Chapter 17 #2
His office reflected success without ostentation, framed photographs of sold properties, professional certifications, family pictures that showed a wife and two children who looked happy and well cared for.
The space suggested someone who'd built a stable life after leaving law enforcement, someone with reasons to protect his current status.
"We're investigating the disappearance of Pierce Landry," Noah said once they were seated. "We understand he'd been trying to contact you about the Rebecca Hale case."
Torres' expression tightened almost imperceptibly, the kind of micro-reaction that suggested a topic he'd hoped to avoid.
"Yes. Multiple times. I heard about his podcast from local people, but I never had a conversation with him.
Later, I saw his calls come into my phone but I refused to answer.
The only time I saw him was at the town hall meeting the other night. "
"Did he ever show up here?"
"No, he called the office a few times, and left messages. I just didn't return them because I didn’t see any point in rehashing painful events from my past."
“Where were you last night?”
“At home with my wife.”
“Did you go out to Ralph Eriks’ place?”
“Yeah, I did. A buyer phoned and wanted to see it.”
“Did they provide a name?”
“Said their name was Marcus. But they never showed up. I was meant to meet them there at 8:30. I waited almost twenty minutes before I left. Figured they were a no-show. I phoned them back but it just went to voicemail. I went straight home. It happens. You can ask my wife. As for confirming it, you can ask my daughter as I was on FaceTime with her while I was there until I left at 8:50 PM.”
“You sure it was 8:50?”
“Positive. I was watching the clock like an eagle.”
Noah glanced at McKenzie who was taking notes. That explained the second set of tire marks.
“Did this Marcus give a second name?”
“No, just Marcus.”
“Can we get that phone number?”
“Sure,” he said, taking out his phone and bringing it up. “But I’m not sure it’s much use. I tried it again today and it said out of service.”
Already, Noah was beginning to think that perhaps it was a burner phone.
McKenzie consulted his notes. "Your relationship with Rebecca Hale was investigated as part of the original murder case. Can you refresh us on the details of that relationship?"
“I have nothing to add to what was already covered in the original investigation. It’s all there in the files.”
“You know procedure,” Noah said.
Torres ran a hand over his face then leaned back in his chair, and Noah caught a glimpse of the defensiveness that suggested old wounds that hadn't fully healed.
"Rebecca and I dated for about eight months in 2013.
We broke up in mid 2014, several months before she was killed.
Our relationship was completely investigated by my colleagues, and I was cleared of any involvement in her death. "
"What was the reason for the breakup?"
"Personal differences. Rebecca wanted things I wasn't ready to provide — commitment, marriage, a timeline for our future that I couldn't meet while dealing with my own career pressures and obligations. She wasn’t in a good head space. I didn’t need the drama."
Noah studied Torres' body language, looking for signs of deception or emotional manipulation. What he saw was genuine discomfort at discussing personal history, but also the controlled responses of someone who'd been through this questioning before.
"Where were you on the night Rebecca and Jacob were killed?"
"Working a security detail—Oktoberfest Weekend in High Peaks. As you know, officers often pick up those gigs for extra pay. Dozens of witnesses saw me there throughout the evening, then I went home. All documented in the original case file."
"Has anyone contacted you recently about the Hale case? Besides Pierce Landry?"
"Not recently. And frankly, I'd prefer to keep it that way. I answered a full interview with a national show ten years ago. That period of my life was difficult enough without having it dragged up again for entertainment purposes."
The interview continued for another forty minutes, with Noah probing for connections between Torres and Pierce's investigation, any knowledge of threats against the podcaster, or involvement in the larger conspiracy that seemed to surround the original murders.
Torres maintained his story consistently, he'd avoided contact with Pierce, had no knowledge of current threats, and wanted only to protect his family from renewed attention to his past relationship. It all seemed legitimate.
"One final question," Noah said as they prepared to conclude the interview. "Do you have any theories about who might have wanted Rebecca dead?"
Torres considered the question with obvious care. "Mr. Sutherland, I've been out of law enforcement for some time, so I'm not current on local criminal activity. I also don’t know. Rebecca was a kind person. But she was seeing other people besides me. That influenced my decision to part ways.”
“And Pierce?”
“What do you think? Pierce was asking questions about a case that touched a lot of people's lives. Some of those people might have reasons to prefer that certain aspects of the investigation stay buried. He also had a lot of haters. You can find those comments everywhere online."
"Anyone that comes to mind?"
"No. But I'd suggest looking at anyone who had influence over the original investigation, people who might have guided it away from inconvenient conclusions or toward convenient suspects."
As they left Torres' office, Noah reflected on what they'd learned. The real estate agent had been cooperative but guarded, providing alibis and explanations that seemed consistent but revealed little about current threats to Pierce's investigation.
"What's your assessment?" McKenzie asked as they drove back toward the Sheriff's Office.
Noah considered what they'd learned from both the witness interview and the conversation with Torres.
"Dale Hutchins gave us useful information that supports the timeline that matches Torres.
As for Torres? His connection to the case is historical, and his current life doesn't intersect with Pierce's investigation in any obvious way. "
"So back to Marcus?"
"Right now what we have is hearsay. The call could have been a different Marcus.
We build the case against our Marcus while keeping our options open.
The witness sighting adds weight to the circumstantial evidence, but we're still missing the kind of direct proof that would justify an arrest. We need to check with the hotel again about their cameras. "
Noah's phone buzzed with a text from the state crime lab: preliminary results from the cabin scene analysis would be available within twenty-four hours.
That information might provide the forensic blood evidence needed to move forward with an arrest or it might complicate their investigation by pointing toward additional suspects.
"There's something else bothering me," Noah continued.
"If Marcus was involved in Pierce’s disappearance over money disputes or creative differences, why the elaborate staging at the cabin?
Why burn everything and eliminate evidence so thoroughly?
Why not just leave his body there? Why put his name out there? "
"Maybe he's smarter than we're giving him credit for.
Or maybe he had help from someone with more experience in covering up crimes.
Or maybe it was a message to us, to look into the owner of the cabin.
Which we have. For all we know, this could be part of an elaborate plan by that podcast team to get more eyeballs on this case. "
“You think Pierce is alive?” Noah asked.
“Until we have a body, all we can do is speculate, right?”
He nodded.
The possibility that Pierce's disappearance involved multiple perpetrators added complexity that made Noah's stomach tighten. If they were dealing with a conspiracy rather than individual criminal action, the investigation could expand to include suspects they hadn't yet identified.