May noted how upset he looked. It was as if, in a moment, he'd changed character completely and was now bristling with defensiveness.
She glanced firmly at Cody's mother, expecting that she might leap to her son's defense. But it seemed that after the explosion, she was done with him.
"Take him away. Just make sure he has some means of calling me when you're done, seeing he's probably destroyed his phone. There's no rush," she said meaningfully. "Take your time with him."
"Mom!" Cody protested, but she was clearly deaf to his pleas.
"We will inform you when we're finished," May promised. "And we'll call the emergency services here immediately to extinguish the fire."
"Thank you," the woman snapped.
She turned away and stomped back up to the house, turning around to shout, "And if you think your father's going to rebuild your cottage a second time, think again! Once was enough! You're moving back to the house after this. And no more science experiments."
Cody let out a disappointed sigh.
May helped him to his feet.
Never mind no more science experiments. There might be no more life outside of a prison cell if this man was their killer. She felt resolute at the thought of the questioning ahead.
Owen had gotten on the phone while May was talking to Cody’s mother, calling the fire department and the local police. He'd finished those calls, she saw, and was putting his phone away.
"Come on, let's get you away from this scene," she said.
May practically had to drag the reluctant Cody up the hill. Finally, she got both of them into the back of her car, which began smelling strongly of charred clothing.
"Okay, you two are going to come with us to the police department and answer some questions. We want to hear everything you can tell us about your activities over the last few days, and your history of making explosive devices."
Only stony silence greeted her words, and she sensed she had two highly uncooperative suspects. This was going to be a tough interrogation, she had no doubt.
May started the car and drove to the closest police department, which was in the town of Willow. It was a ten-minute drive away, and as she drove, she was forced to open the windows. It was very smoky in the car still. In fact, May thought she might need to get her treasured ride detailed tomorrow.
But having a car that stank of smoke would be a minor setback if they had the killer in custody. And based on the evidence, the likelihood was strong.
They arrived at the Willow police department, where May and Owen helped Cody and Ethan out of the car. This police department was on the main street of the small town. At this hour, just before four p.m., there was some traffic on the road and a few pedestrians on foot.
A few people stopped and stared curiously at the disheveled and charred young men as May escorted them inside. She heard a squeal of brakes from the road beyond as a driver took in the scene.
"Good afternoon, Fred. Can we use one of your interview rooms?" she asked the officer at the front desk, a young policeman that she had met a few times in the past.
"Afternoon, May and Owen. Sure, you can."
The officer looked as if he had lots of questions, but was making a big effort not to waste their time by asking them.
At that moment, May's phone began ringing.
"It's Kerry on the line. I'd better take it quick," she said, wondering if Kerry had made any progress on her side.
"I'll get these two into the interview room," Owen said.
Releasing Cody's arm, May quickly walked down the corridor to take the call in private.
Kerry sounded breezy and confident.
"Hi, sis. Just checking in with you. We're wrapping up here with the forensic analysis of the scene. Unfortunately, the email address is a dead-end for now, as the holding company is outside the U.S. and they’re being obstructive about releasing information. We’re going to have to get lawyers involved, and escalate it internationally. Have you made any progress?"
"Yes. We picked up a link between two of the earlier cases," May said. "We found a suspect, Cody Meyers, with connections to two of the past victims. He was busy rigging up an explosive device in his cottage when we arrived. It actually blew up when we were on site. We've arrested him and his friend, and they're both at the Willow police department. We're about to question them."
"Oh, you can't do that now," Kerry snapped. "You need to wait."