Chapter 12

12

Brooklyn poured a second cup of coffee and basked in the calm in the kitchen for a moment before rejoining the men in the living room. Colin had called a break after the meal so Sandy would take a nap, but the guys remained gathered around the dining table. Nick had arrived to join them. Dev unfolded easels, then added small whiteboards.

So the discussion was about to get more intense. Could she handle it? These guys seemed to take it all in stride. Except for Nick, they’d each lived a life where they hunted down criminals and dealt with all that entailed. Her, not so much. The closest she’d come to a crime was as a teenager, when she saw one of her classmates break into a closed store while she was walking home from piano lessons. She called the police and kept an eye on him until they arrived and arrested him. She even got her name in the newspaper for being a good citizen, but then her sleuthing days were over.

In her day, in her little hometown up the coast, that was a big deal. But today, it was nothing. A routine police call. Not as routine in her hometown, but elsewhere. She hungered for those simpler times. Until she thought about life without the availability of the internet and technology. Then she changed her tune. But today, she’d give just about anything to go home and not have to go back into the dining room because a man was hunting her, and they had to find him before he hurt her.

Colin poked his head in the door. “Joining us?”

She nodded, but couldn’t seem to start in that direction.

“Something wrong?” He ran his law enforcement officer gaze over her. Probing. Demanding. And she could easily picture him as an FBI agent. “I mean, other than we don’t know where Tarver is, and he might have killed someone.”

She gripped her mug tighter. “I didn’t expect to be in this situation. Not at all. I’m thankful for your and your team’s support. I really, really am. But when you all get together, it can be a bit overwhelming for someone who’s used to being alone with her computer most of the time.”

“Yeah, I get that. I do. Even experienced it when I was a code crusader.” He paused and grinned. “But I’ve come out of my bat cave, and now this chaos seems normal.”

“I think I can get used to more people around. That’s not the problem.” She bit her lip before going on. “But I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to handle so many extremely intense guys in one place.”

“We’re only intense when working an investigation. Otherwise, we’re pussy cats.” He grinned, and he resembled Devan far more than when he was serious.

She liked this combo of intensity and fun as they seemed to balance each other out. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” She laughed and pointed at the door. “Lead the way. I’m ready to rejoin the guys, but I’m hoping it’s the kitty litter crowd.”

He laughed and turned back. His tone warmed her through. This was the good humor he was talking about. If everyone lightened up, she could see being part of such a group. Alas, the fun-loving guys weren’t sitting at the table. The fierce group had shown up big time. And that included Nick, who was head down working on his laptop. He hadn’t stopped searching for any hint of Kane online. No success yet, but if any data could be found, he would find it.

“Good,” Dev said from where he stood by a whiteboard. “We’re expected back at the crime scene soon and need to get started.”

“Then let’s get to it.” Colin pulled out a ladder-back pine chair for Brooklyn, then sat next to her.

She set her mug on the scratched table that could tell years of stories about vacationing families, but they weren’t there to hear fun camping stories. No, they were there to hear about Kane potentially murdering someone. She still could hardly process that, much less believe it.

Reid leaned forward and glanced around the table. “Anyone hear from Kelsey today?”

The men, except Dev, shook their heads.

“I talked to her,” he said. “But nothing to report.”

Colin sat forward. “She did say before we left last night that she thought it best to wait until today to remove the remains. She didn’t want to miss anything.”

“She still believe it’s a male?” Ryan asked.

Dev nodded. “She’s confident of that. Something about hips and bone structure of the eyes. We can proceed with looking for a male identity.”

“Any other leads at all?” Reid asked. “From the Veritas staff or the sheriff?”

“A few things that we can help follow up on,” Dev said. “Sierra says gas could very well have been the accelerant used to start the fire. To that end, I need guys to go to the local stations to collect samples she can take back to her lab.”

“If we know the station where the gas was purchased, we can request their security footage,” Colin added.

Dev nodded. “I don’t mean to presume to decide who should do this, but Reid and Ryan, you’re from the area and know all the station locations.”

“Glad to do it,” Reid said.

Ryan looked at his brother. “I’m on board if you take Gladys Miller’s place.”

“She’s not that bad.” Reid explained to Brooklyn. “Gladys is our town busybody. She’ll talk your ear off.”

“She means well, but she’ll waste hours of your time.” Ryan grimaced. “But yeah, I’m in. And I’ll even take Gladys if I have to, but if so, you can call Mia and tell her not to expect me home until next week.”

Dev rolled his eyes and got out a blue marker to write the item on the whiteboard and add Ryan’s and Reid’s names to the task.

“Micha.” Dev turned back. “Sierra recovered a Sig P320 compact along with a silencer in the house. The weapon still has the serial number on it. Her team will be analyzing it when she gets all the evidence back to the lab, but before then we could be checking with local gun dealers to see if any of them sold the weapon and get the name of the person who purchased it.”

Micha specialized in weapons in the military, so to Brooklyn, this seemed like a good fit.

“I’ll make the calls.” He ran a hand across his face. “But I’m not law enforcement, so even if they sold the Sig, they’re not likely going to give me a name.”

“True,” Dev said, not seeming daunted by Micha’s comment. “But if they admit selling it, I can then follow up for a name. And if any shop owner refuses to give you info, those are the ones we want to focus on.”

“Okay, sure. I’ll start on it after my class.” He glanced at his watch and stood. “Which is in ten. Someone still has to take care of our guests.”

“Now that’s the attitude I like to see.” Reid laughed.

“Any signs that this gun was used to take out our victim?” Ryan asked.

Dev shook his head. “Kelsey didn’t see anything last night that would point to that, but last I talked to her, she hadn’t turned the body. Or moved it at all, actually. Maybe she’ll know more when Colin and I go back.”

“Any chance I can go with you?” Brooklyn asked, despite knowing how Colin would answer.

“You don’t want to go there,” he said. “It’s a horrible sight, and once you get a look at the victim, you can never unsee him.”

“He’s right, which you know I’d do almost anything not to admit.” Dev smiled but firmed his shoulders. “But trust him. Us. This is a sight you don’t want to see if you don’t need to, and I don’t think you need to. I can’t see how you could help.”

She sat forward and looked between the men. “What if something belonging to Kane survived the fire that meant something to me but not to you all? Or to Sierra and Kelsey? I might be able to find that lead we all want and need.”

“She has a point.” Reid glanced at each man in turn. “She could help, and with the police involvement now, odds are low that Tarver is in the area, and she should be safe.”

“I don’t like it.” Colin clenched his jaw. “He could be hanging around out of sight.”

“I doubt it.” Nick looked up from his laptop. “Kane’s known for cutting and running after he’s broken the law. It’s one of the ways he’s escaped arrest. I doubt this scene is any different.”

“I still don’t like it.” Colin stood and ran his gaze over the team. “We don’t have eyes on him, and it’s not safe.”

“Not one hundred percent safe, no,” Reid said. “But if we all go to the scene, we can eliminate pretty much every danger except a sniper shot.”

“Right,” Colin said. “The most deadly method to take someone out when they least expect it. You think that’s an acceptable risk?”

Nick looked up from his computer. “Kane never had an interest in guns. He toured the Veritas facility after I left the company where we worked together. He didn’t even ask to see the weapons lab.”

“I remember that day,” Brooklyn said. “He came back home saying he barely wanted to see anything other than the computers, but you were so stoked about the place that you insisted he see it all.”

“I can’t say it enough.” Colin eyed them all one at a time. “He could’ve changed.”

“Sure, it’s possible he started liking weapons,” Micha said. “But become proficient enough in long guns to take the kind of distance shot with precision that it would take? I doubt it.”

“But it is possible,” Colin said.

“Yeah, possible.” Micha’s skeptical look said it all for Brooklyn. He really didn’t believe Kane had developed such skills, and as a weapons expert, he should know.

“We do what we usually do when we’re at odds,” Reid said. “We take a team vote and go with the majority.”

Colin gritted his teeth but didn’t argue. Brooklyn appreciated his concern for her, but she really believed he was being too cautious. And she trusted Nick’s assessment. He knew Kane. Or at least had known him. She would pray that Colin was wrong and that Kane hadn’t changed enough to become a proficient sniper.

Reid’s phone chimed, and he grabbed it. “Front gate. It’s a patrol car.”

He lifted the phone to his mouth. “Can I help you?”

“Sheriff Day,” she said. “I’d like a quick word with Dev.”

“Sure thing,” Reid said. “I’ll open the gate for you. You’ll find us all meeting at the last cabin on the left.”

“Roger that.”

Reid tapped his screen and stared at it. “Okay, she’s in the compound and on her way to us.”

“I’ll meet her on the porch.” Dev got up. “Hopefully, she has information for us.” He strode for the door.

Brooklyn waited for someone to speak, but no one said anything. “I wonder if she’ll update all of us or just Dev.”

Colin’s eyebrows knitted together. “Either way, we’ll get the information.”

“But wouldn’t it be good to hear it right from the sheriff?” Brooklyn asked. “That way we can ask any questions we might have.”

“True.” Colin stood. “Let me tell Dev to try to get her to come inside.”

He left the room, and Brooklyn immediately felt the loss of his presence. Like the force watching over her was gone, and she was vulnerable. That wasn’t true, but she’d been so vulnerable for years and to finally have been able to let go a bit and have someone take care of her the past few days had been such a relief. Now, the way she felt before Nick came to rescue her had returned, and she didn’t like it. Didn’t like to think about a lonely life again.

Oh, please let us find Kane so I don’t have to go back to a solitary life. Living in isolation.

The group fell silent, each of the guys taking a moment to look at their phones.

“Text from one of our guests.” Reid looked at Micha. “Your group is waiting outside the conference room and getting antsy.”

Micha frowned and got up. “Tell them I’ll be right there before they start rebelling.”

“They’d do that?” Brooklyn asked.

“Our participants are known for bucking the system,” Ryan said. “So yeah. They’d rebel, and who knows what form that might take.”

“Don’t worry,” Micha said, already heading for the door. “I’ll jog down there so they don’t get into any trouble.”

He strode quickly out, passing Dev, Colin, and Sheriff Day as they entered the dining room. The petite sheriff had dark hair held back in a French braid and was dressed in khaki pants and a logo shirt. She had a gun at her hip and a badge on her belt, and she carried herself with an intensity that matched the men in the room.

She stopped at the end of the table to look at everyone. “Dev wanted me to include you all in the update.”

“Thanks for agreeing to it.” Colin took a seat.

She gave him a side-eye look but said nothing to him. Obviously, she still didn’t like feds or former feds. She must have a reason, and Brooklyn would love to know what it might be.

“We haven’t had a chance to meet.” Brooklyn extended her hand. “Brooklyn Hurst.”

“Ms. Hurst.” Abby grabbed it and gave Brooklyn a bruising shake. “Sheriff Abby Day, but call me Abby.”

“And I’m Brooklyn.” She smiled. “I’m eager to hear your update.”

“First.” Abby planted her feet wide and placed a hand on her sidearm. “An alert was issued for Kane Tarver as a person of interest in this investigation. Driver’s license has a bogus address for a vacant field as his address of record, and DMV only has one vehicle registered in his name. A pricey Hummer.”

Brooklyn had known both of those details as Nick had located that information when he hacked the DMV some time ago, but since his actions weren’t legal they hadn’t been able to mention it to the sheriff. She could comment though. “Kane liked to show off, and the pricier the item the better.”

Abby shifted on her feet. “He may not have liked it so much. I just learned that it was found abandoned in McMinnville a few months back, and they have it in their impound lot.”

“What?” Brooklyn shot up in her seat. “Abandoned?”

Sheriff Day nodded. “It was discovered by a neighbor when he was plowing a field. The photos in the file show the grass that had grown up around it. It had been there for some time.”

He abandoned it? Seriously? Why would he do that, and why McMinnville?

The capital of the Oregon wine country, McMinnville was a city located near Portland. Some said it was a suburb, but it was an hour away, and Brooklyn didn’t really consider it a suburb.

Colin looked at her. “Does Tarver have any connections to McMinnville?”

“Not that I know of,” she said. “You, Nick?”

He shook his head. “I’ve never seen it mentioned in relation to him, but I can run yet another algorithm to search for McMinnville in the data I have stored on him.”

Colin looked at the sheriff. “Will you have Sierra process the vehicle?”

“I asked her about it,” Abby said. “But she’s still working the arson site, so it’s on a flatbed on its way to their lab, where it can be dismantled by her staff in their garage.”

“Doesn’t anyone else find it odd that he would abandon such an expensive vehicle?” Brooklyn asked.

“Not if he thought it could lead to him.” Dev sat and leaned his chair back on the rear legs. “A vehicle like that would draw attention for sure, and he can’t afford attention right now.”

“But it’s been there for a while,” Abby said. “Doesn’t make sense unless he was planning this murder for some time.”

“Someone else could’ve done it,” Brooklyn suggested without really thinking it through. “Like they borrowed the Hummer and didn’t bring it back. Or it was stolen.”

“No.” Nick shook his head. “Not buying the borrowed part. Kane’s not one to share his toys. The odds of him letting anyone drive a vehicle that set him back a hundred grand are pretty low.”

“I don’t care who drove it,” Abby said. “It needs to be processed for a lead that we desperately need.”

She was right. Of course she was. And everyone knew it. They did need a lead, because right now they had nothing to go on, and “nothing” wouldn’t bring Kane to justice and give Brooklyn back her life.