Chapter 37
Thirty-Seven
Carter stood at the window of the conference room watching the fall leaves twirl in the wind along Main as he waited for Raven and Rio to arrive with Jonah Pike. He refilled his coffee cup and took the pot over to the table and offered a refill to Jo. “What do you make of Pike?”
“I believe he’s a person of interest.” Jo held up her cup.
“He’d have the know-how when it comes to setting up projectors and other scary things.
He was seen leaving overnight with an ax the night the first victims died.
From the way he intimidated the kid, Marty, he enjoys control.
All these things make him way up on the top of my list.” She tapped her finger on her bottom lip, thinking.
“I figure we should interview him in tandem. He’ll likely try to get on top of one of us, but he might back down with a two-pronged attack.
It will be interesting to see his reaction. ”
“How do you mean?” Carter added fixings to his coffee and pushed the sugar and creamer toward her. “I’m not so good at good cop, bad cop.”
“I didn’t mean in that way.” Jo added creamer and sugar to her coffee and stirred slowly.
“If this guy is the Axman, we are looking at someone who is, let’s say, in thrall of the thrill of killing.
It has him in its grips, and right now he is standing on the edge of an emotional precipice.
By bringing him in, we are messing with his plans, and it should make him angry.
That is the response I’d expect if he is the Axman.
So not good cop, bad cop. We just need to keep making him explain.
It would be enough to tip him over the edge. ”
Sipping his coffee, Carter considered what she’d just said.
“The problem with all this is if he does lose his temper, we have nothing to hold him on. Everything we have is circumstantial evidence and we can only keep him for a short time before we need to let him go.” He placed his cup down and leaned back in his chair before looking at her again.
“Will doing this trigger another bloody episode?”
“It depends how much we disturb his plans.” Jo ran her finger over a drip of coffee running down the side of her cup, catching it before it hit the table.
“More likely, as this man is very smart, he’ll pull back and regroup—unless he has everything set up and a victim in his sights.
” She sighed. “I can’t anticipate the actions of a psychopath; I can only give options because they think on a different level to us.
Logic and predictability are thrown out of the window. ”
The door opened and Rowley walked in. Carter looked up at him. “Are they back yet?”
“Yeah, they have Pike in interview room one.” Rowley indicated over one shoulder with his thumb. “He isn’t happy. Rio read him his rights and he doesn’t want an attorney present. They have set up the recorder. You’re good to go.”
Carter rubbed Zorro’s ears. “Wait here.” He indicated to a basket beside the vent coming from the furnace. “Downtime.” He waited for his dog to step into the basket, turn around three times, and then sink down with a sigh.
Outside the interview room, Carter and Jo peered at Pike through the two-way mirror. The man was sitting back in his chair staring at Rio and Rowley with an expression like thunder. He didn’t move or give off any defensive body language. Only his eyes displayed the rage boiling within.
“He’s angry.” Jo leaned on the table, staring into the interview room. “So we change it up and make it very conversational and friendly. He won’t be expecting it and it will put him on edge. I’ll go first.”
Carter had always made a point of not disagreeing with Jo when it came to interviewing suspects.
He followed her lead in many interrogations mainly because of her knowledge as a behavioral analyst. She could read things in a suspect’s body language that he’d missed completely, and of late he’d watched for the subtle changes that she’d explained happened when a suspect began to show their guilt.
Following Jo inside, Carter glanced at Rio and nodded. “Special Agent Ty Carter has joined the interview.” He gave the time.
“Special Agent Jo Wells has joined the interview.”
As Rio and Raven leaned casually against the wall, Carter dropped into a seat and placed a legal pad on the table.
He took a pen from his pocket and clicked the top.
He waited for Jo to sit beside him and then turned his attention to Pike.
“Thanks for coming in, Mr. Pike. We just need to clear up a few things.”
“The FBI must be slipping if you need two deputies to protect you from little ol’ me.” An amused curl lifted Pike’s lips. “Do I frighten you, Jo?” His gaze moved up and down Jo as if undressing her and then he glanced at Carter as if to challenge him to say something.
Trying to suppress a smile, Carter made a few ambiguous notes on his legal pad. His gaze moved to Jo. She hadn’t blinked or moved as if studying him like she was cataloging a new behavioral tic.
“Mr. Pike.” Jo’s face remained expressionless. “What are you hoping to achieve by using my first name?”
Carter loved the way that Jo could take down someone with just a few words. He leaned back in his chair, with his pen poised over his legal pad, observing Pike’s reaction.
“You tell me. You’re the FBI agent.” Pike leaned on the table, moving his face closer to Jo, and a slow smile stretched his lips.
“It tells me you’re testing my boundaries.
” Jo tilted her head slightly, as if observing a lab specimen.
“You’re seeing what you can get away with, but unfortunately people who find themselves in a powerless situation usually try things like that.
” She crossed her legs slowly in a faint hiss of nylon.
Intrigued how Jo could dominate an interview with a slight gesture, Carter waited for Pike’s reaction, but he’d quickly buried his flicker of annoyance.
“Let’s talk about the night the young couple were murdered.
You were seen leaving the camper after dark and you didn’t come back until after midnight. Where did you go, Mr. Pike?”
“So someone’s keeping tabs on me?” Pike exhaled a soft laugh and shook his head. “Who was it, Marty? A kid should never be working in the horror industry. He sees shadows and turns them into monsters.”
Surprised that Pike had zeroed in on the person who had seen him right away, Carter cleared his throat. “I’m not at liberty to say who witnessed you leaving the ranch, but they identified you and your truck.”
“I take walks.” Pike shrugged and lifted his gaze to him as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “It helps me to sleep. Is walking a crime now?”
Nodding, Carter made a few notes and then lifted his gaze. “So that ranch isn’t large enough for you to ‘take a walk’ and you needed to drive to Stanton Forest?”
“I never mentioned anything about walking in Stanton Forest.” Pike snorted. “You’re twisting things, just like every cop does. I don’t have any obligation to tell you where I walked.”
“You’re very relaxed for someone being questioned about a double homicide.” Jo leaned forward just a fraction as if waiting with interest for his next words. “Most innocent people are anxious about timelines and making sure they have witnesses to prove where they were when the murders took place.”
“Maybe I’m not like most people?” Pike’s eyes appeared to grow darker as he stared at her.
“Hmm.” Jo flicked through a folder on the table and then looked up at him. “I figure that’s becoming clear.”
“Did you two rehearse this?” Pike barked a laugh but shifted in his chair. His dark and calculating gaze moved to Carter. “Good cop, ice-queen cop?”
Carter ignored him, leaving Jo to continue. He liked the subtle way she got under Pike’s skin.
“You’re ignoring the question.” Jo closed the folder and looked at him. “Have I touched on a nerve?”
“You believe you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?” Pike smiled and shook his head slowly.
“Not yet.” Jo opened the folder again. “But you’re helping.” With slow deliberation, Jo spread the photographs of the two decapitated teenagers across the table. She said nothing but just glanced at Carter.
Using the tip of one finger, Carter pushed the images closer to Pike, waiting for a reaction.
“These young people were murdered between nine-thirty and eleven-fifteen the night you went for your walk. You left the ranch around nine in your truck. Our witness tells us that you drove out without turning on your headlights and it was the same when you returned. You snuck in and out of the ranch and didn’t tell anyone where you were going.
Actions like that draw our attention. Maybe you can tell us a little more to convince us that you didn’t murder these people? ”
“I don’t have any more to tell you.” Pike’s gaze moved across the gruesome images without any reaction whatsoever.
“I drove into town, went for a walk, and then I came back. I didn’t put on my headlights to avoid disturbing the boss’s sleep.
End of story. I don’t recall seeing anyone I know.
I wouldn’t have taken any notice because I often go for a walk in town late at night. It’s no big deal.”
Carter frowned. It was unusual for psychopathic killers not to enjoy reviewing their kills.
Many relived the thrill just by looking at the crime scene photographs, but Pike’s reaction was zero.
“I’m surprised you didn’t ask me the names of the victims.” He raised his eyebrows.
“Most people would be interested especially as you all live in the same town.”
“It didn’t seem important.” Pike leaned forward with his elbows on the table, one hand cupped under his chin.
“I guess it wouldn’t if you already knew their names.” Jo uncrossed her legs in a swish of silk. “You knew them, didn’t you?”
“No, I never met them.” Pike’s gaze slid over Jo again. “You’re good, Jo, I’ll give you that, but you’re looking in the wrong direction. I didn’t kill anyone.” He sighed. “You’re wasting your time.”
The interview wasn’t getting anywhere. Carter leaned forward and tapped his pen on his legal pad. “Let’s get back to the night of the murders. You were seen leaving the camper with a bag. What was in it?”
“I don’t recall.” Pike’s gaze sharpened. “Maybe I planned to bring back takeout, who knows? I don’t remember.”
Carter noted his sudden irritation. “You were gone for over two hours, maybe three. That’s a long walk.”
“I like the dark.” A nerve in Pike’s cheek fluttered. “It’s quiet and peaceful. Here during the day, it’s noisy and it makes it difficult to think.”
“Not many people are comfortable in the dark.” Jo made more notes without looking at him.
“I design spooky things in the forests to frighten people.” Pike laughed. “Why would I be afraid of the dark?”
Carter slowly collected the photographs and slid them back inside the file. “So, you know your way around the forest?”
“Everyone knows where to take a girl parking.” Pike grinned suddenly. “That’s one of many.”
Carter exchanged a meaningful look with Jo, but she’d caught it. They hadn’t released the area where the bodies were found. “How did you know that? We didn’t give the media the details of where they were found.”
“I must have heard it somewhere.” Pike gave them a slow smile. “Everyone is talking about the Axman, didn’t you know? I’m glad they are. It’s good for business.”
“Who told you? If you don’t come up with a name, we can only assume you were there.” Jo twirled a pen in her fingers. “Give us the name and you can walk out of here now.”
“I recognized the place, in the photos.” Pike shrugged.
“Anyone who would go into the forest alone at night in this town must be crazy. People go missing in there all the time.” He dug one finger into the table, his gaze flicking from one to the other.
“Look at you. You’re chasing shadows and all the while a killer is out there.
It could be anyone and he could be watching you right now. ”
“Is that a threat?” Jo hadn’t so much as blinked.
“If I wanted to threaten you, Jo, you’d know.” Pike stood slowly. “This interview is over. If you’re planning on accusing me of murder, I want an attorney present next time you question me.” He shot a dark look at Carter. “Open the darn door. I’m leaving.”
They couldn’t hold him. They had no evidence. Carter nodded to Rio and he opened the door and escorted him outside. When Pike had left, he stopped the recording and turned to Jo. “He’s about to explode.” He looked at Raven. “We need to get a warrant to place a tracker in his truck.”
“No need.” Raven smiled. “I told him he could drive his truck here for the interview, but I was to ride shotgun. When he climbed out, I accidentally left one of our burner phones under the passenger seat. We needed a legal way to track them without getting a warrant. Leaving a phone behind is innocent enough. Kalo upgraded three of them into tracking devices. If we can get to the other suspects and do the same, we’ll know where they are before one of them strikes again. ”
Carter grinned. “You need to pick up Kitteridge next. Do the same with him. We’ll find out where Durnell is delivering wood today and make sure he has one accidentally left in his truck as well.”
“Not a problem.” Raven opened the door and waved them through.