Page 39 of Whisper Through the Pines

“Just answer the question.” Kane slowly holstered his weapon. “Or do you have something to hide?”

“I came home.” Durnell lifted his gaze to Kane, eyes blazing. “I live alone and I don’t go out often. So, I can’t prove it.”

A shiver slid down Jenna’s back. She’d seen the sudden change in the man’s eyes. He’d dropped his shoulders in an attempt to act nonchalant, but it hadn’t worked. He’d made a mistake by touching the ax, and seeing how fast Kane could draw his weapon had likely surprised him. Right now, he was calculating his next move. Needing to keep him occupied, she cleared her throat and his attention whipped back to her so fast it took all her willpower not to step back. “Did you see anyone else on the way back home that night? Any other white pickups?”

“Yeah, I did.” Durnell scratched his cheek thinking. “I was wondering why it was driving along my access road because not many people do. It was heading toward me along the fire road. Yeah, it was white but not the same as mine. The headlights were different, higher and much brighter, like the new vehicles.”

“Did it have lifted suspension?” Kane’s eyes narrowed.

“Yeah, and it rattled as it drove past, like something was lose in the back or maybe the engine.” Durnell stared into the distance, as if thinking. “I didn’t see the driver. The headlights blinded me.”

“How well do you know Mason Kitteridge and Jonah Pike?” Kane hadn’t taken his attention off Durnell.

“I know them.” Durnell pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, his sweat-soaked T-shirt was drying in the wind. “I deliver wood to where they work and they help me unload and stack it. We get to talking.”

“So, you would know they both drive white pickups.” Kane gave him a long look. “They’re both handy with an ax, like you. Have you met them in competition at any time?”

“Not that I recall, but then I didn’t live here when I competed.” Durnell waved a hand to the piles of split wood. “I don’t really get the time to compete anymore.”

“I heard that you helped set up some of the displays at the Haunted House.” Kane didn’t look at Jenna. “Is that a hobby? People make a ton of money from the FX and frightening folks these days.”

Surprised Kane had told the man a deliberate lie, Jenna sucked in a breath waiting for Durnell’s reply. If he had any type of involvement in special effects or image projection, it would place him at the top of their list.

“Yeah, I helped.” Durnell’s fingers drummed restlessly on his thigh as if this was something he didn’t want to discuss. “It was extra money. They needed help and I’ve set up a few Halloween displays over the years. It’s no big deal.”

Jenna smiled. They had him. “It would be a more lucrative career and easier than chopping wood. Have you considered it?”

“Nope.” Durnell looked her up and down with a sweep of his dark gaze as if assessing her. “It takes a time in college and I didn’t finish high school. Now if we’re done discussing my career, I need to get back to work. I have orders to fill.”

The way he looked at her was a warning to step back. Jenna could feel it right through to her bones. They’d cornered him, upset his game, and likely placed themselves on his victims’ list. She glanced at Kane. He had seen the look too and moved into combat mode, his face granite and his eyes cold and unfeeling. If she didn’t understand him, she might just believe she lived with a psychopath. “Okay, thanks for your help. That information is very useful.” She turned to go and the ax came down behind her splitting a log. If that was a warning, it had come through loud and clear.

Thirty-Seven

Carter stood at the window of the conference room watching the fall leaves twirl in the wind along Main as he waited for Raven and Rio to arrive with Jonah Pike. He refilled his coffee cup and took the pot over to the table and offered a refill to Jo. “What do you make of Pike?”

“I believe he’s a person of interest.” Jo held up her cup. “He’d have the know-how when it comes to setting up projectors and other scary things. He was seen leaving overnight with an ax the night the first victims died. From the way he intimidated the kid, Marty, he enjoys control. All these things make him way up on the top of my list.” She tapped her finger on her bottom lip, thinking. “I figure we should interview him in tandem. He’ll likely try to get on top of one of us, but he might back down with a two-pronged attack. It will be interesting to see his reaction.”

“How do you mean?” Carter added fixings to his coffee and pushed the sugar and creamer toward her. “I’m not so good at good cop, bad cop.”

“I didn’t mean in that way.” Jo added creamer and sugar to her coffee and stirred slowly. “If this guy is the Axman, we are looking at someone who is, let’s say, in thrall of the thrill of killing. It has him in its grips, and right now he is standing on the edge of an emotional precipice. By bringing him in, we are messing with his plans, and it should make him angry. That is the response I’d expect if he is the Axman. So not good cop, bad cop. We just need to keep making him explain. It would be enough to tip him over the edge.”

Sipping his coffee, Carter considered what she’d just said. “The problem with all this is if he does lose his temper, we have nothing to hold him on. Everything we have is circumstantial evidence and we can only keep him for a short time before we need to let him go.” He placed his cup down and leaned back in his chair before looking at her again. “Will doing this trigger another bloody episode?”

“It depends how much we disturb his plans.” Jo ran her finger over a drip of coffee running down the side of her cup, catching it before it hit the table. “More likely, as this man is very smart, he’ll pull back and regroup—unless he has everything set up and a victim in his sights.” She sighed. “I can’t anticipate the actions of a psychopath; I can only give options because they think on a different level to us. Logic and predictability are thrown out of the window.”

The door opened and Rowley walked in. Carter looked up at him. “Are they back yet?”

“Yeah, they have Pike in interview room one.” Rowley indicated over one shoulder with his thumb. “He isn’t happy. Rio read him his rights and he doesn’t want an attorney present. They have set up the recorder. You’re good to go.”

Carter rubbed Zorro’s ears. “Wait here.” He indicated to a basket beside the vent coming from the furnace. “Downtime.” He waited for his dog to step into the basket, turn around three times, and then sink down with a sigh.

Outside the interview room, Carter and Jo peered at Pike through the two-way mirror. The man was sitting back in his chair staring at Rio and Rowley with an expression like thunder. He didn’t move or give off any defensive body language. Only his eyes displayed the rage boiling within.

“He’s angry.” Jo leaned on the table, staring into the interview room. “So we change it up and make it very conversational and friendly. He won’t be expecting it and it will put him on edge. I’ll go first.”

Carter had always made a point of not disagreeing with Jo when it came to interviewing suspects. He followed her lead in many interrogations mainly because of her knowledge as a behavioral analyst. She could read things in a suspect’s body language that he’d missed completely, and of late he’d watched for the subtle changes that she’d explained happened when a suspect began to show their guilt.

Following Jo inside, Carter glanced at Rio and nodded. “Special Agent Ty Carter has joined the interview.” He gave the time.