“I found it.” Lila sounded excited. “His name is Bill Larkin.” She read out the details.
Rio sighed. Maybe this was the lead they needed. “Thanks for your help. I’ll call if I need more information and I’ll pass on the request for a dog to Deputy Raven.”
“If you’re calling everyone in the group, Maya and Jolene are here. We live on the high side of town and out of the flooding, so decided to go ahead with our book club meeting. Do you want to speak to them as well?”
Rio smiled to himself. His encouragement that the women find groups of mutual interest to join had paid off. The town was teeming with social groups from sewing, quilting, baking, and right down to shooting. Having friends to talk to or call in times of need added another level of security. “Yeah, that would be a great help, thanks.”
He ran through the same questions with both women. He’d met Jolene Hurst’s mom. She often came by to watch the classes. He’d seen them at the practice range and considered them to be taking precautions. Jolene’s mother had called the security contractor Kane had recommended and when Bill Larkin dropped by, she had gotten an estimate from him as well. Jolene hadn’t had a date since high school. Maya Trent lived with her grandpa on the Golden Yolk Homestead. Raven had checked out her property after Maya’s concerns about hearing footsteps on her porch recently. Since then she’d contacted Rodney Wallace after Sierra had mentioned his name. He’d come by to repair the garage door when her grandpa had been in the hospital recovering from pneumonia. He asked her the same questions. “How is your grandpa?”
“Back in the hospital again. Hopefully, he’ll be home soon.” Maya sounded upbeat. “He’s insisting we hire some help. The place is too big for me to run alone. I’m hoping we can get a couple with a family. I’d enjoy the company and we have a big old house just sitting empty.”
Rio made infinity signs in his notebook, wanting to move on with the questioning and go home. “I know it’s a personal question, but have you been seeing anyone in the last six months or so?”
“Why?” Maya cleared her throat. “What has this to do with taking self-defense lessons?”
Had he hit a nerve? “I’m trying to determine if anyone has an ax to grind with the group. A possessive person might find the time spent with the deputies a problem. They might believe that if they disrupt the group by whatever means, it will be dismantled. You don’t need to answer the question if you consider it inappropriate.”
“The last person that I dated—if you could call it a date—was Bill Larkin. He asked me to meet him in town for a meal. It was during the day and I needed to drop by one of the stores to deliver eggs, so I figured it was okay. He seemed a nice man when he came out and inspected our property and suggested various security alarms. I had planned to get him to install one, but after we had our meal, Susie Hartwig told me he was married.” Maya snorted. “The last thing I need to get involved with is a man cheating on his wife. I ended up calling the contractor who Deputy Kane recommended and he came by and will be installing a security system for us next. It’s only for the main house but it will do the job.”
Rio tapped the pen on the table. The name Bill Larkin had come up three times in the last few minutes. He would need to add him to the list of potential suspects. “How long ago was this?”
“Not long, maybe a month or so. I can’t rightly say.” Maya blew out a long sigh. “At the time I didn’t want him to know I knew he was married. When he asked me to go out with him a second time, I refused and he became quite annoyed. He said that women like me were all the same: we only wanted to use a man for a decent meal.”
Narrowing his gaze, Rio considered how lucky she was to be avoiding someone like that. “I’m glad you found out he was cheating on his wife. Okay thanks, Maya. If you have any problems while your grandfather is in the hospital, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Thank you, Rio, I appreciate it.” Maya disconnected.
Waiting until Rowley and Raven had finished their conversations, Rio spun around in his office chair and looked at them. “I have a new name to add to our list. Did the name Bill Larkin come up in the conversations you just had?”
“Yeah, a guy who installs security systems.” Raven leaned back in his chair and yawned explosively. “Do you have a problem with him?”
Rio nodded. “He went on a date with Maya, but it didn’t go too far when Susie Hartwig at Aunt Betty’s Café informed her he was married.”
“That’s interesting.” Rowley pushed a hand through his tousled brown curls, making them stick up in all directions. “He came up in my conversation with Judy as well. Although why would the women call him, when Kane gave them the name of a contractor he’d checked out?”
Frowning, Rio looked at him. “Maybe this guy just dropped by. People often go door-to-door seeking work.”
“Okay, as he’s not an immediate threat, we can follow up tomorrow.” Raven glanced at his watch. “The rain hasn’t stopped all day. I suggest that we obey Jenna’s orders and head for home before it gets dark. I figure the roads are going to be treacherous again tonight.”
Rio closed his laptop and stood. “Yeah, we all have things to do at home and we might be called out at a moment’s notice if the water rises any higher at the end of town.” He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. “See you in the morning.”
Twenty-Five
Saturday
Over the years Rhett had achieved the ability to read people really well. As he waited for Julie to collect her things to leave to go and view the ranch, he chatted with Carter, who’d arrived in the sheriff’s marked truck. He purchased his own Ram truck the previous day, and they would use it to travel to the ranch. The last thing he wanted was the people working at the ranch to know he had law enforcement with him. He took in the relaxed cowboy sitting on the sofa in Wolfe’s family room warming his hands on the fire, his Doberman, Zorro, sitting like a statue beside him. Carter had a very intimidating side to him, although his height and impressive physique were very different than Kane’s. That man was massive, but Carter had a lethal edge about him and the judging way he regarded him when they first met had put him on his guard from the get-go.
The easygoing cowboy image covered a very intelligent and observant FBI agent. After listening to him talk for only a short while, he discovered how close he was to Wolfe’s family. The reason why he’d offered to escort them to the ranch wasn’t to seek out justice for his parents but to make sure that Julie would be protected. He hadn’t missed the approving nod from Wolfe when Carter arrived. Not that Wolfe or his wife and daughter Emily had remained in the house for long. They had all hurried out earlier, braving the weather and floods for the morgue. He looked at Carter. “Julie mentioned this town was called Serial Killer Central. I’m assuming all the activity at the moment is centered around two new cases. Do they have any suspects?”
“That’s not for me to say.” Carter popped a toothpick into his mouth and moved it across his lips. “During an ongoing investigation we hold our cards close to the vest. I’m not saying that you would give the information to the media, but as we say, loose lips might sink ships.” He gave him an appraising look. “Another thing is that as we’re often dealing with psychopaths, we’re aware many of them like to insert themselves into a police investigation—it’s a way of reliving the kill. So people who ask questions about ongoing cases are usually added to our list of suspects.” He grinned at him.
Stymied, Rhett stared at him. “I know you’re an FBI agent, so I was just looking for something to talk to you about. I know nothing about you whatsoever but I’m guessing you know everything about me.”
“Yeah, if anyone gets involved with Wolfe’s daughters, we do a full background check.” Carter leaned back in the chair and rested his boot on his opposite knee. “We do have at least one thing in common: I rebuilt a Harley as well. In fact, everyone at the office has one—except Maggie and Jenna. We spend all our downtime at Dave’s ranch working in his garage. If we ever get a vacation and can spend it around the same time, we always save a week or so to go hunting down parts. In this area, we’ve discovered many barn finds and dug out frames from way back. You’d be surprised how many people keep old motorcycle parts hidden away for years in their chicken coops and the like. Raven purchased a number of old cabins in Stanton Forest and we discovered a wealth of parts and a complete Indian motorcycle.”
Interested, Rhett barked a laugh. “And I figured that riding a motorcycle would be a problem to Dr. Wolfe. He doesn’t seem like the type to be flying around on an old Harley.”
“I might have guessed you two would be talking about motorcycles.” Julie walked into the room zipping up her raincoat. “I suggest we slip into our rubber boots and head out to the ranch before the weather gets any worse.” She smiled at Carter. “Dad left his spare pair in the mudroom for you. He figures you’re the same size. Rhett purchased his yesterday.” She headed for the door. “The new Ram is amazing. We took it for a run yesterday in the pouring rain. It stuck to the road like glue.”
