media. It’s all fake. Fake news stories. I mean, now they can take a dead celebrity and make a movie that is an exact replica of the real person. AI is boundless and dangerous. We won’t know if what we are seeing is real anymore. If this is what happened to Carter, it’s entry-level manipulation. If you want a more detailed analysis, I can give it to you.”

Surprised that technology had moved so fast, Jenna shook her head. “No, thanks. That’s fine. Now what?”

“We need to assume one of our two suspects is the Casanova Killer.” Kane raised an eyebrow. “I suggest we split up and go and find them.”

Jenna nodded. “We’ll bring them in for questioning.” She swung her gaze to Carter. “You’re coming with us.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Carter tipped his hat and stood.