Death and pain and horrible endings.
Rutherford tapped his finger on the first victim, who looked like Nari. “Lori Chen. A bright doctoral student who worked part-time at Miller’s Coffee, just down the road from your apartment building. How often do you get coffee there?”
Angus leaned in to study the woman. “Hell if I know.” But he did grab a coffee there once in a while, when Wolfe wasn’t around to force sugar on him. It made sense that anybody targeting him might’ve come across her. “That’s a coincidence.”
“You’d think.” Rutherford planted his entire hand over the dead redhead on the log. “Sasha McDouglass. Guess where she worked?”
Angus shook his head. “No clue.”
“Squishy’s Car Wash. You know. Where you have an account and get your truck washed and detailed regularly. I bet you’ve talked to her more than once.” Triumph filled Rutherford’s gaze now.
Angus turned toward Fields. “Are you kidding me?”
Fields just stared at him, his shrewd eyes hard.
Angus sat back. This was actually happening.
Rutherford then slid the picture of the mutilated blonde in front of him. “She lived in your apartment complex and was found dead in your laundry room. Oh, and you don’t have an alibi for the time when she was dumped. Oddly enough, the security cameras were all cut by somebody who knew where they were.”
Angus cocked his head. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“Have I?” Rutherford pointed to the African American woman. “She’s a professor of theology whose family owns the Brickhouse Pub on Eighth Street. She works shifts sometimes to help out. You know the place, no?”
Angus looked more closely at the woman. She did look familiar. “Yes.” He often met his team at the bar. It was quiet, with good beer. He pointed to the other victim. The woman with the pink streaks in her hair. “And her?”
“Haven’t found the connection yet, but I was hoping you’d just tell us.” Rutherford shook his head. “Come on, Force. You’re a burnout and an alcoholic. I’ve seen it before. You were in the game and you caught the bad guy, but you can’t let go. You’ve re-created the case you miss.”
Angus shoved his chair back from the table. “I didn’t kill these women. Jesus Christ, Rutherford.” He wanted to be furious, but instead he felt numb. Stunned into numbness. “I have an alibi for when McDouglass was dumped.”
Rutherford smiled, going in for the kill. “Yes. Your lover alibis you. That won’t exactly hold up in court and you know it. Also, the second you get wind we’re on to you, your cabin blows up? Sounds like a truly excellent way to destroy evidence. What? Did you kill those women in that miserable cabin where their screams would never be heard?”
Angus just stared at him. Oh, he knew the smart thing to do, but asking for a lawyer felt like defeat. He wouldn’t lose to this asshole. “You’re grasping for straws with both hands.”
“No. We have federal agents serving search warrants on your cabin in Kentucky, Nari Zhang’s apartment, and your former apartment here. I have no doubt we’ll find the evidence to fry your ass. So make it easy on yourself. Claim insanity or something. Who knows? A jury might have sympathy for an ex-FBI agent who became the monster he’d chased for so long.” Rutherford gathered the photographs, sliding them away as quickly as the killer had sliced the life from those women.
Fields sucked on his drop. “How long did you take with each woman? We don’t have the autopsies yet, but it looks like the torture took a while.”
Angus sat back. “I’m done talking. You idiots need to find a different path.” Honestly, the circumstantial evidence against him was a lot worse than he’d thought. A decent prosecutor might even be able to make a case. “You know I didn’t do this.”
“Wrong.” Rutherford sat back.
The door opened and Tate walked in, along with two uniforms. His dark face was unreadable. “Angus Force, I’d like you to accompany me to Metro so we can continue this interview.”
Rutherford shoved back from the table. “What the hell? Get out of here.”
Tate smiled, showing the predator deep down. “You don’t have enough to arrest him, so he’s leaving. Force? I need to question you.”
Angus sighed. He didn’t mind leaving HDD, that was for sure. There was a better chance he’d get information from Metro, the scrappy underdog here in comparison to the HDD and its resources. “No need to fight over me, gentlemen. I’m happy to accompany you, Tate. Let’s go.” It was going to be a long-assed day.
Chapter Twenty-One
It had taken all day for Angus to be interviewed by Metro, and Nari yawned widely while waiting in her new rental car to pick him up. It was now almost midnight on Saturday night.
He emerged from the building, so pissed off he looked as if he’d just rammed his head into the car. Opening the door, he slid inside, his muscled bulk shifting the entire vehicle. “Where’s Roscoe?”
Nari’s temper wasn’t far behind his. She pulled away from the curb. “You’re welcome for the ride.”
“Thank you. Where’s my dog?” Angus demanded, his shoulders looking as if they were made of solid rock.
