"The killings have been very well researched. Some of the bombs have been set up to detonate via family members. There's a lot of intelligence involved in this crime. A lot of planning. And we do believe that Dirk might be a common factor."
May stared at him anxiously.
She had no idea how he would respond to the insinuation that his son was an even bigger criminal than he was. She feared he wouldn't take it well, and braced herself for whatever might come her way.
“You’re asking for a lot,” he said. “You’re basically asking me to give up my son. That’s what you want me to do.”
May was panicking inwardly. What would the best response be to this difficult question? A yes might put him off answering. But if she said no, she’d need to give reasons. What reasons could she give?
She had the feeling that Kane was watching her with a hint of evil amusement in his gaze as she struggled to formulate the best reply.
“Look,” she said eventually. “If your son is the perpetrator, he’s going to get caught. At some stage soon. Without a doubt. He’s escalating.” Now she was the one to watch him carefully as she spoke. “It’s a question of when. How many crimes do you want him accused of by the time he stands in the courtroom and faces up to the jury? If he even gets there, and doesn’t get shot and killed in a takedown. Or he could decide to flee the state and continue this elsewhere. It wouldn’t help if the FBI is on his trail. He might end up being arrested for committing crimes in a state that still has the death penalty.”
May saw Kane’s eyes narrow at that. She guessed he was acknowledging the truth of what she said. Feeling as if she’d gained a narrow advantage, she quickly pressed on.
“I can tell you now, Mr. Kane, that if he’s innocent you won’t be doing him any harm, but if he’s guilty, you might as well tell us what you know, so we can arrest him before this entire situation gets any worse.”
She could see that this evil and intelligent man was considering the logic of her argument.
For another stomach-wrenching minute, she had no idea whether he would accept it or not. But then Frederick Kane let out a resigned breath.
“I’ll tell you, but in return, I want something from you.”
“What do you want?” May asked, her heart accelerating all over again. She had no idea whether she’d be able to do him the favor he was asking for.
“Books,” he said. “I want a parcel of books. The prison library is useless. I’m all done with trying to find something to read in there.”
“I guess I can do that,” May said, resolving that if she got the information to take the killer down, she would keep her promise and send him the biggest parcel the prison would allow. “What do you like to read?”
“Fiction. Not romance.” He shook his head dismissively. “Anything else. Action. Thrillers. Historical. And not set in Minnesota. I see no reason to read stories set in a state I’ll never leave.”
Again there was a tinge of regret in his tone.
“I’ll do that,” May promised.
He nodded. “And in return, I will do my part.”
She waited anxiously for him to gather his thoughts.
“This sounds like something Dirk could have done. He was always a headstrong boy. Genius intelligence. But a cold boy. He needed my guidance. That could have set him on the right path. But I didn't guide him. I had my own aims, my own issues, and was preoccupied with those. I did not discipline him. I couldn’t control my own anger, never mind deal with my son. So he went rogue. It was something I've always regretted."
"It might not have made a difference, really," May said. She felt a brief and unexpected flare of sympathy for the regret in his tone. As a father, she could understand his sadness, although his criminal actions were still unforgivable in her eyes. But in her experience, people really did choose their own path. She didn't have much experience of murder cases, but she knew a few lesser criminals whose children had chosen to be good, law abiding citizens despite the bad example and their adverse circumstances.
"Thank you," Kane said briefly. "So, why are you here? Yes, my boy could have done it. I acknowledge that. All the individuals involved are people who are connected to our family. He was given detention by the art teacher on the day of the shooting. We were evicted by Mrs. Jacobs, the property manager, a few months before the incident. The diner was opposite the place where I shot two people who I thought deserved it. The Sunnybrook police arrested me after I fled the scene. So yes, all connected. But what can I do?"
"We need to find Dirk," May said, but already, Kane was shaking his head.
"He hasn't visited me in years. Hasn't written, hasn't called. I have no idea where he is."
Kane stared at her, and again, she saw that flash of something in his eyes, a momentary look of concern. “He has emailed, though. That’s how he has stayed in touch, with update emails, but they never say much and I don’t often get to reply. Recently, though, he sent some strange messages. Now, they are making sense.”
“What messages?”
“Three weeks ago, he sent one saying, “One is down Dad, it’s started.” And then, a week or two ago, I got an email saying, “Two are down and we’re rolling.” I had no idea what they meant. I haven’t been able to check my emails for the past week so there may be others. We have limited access to emails.”
This made May absolutely certain that the son was the perpetrator, and that he was updating his dad via these mysterious messages.
"Why is he doing this? What started it?" she asked.