And I think it’s him.
But the real question was...who did Sydney trust? Which brother did she think was there to protect her, and which was there to kill her?
Chapter Nine
They didn’t go to Mercer’s office. They went into an interrogation room, and that fact put Sydney on edge.
She glanced toward the two-way mirror. Was someone watching them? What in the world was going on?
As far as she was concerned, there was no way that Gunner was a suspect, and Mercer had better stop treating him that way.
“Gunner, you understand that I have to explore every avenue in this case.” No emotion broke through Mercer’s words. “You’ve been a fine agent here, and I have nothing but respect for the work that you’ve done.”
Sydney couldn’t stand it. “So why are we in interrogation?”
Mercer glanced over at her. He and Gunner were both seated. She was pacing like mad. “Because procedure has to be followed, and I don’t want this situation coming back to bite me later,” Mercer told her quietly.
She stopped pacing.
“So let’s get through this as quickly as we can.” Mercer looked back at Gunner. “Do you know a woman named Sarah Bell?”
Sydney frowned. The name meant nothing to her.
“Sarah.” Gunner seemed to be testing the name. Then he nodded. “I knew her, a long time ago.”
The door opened then, and Mercer’s assistant, Judith, hurried into the room. She handed Mercer a file. “Thank you,” he told her, inclining his head.
As Judith left, Sydney was pretty sure the other
woman flashed her a look of pity. Of pity? What was up with that?
“How long ago?” Mercer asked.
“I was eighteen. She was...I think sixteen at the time? Sarah Bell...she was killed in a fire.”
“Yes, she was.”
Mercer opened the file and pushed some grainy black-and-white photographs toward Gunner. “I pulled the arson reports on her fire. The M.O. that the arsonist used, it’s the same as the one that was used at Sydney’s place.”
Sydney grabbed the nearest chair and sat down—hard. Then she strained to see those photographs. The charred remains of the house had her swallowing a few times. Then she saw the newspaper reports that had been printed off and included in that manila file.
Family Perishes in Blaze.
“Sarah Bell and her parents all died in the fire,” Mercer said. “Unfortunately, the arsonist was never apprehended.”
Gunner leaned forward. “You think I had something to do with this?”
“Your grandfather passed away a week before that fire. His passing...when he was the only one to ever provide stability to your life...it had to leave you feeling lost.”
“I wasn’t lost.” Flat. “I had my brother to take care of. He needed me.”
“He needed you, but you wanted Sarah Bell?”
Now another picture was pushed forward. This one appeared to have been taken from a yearbook. A young girl with curly blond hair and sparkling green eyes. In the picture, she smiled, flashing dimples.
“I never dated Sarah Bell.”
“Are you sure about that?” Mercer pressed. “Because your brother said you were sweet on her back then.”