“What kind of question is that, Sheriff?” Long snorted. “Do you know anyone around these parts that doesn’t have one to keep the rain off them? Or have I become a suspect in a crime? If I have then you need to tell me. I have a fine lawyer. Sam Cross is his name.”
Same lawyer too, huh? Jenna looked away. “I was just making conversation.” To avoid his eyes, she collected the files on her desk and pushed them into a drawer. She could play mind games too. “Rowley won’t be long. I’ll get him to take your statement about the Howards and then we’ll head up to the campsite.”
As she stared at Long, the image of the man she’d seen in the alleyway slid into Jenna’s mind. Long was the same height and build, he wore his black Stetson pulled low over his eyes, and Adams was in custody, so it couldn’t have been him. Long also matched the man she’d seen at her ranch and he’d admitted to being close by on Sunday night. She couldn’t allow Long to just walk out the door, not after listening to his story. He had too many strikes against him already. He was the last person to see Emmett and Patti Howard alive and he hunted with a crossbow. He couldn’t account for his whereabouts between Thursday and Monday, when Payton Harris was murdered and her home was invaded. The implications had a red flag as big as Texas waving madly at her. What if they’d made a mistake and the circumstantial evidence on Adams was just that, and Long was the killer of Payton Harris and the Howards?
Relieved when Rowley arrived at her door with Kane close behind, she stood. “Take Mr. Long down to interview room one. Get him some refreshments and take his statement. It will be more comfortable for him to wait there while I make arrangements to go out.”
“Okay.” Rowley’s dark eyebrows knitted into a frown. “Do you want me to wait with him?”
Jenna shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.” She waited for them to leave and called the number Long had provided. Tommy Jonas verified seeing Long on Thursday night around the time Payton Harris was murdered. Unconvinced, she called Bobby Kalo, the FBI super-hacker. “Hi, Bobby, it’s Jenna. I need your help. I want everything you can find on Tyler Long out of Summit Heights, Black Rock Falls.”
Thirty-Five
Not comprehending what Bobby Kalo had said, Kane stared at Jenna’s phone in disbelief. “He what? You have to be joking.”
“How come we didn’t hear about either of these cases?” Jenna drummed her fingers on the desk. “We’re usually informed when anyone from our county is released from jail. Most have to report here as part of their probation. This can’t have happened twice in—what? The last month?— and we’re kept in the dark. You have to be mistaken.”
“Nope, it’s all here. Tyler Long had his conviction overturned, same as the last guy. He was doing ten years for murder in the second. He won an appeal and they set him free, no probation officer visits, nothing.” Kalo tapped away on his keyboard. “I’ve just sent you the details.”
Dumbfounded, Kane stood and went to pour fresh cups of coffee. It had been a long day and they needed to be sharp. “Did they have the same lawyers?”
“Yeah. They didn’t have much choice. There are only a few attorneys conducting criminal law in your county, and they both selected the top guy, one Samuel J Cross. Do you know him?”
“Yeah, I’m afraid I do.” Jenna sighed and rubbed her eyes. “He’s good.”
“Ah, is Dave with you? Jo wants to speak to both of you.”
Kane handed Jenna a cup and sat at the desk opposite her. “Hi, Jo. If it’s not urgent, do you mind if I bend your ear as we’re discussing the current homicide cases? We’ve had a strange twist in the investigation.”
“Bend away. My news can wait and Carter is here too.”
Kane smiled at Jenna. “Great! This case has got us baffled.” He brought them up to speed. “So, now we have this dilemma. What do we do with Long? From the evidence, he is just as guilty as Adams. It seems a stretch of the imagination to believe they’re both not involved.”
“I’d write up what you have and discuss it with the DA.” Carter’s voice came through the speaker. “You have to inform him, as it reflects on the Adams case. With this much reasonable doubt both ways I can’t see him proceeding unless you come up with solid evidence to prove either case. Right now, you have zip.”
Kane nodded and looked at Jenna and shrugged. “Jo, do you figure both these men are manipulating us by covering each other’s asses to force reasonable doubt?”
“If you can prove they know each other, it’s very possible. Are they showing any psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies?”
“Yeah, they both tick a lot of boxes, especially Long; he is classic.” Kane leaned his elbows on the desk. “I could write a book about him. Adams is much the same. When we charged him, he was laid back and sure of himself. It’s as if he kne
w Long would come forward with the same story.”
“Is this the main reason you’re suspicious of both of them? Did you ever consider the possibility one or both of them are telling the truth? People do help others, not everyone has murder on their minds.” Jo sighed.
“Not at any time.” Jenna’s mouth turned down. “I’ve interviewed many serial killers and both these men slide right into the same category. Why Long just walked in to my office as if he wanted to be caught puzzles me.”
“From what you’ve told me, it sounds like a collaboration or they’re following instructions.” Jo sounded animated. “It would be an interesting case to pursue. Two men with almost identical stories and murders with the same MO is more than a coincidence. I know you’ve wondered if Stone was somehow involved in Payton Harris’ murder. I can see why you’d consider this because as a one-time defense lawyer, Stone would be aware a good attorney would use the circumstantial evidence you have against both men to form a reasonable doubt in court. No one will be convinced two practically identical murders are a coincidence. Most people would believe both men are telling the truth and there’s a lunatic running lose in the forest.” Jo cleared her throat. “To be honest, if I was a juror in either case, given only circumstantial evidence and two possible suspects, I would be very reluctant to convict.”
Kane pushed a hand through his hair. “Yeah, we’ve come up with the same conclusion. We’re between a rock and a hard place.”
“You’ll have to hope Wolfe finds something in the autopsy you can use.” Carter paused a beat. “You could hold Long until the autopsy results. Although unless you find something other than a hunch, Sam Cross is going to eat you alive.”
“Maybe.” Kane sipped his coffee. “There has to be a connection between James Stone and these murders. What if they consider Stone a role model or cult figure and they’re imitating him? The murders are staged like the actual crime scene images we took of Stone’s victims, and as no one outside our team and now you guys have seen them, it’s freaky. More so when two men just up and start talking like there’s no tomorrow.”
“This is the reason I wanted to speak to both of you.” Jo sounded her usual calm self. “I discussed this possibility with Jenna earlier. I feel the only way possible to discover a link between these homicides and James Stone is to go to the source. In my experience, serial killers like to relive their crimes, and he admitted to everything, didn’t he, so he has nothing to hide. I figure by talking to him we might discover if he’s found a way to kill through his followers.”
“I agree. Have you been able to set it up?” Jenna straightened in her chair.