"I was working," he said finally."Had a group of tourists from Minneapolis, took them out to the north section for a full-day trip."
"Can you provide us with their names and contact information?"
Brennan moved behind the counter, pulling out a receipt book with movements that seemed overly careful."Everything's documented.I keep detailed records for insurance purposes."
He flipped through several pages before finding what he was looking for, then copied information onto a piece of paper.Isla noticed his handwriting was neat and precise, the careful script of someone accustomed to keeping accurate records.
"Jim and Nancy Peterson, Doug Martinez, and Tom Chen," he said, handing over the paper."Picked them up at the marina at six-thirty, had them on the ice by seven.We were fishing the north bay area until about three in the afternoon."
The timing would have made it impossible for him to be involved in Sarah's death, assuming the alibi checked out.But Isla had learned not to take alibis at face value, especially when they came from someone with obvious motive and means.
"You seem pretty angry about Sarah's environmental activism," Sullivan observed, returning his attention to Brennan."Did you ever feel like her research was a personal attack on your business?"
"Personal attack?"Brennan's voice rose, and Isla saw his hands clench into fists at his sides."She was trying to shut down winter recreation activities based on some theoretical threat to birds that nobody's seen in years.My family's been fishing these waters for three generations.My grandfather built this business when Sarah Quinn was still in diapers."
The emotion in his voice was genuine, Isla realized.Whether or not he'd killed Sarah, his anger about her environmental activism was real and deeply felt.It was the fury of someone who felt his way of life was under attack by forces beyond his control.
"That must have been frustrating," she said, her tone sympathetic."Having your livelihood threatened by regulations based on research you disagreed with."
"Frustrating doesn't begin to cover it," Brennan replied."You want to know what's frustrating?Having some outsider with a government paycheck tell you that your twenty-two years of experience don't matter because her computer models say there might be a problem.Having her stand up at public meetings and act like people like me are the enemy."
He paused, seeming to realize that his anger was revealing more than he intended.When he continued, his voice was more controlled but still carried an undercurrent of resentment.
"Look, I'm sorry the woman died.I wouldn't wish that on anyone.But let's not pretend she was some innocent victim.She knew exactly what she was doing when she tried to shut down access to areas that have been safely fished for decades."
Isla and Sullivan exchanged glances, both recognizing the interview had reached a natural conclusion.They had Brennan's alibi information and a clear picture of his hostility toward the victim, but nothing that constituted evidence of murder.The man was angry, defensive, and possessed the technical knowledge to commit the crime, but his story appeared consistent and his timeline seemed to check out.
"We may need to follow up with you," Isla said, handing him her business card."If you think of anything else that might be relevant to our investigation, please give us a call."
Brennan took the card with obvious reluctance."Are you going to tell me what this is really about?Because if Sarah's death was just an accident like everyone's saying, I don't understand why the FBI is involved."
"We're investigating the circumstances surrounding her death," Sullivan replied."Standard procedure when there are questions about what happened."
As they prepared to leave, Isla noticed a wall display she'd missed earlier—photographs of Brennan with satisfied customers, holding up impressive catches against the backdrop of Lake Superior's frozen expanse.In several of the images, she could see the specialized equipment he used for ice evaluation—augers, depth finders, and what appeared to be a sophisticated ice thickness gauge.
"Nice equipment," she commented, nodding toward the photos.
"Tools of the trade," Brennan replied, his voice carrying a note of professional pride that temporarily displaced his hostility."You can't guide safely without the right gear and the knowledge to use it properly."
The statement struck Isla as particularly significant as they left the shop and walked back to their car.Brennan had essentially confirmed that he possessed both the equipment and expertise necessary to manipulate ice conditions—exactly the combination of means and knowledge their killer would need.
"What do you think?"Sullivan asked as they climbed into their vehicle.
"I think he could be our guy," Isla replied, but uncertainty clouded her voice."He's got motive, means, and obvious hostility toward the victim.But something feels off."
"The shipyard connection?"
"Partly.And his alibi's probably going to check out.Guys like Brennan don't lie about something that's easily verified."She paused, organizing her thoughts."We need to treat Sarah's death as an independent murder first—follow the evidence where it leads, whether that's Brennan or someone else.But we also can't ignore that this fits the pattern we've been tracking."
Sullivan started the engine, letting it warm while they processed what they'd learned."So either he's innocent, or he's smart enough to plan an alibi that covers the exact time frame when Sarah died."
"Or our serial killer is more sophisticated than we thought," Isla said, staring back at the shop where Brennan had returned to his inventory work."Maybe he used Sarah's conflict with Brennan as cover, knowing we'd focus on the environmental angle instead of seeing this as another victim in the same pattern as Alex Novak and the others."
The thought troubled her more than she wanted to admit.If their killer was smart enough to exploit existing conflicts to mask his murders, he was far more dangerous than a simple predator picking random victims.
As they drove back toward downtown Duluth, Isla found herself hoping that Michael Brennan's alibi would fall apart under scrutiny.Because if he wasn't their killer, they were back to hunting for a predator who'd successfully evaded detection for years while accumulating a body count that might be much higher than they'd yet realized.
CHAPTER NINE
