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Meeting his gaze head-on, Carter glared at him. “Don’t you figure that’s all I’ve had on my mind since I walked in here?” Trying to remain calm, he turned back to Jenna. “You gonna hold me on suspicion of murdering those women or do you want me to help you solve these crimes and get to the bottom of the darn leak?”
“That depends.” Jenna leaned back in her chair, staring at him. “I don’t believe you’d murder anyone, so I’ll wait until Agent Katz is done with the CCTV footage. She has everything we’ve collected plus she’s hunting down cameras all over town. It is part of her special skills.” Her lips flattened into a thin line. “Here’s the deal. I want you to be in communication with us at all times. Keep your phone and satellite phone at hand. As soon as we have the footage analyzed, I’ll call you.” She met his gaze. “This is in your best interest. Think about it, Ty, if you spoke to Jo about profiling this guy, the fact you want to insert yourself into the investigation would be a major red flag. You know that, right?”
Nodding, Carter pinched his bottom lip considering her suggestions. Jenna had acted in his favor by trusting him not to take off. She believed him and it warmed his heart. He shrugged. It was obvious Kane blamed him for the leak in the FBI. He understood his anger and the team’s suspicions. “Yeah, and I’m a nice guy. I was in the vicinity of the victims. I’d hold me for questioning.” He nodded and offered Kane his hand. “I did my best to protect you and I know what happened is unforgivable, but I’ll find out who did leak your name.” He waved a hand toward the whiteboard. “I haven’t touched one hair of those women’s heads and I’ll be proved innocent. I’ll be in my cabin or close by waiting for your call. You have my word.”
“We’re trusting your word, Ty, so see that you pick up.” Kane stood and narrowed his gaze. He took his hand in a vicelike grip and his expression hardened to ice. “After what happened to my son, if I discover you’re involved, you really don’t want me hunting you down.”
THIRTY-FIVE
After believing that Kane and Jenna had become part of his surrogate family, a heavy weight landed on Carter’s shoulders. He couldn’t stand around and wait for his friends to make a case against him and he had to admit right now the evidence was compelling. He clicked his fingers and Zorro, always loyal and his constant companion, walked beside him. Zorro wore his FBI coat, because in truth, an FBI agent was never really off duty. He needed to walk and think. Soon he found himself at Aunt Betty’s Café. He needed a familiar sanctuary to think and walked inside. He smiled at Susie, the manager, and ordered a slice of apple pie and coffee. “How’s your day been?”
“Busy as usual.” Susie smiled at him. “The FBI has been all around town of late. I was informed my CCTV footage would be confiscated. Do you know what’s going on?”
An uneasy feeling crept across Carter and he shrugged. “I’m on vacation, so out of the loop right now.” He leaned closer. “What do you figure is going on?”
“I know for a fact two of the women working at the market went missing. The manager came by earlier and told me. He said a man who looks just like you came by his store and talked to both women.”
Scratching his cheek, Carter stared at her. “It could have been me. I did go into the market and buy a new lock. I spoke to the server but I’m guessing she spoke to many people over the same day. Why do you believe they’re targeting someone who looks like me?”
“I’m not sure but I did see a guy who looks like you.” Susie leaned closer. “The chef needed a couple of extra pans and I dropped by the general store to see what they had available. I almost stopped the guy to chat, then when he turned around it wasn’t you. He had black eyes, not green like yours, and wasn’t as tall.”
Interested, Carter nodded. “Was he talking to anyone?”
“Yeah, he was real chatty with Dakota, like they knew each other.” Susie rolled her eyes. “I’m waiting in line to pay for the pans and he’s talking up a storm like he has all the time in the world.”
Nodding, Carter blew out a breath. Susie had been up and personal with a potential killer. She could identify the man everyone believed was him. “What day was this?”
“That would be Thursday last.” Susie looked at him. “Do you figure he could be involved with Dakota going missing?”
Not wanting to alarm Susie, Carter shrugged nonchalantly. “Like I said, I’m out of the loop right now. Keep the information to yourself but tell Jenna if she asks you. If he’s involved and knows you can identify him, you might put yourself in danger.”
“My lips are sealed.” Susie smiled. “I’ll have Leona bring out your meal. It won’t be long.”
Carter returned her smile. “Leona? I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“She started a couple of weeks back.” Susie leaned in again conspiratorially. “Married six months and her husband had an affair. They moved here for his job and he’s hightailed it back to Texas, left her the house, so she’s working two jobs to pay for it.” She pointed at him. “You be nice to her. She’s fragile.”
Holding up both hands and backing away, Carter chuckled. “I’m always nice.” He headed for a seat near the window and sat down to watch the people walking along Main.
A young woman arrived a short time later with a tray carrying a pot of coffee, the fixings, and a very large slice of pie with ice cream on the side. Susie always spoiled him and he appreciated her. He looked up at the young woman, her face flushed from running around. He put her age at around twenty, and her heart-shaped face held exquisite eyes of the darkest violet-blue he’d ever seen. “You must be Leona.” He smiled at her. “Agent Ty Carter, nice to meet you. How are you settling into life in Black Rock Falls?”
“Not so good.” Leona pushed a strand of hair behind one ear and poured his coffee. “I’ll be happier when I can sell my house and move closer to town. I don’t need a big old house. The apartments in town, the ones they’re building in the old industrial buildings on Maple, are more my style.”
Carter smiled at her. “I’m sure it will sell. The real estate is in demand in this town.”
“Oh, do you live in town?” Leona smiled at him. “I haven’t seen you come by.”
Shaking his head. “Right now I have a cabin in the woods, but I live out at Snakeskin Gully. I’m on vacation right now.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m in town often, so I’ll be around. Maybe we can have a drink sometime?”
“I’d like that.” Leona blushed prettily. “It will need to be when I sell my house. Right now, I’m working all hours. So I’ll take a raincheck if that’s okay?”
Nodding, Carter smiled at her. “Sure. I’ll be dropping by again real soon.”
He watched her go, wondering if Agent Katz was monitoring his every move via the CCTV cameras around town. Being a social animal, changing his usual character and friendliness toward women just to please a murder investigation was never going to happen. He hadn’t done anything wrong and refused to play their game. The problem was, restricted to his cabin he couldn’t investigate anything. He needed help. Going to Jenna or Kane and giving them the information Susie had divulged only made him look guilty, as if he needed to point the blame elsewhere. Reluctantly, he pulled out his phone and called Kalo’s burner. The FBI computer whiz kid was his chance to get out of this mess—if he could reach him. To his surprise, Bobby picked up after a few rings. “Bobby, it’s Carter. Are you back from vacation?”
“Yeah, we came back last night.” The squeak Kalo’s office chair made when he moved from one computer to another came through the earpiece.
Grinning at his good fortune, Carter added the fixings to his coffee. “You’re in the office?”
