Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
Thursday
A cold crisp morning greeted Beth and Rio as they headed toward the Cattleman’s Hotel to interview Ethan Rourke.
Beth had spent the night with everyone at Jenna’s ranch and Styles had talked nonstop about the mission the previous night.
The takedown had uncovered a massive hoard of fentanyl within the BW Ranch.
The success of the mission had made the FBI director very happy.
The agents had filed their reports and been given two weeks’ vacation.
They would, of course, be remaining on Jenna’s ranch for Christmas, and she couldn’t believe she would actually enjoy the company.
Something strange had happened to her since she arrived at Rattlesnake Creek.
Working with Styles had made her human again.
It had started with his dog. She really loved Bear and found that she trusted Styles with her life, which had been something she’d never experienced before.
Being the Tarot Killer, and using her own brand of justice to rid the world of serial killers that had escaped the net, meant she’d been a loner all her life.
She still wanted to rid the world of unstoppable serial killers, but day by day she’d changed.
She had friends and people who trusted her.
This had become a phenomenon that took a lot of getting used to.
Meeting Rio at Jenna’s office and heading out with him seemed surreal.
Having Styles around all the time, she’d gotten used to him, but Rio had been totally different.
She found him professional but way too observant.
To keep her cover, she’d need to be very careful around him.
She turned her mind to the current homicide cases.
They had two solid suspects, and in her opinion, either of them could have murdered both women.
Rio had asked her to take the lead in the Ethan Rourke interview.
As the suspect’s specialty involved working with anything to do with IT, he figured she would be able to understand any technical jargon he might come up with.
Beth formed some questions in her mind to ask him.
He moved around everywhere. From what she’d read about his qualifications, he could easily hack into security systems and CCTV cameras.
This knowledge, if used correctly, caused no harm to anyone and was vital for anyone in the security business.
It also provided a perfect cover for a serial killer.
It meant they could move around under a cloak of invisibility.
She would need to be very specific with her questions before deciding if he qualified as a viable suspect or just a hardworking Joe.
Snowflakes spiraled down around Beth as she led the way into the Cattleman’s Hotel.
A wave of warm air hit her cheeks as she stepped through the doors and into the reception.
Astonished by the opulence, she gazed at the huge picture of stampeding cattle above the check-in counter.
It dominated the room. Large open fireplaces blazed with wooden logs and the snapping and crackling of pine cones.
Earlier, she’d spoken to the manager and arranged to meet Ethan Rourke in the staff break room.
She followed Rio into the room and checked out the man seated at the table with one hand wrapped around a cup of coffee.
When Rourke stood and looked from one to the other apprehensively, Beth met his gaze.
“I’m Agent Katz and I’m sure you know Chief Deputy Rio.
We’re interviewing possible witnesses in the timeline of two homicide victims. Laney Prescott and Ellie McBride.
” She took two photos from a folder and laid them on the table.
“Do you know these women?” She placed her phone beside them, waited for him to drop into a chair, and sat down opposite him.
“I met Ms. McBride when I installed the interactive screen in her classroom.” Rourke tapped at Ellie’s photograph. “The name Laney Prescott rings a bell. Do you mind if I check my phone?”
“Go right ahead.” Rio remained standing, one shoulder leaning against the doorframe. One hand rested on his weapon.
“Ah, yes, she has a place on the outskirts of town. She called me for a quote about home security. I’d planned to drop by and see her tomorrow.” Rourke shook his head slowly. “It seems I didn’t get there in time.”
Beth narrowed her gaze. “I didn’t mention that someone murdered Ms. Prescott in her home?”
“I assume that being stuck out there all alone, something must have happened to her.” Rourke lifted his gaze from the photograph of Laney.
“She mentioned hearing noises outside her house and was afraid that someone was stalking her. She told me she worked as a social worker and needed to deal with all different types of people.” His attention lifted to Beth’s face and then back to his cup.
“Maybe you should be looking at one of her clients.”
This man appeared to be socially awkward and not what she expected.
Very average, clean-shaven, and tidy and nothing about him made him stand out in a crowd.
He was one of those forgettable people. A badge with his name and company had been attached to his shirt—maybe because people forgot his name.
Beth allowed his background to filter through her mind.
“You seem to prefer to work alone. Is that by choice or necessity?”
“I get enough work to keep myself employed. I can’t see any reason for hiring someone to work with me.
It’s expensive hiring someone, which means I would have to increase my rates, and then I would lose the competitive edge I have against other contractors in this county.
” Rourke shook his head slowly. “I don’t like having to rely on someone else to do work for me.
What if they made a mistake? I would be liable. The only person I can trust is myself.”
The reply appeared to be truthful but Beth hadn’t finished with him yet. “Let’s walk through your week. Where were you on Friday night between eleven and one?”
“I grabbed a pizza around ten-thirty.” Rourke scratched his head and stared into space.
“So, I figure I would be driving home around that time. I’m sure you already know that I live alone, so I don’t have anyone to corroborate my story.
Although I know the pizzeria has CCTV cameras, so I’m sure you could check the feed to prove where I was at that time. ”
“Why were you out that late on Friday night?” Rio remained pinned to the wall. “Girlfriend?”
“Nope.” Rourke leaned back in his chair and stared at him. “I got a call from Antlers. They were having trouble setting their security system and I dropped by to check it out. I discovered a small glitch, fixed it, and grabbed a pizza on the way home.”
Everything he had mentioned could be easily verified, if he had told the truth. “So, I gather you logged into the Antlers system to gain access? Did you install the system?”
“Yeah, I did.” Rourke shrugged. “That’s the same answer to both your questions.”
Beth nodded. “Good, we can check the time stamps.” She checked her notes. “Now where were you on Monday and Tuesday mornings?”
“Here.” Rourke leaned back in his chair. “Ask the manager. I moved back and forth all the time getting parts for the job. Working on a place this size takes a lot of time and things happen that you don’t expect.”
Again, his answers were easy to check. Beth tried a different angle.
This intelligent man knew his way around various systems, but could he be a killer?
“You’re able to access to systems most people wouldn’t even know existed.
Have you ever been tempted to use that access for something more personal? ”
“What do you mean by that?” Rourke looked taken aback. “As in spying on people, you mean? No, it’s never entered my mind.” He glanced at his watch. “Is this going to take much longer? I need to get back to work.”
“What vehicle do you drive?” Rio pushed away from the wall.
“A new GMC truck.” Rourke narrowed his gaze. “Why?”
Clearing her throat, Beth smiled at him. “The one good thing about having a new truck is that we can track your movements with your GPS. It will be your alibi if it tells us that you drove straight home.”
“Why would I need an alibi?” A confused expression crossed Rourke’s face. “I didn’t kill anyone.” He shook his head slowly. “No, ma’am.”
Standing, Beth picked up her phone. She had recorded the entire conversation. “Thank you for your time and the information. If you think of anything else you believe we need to know, call Deputy Rio.” She waited for Rio to hand over his card and then headed for the door.
As they walked back to Rio’s truck, she ran the interview back through her mind. Being familiar with the behavior of psychopaths, she could easily be seeing one in his passive state. Some psychopaths were really nice people until something triggered them.
“What do you think about that guy?” Rio swung open his door and peered at her. “Is he one of those quiet killers? I figure we need to check his alibis.”
Beth climbed into the truck and fastened her seat belt.
She turned to look at Rio. “Although he looks harmless enough, I wouldn’t discount him just yet.
He might be innocent. He didn’t try to evade any of our questions and I watched his body language very closely and didn’t pick up anything unusual.
The thing that worries me, is that he could know how to erase digital footprints.
If so, he could manipulate data enough to cover his whereabouts if necessary.
I’ve been able to do that since I turned fourteen.
As he works in a variety of different IT areas, it’s possible he could create his own alibi using a digital footprint. ”
“But you’d be able to see if he changed anything, wouldn’t you?” Rio started the engine and flicked her a glance. “Styles told me you were the best in the business. I know Kalo is good, but you’ve been working in cybercrime for years, haven’t you?”
Laughing, Beth nodded. “I don’t have my supercomputer with me at the moment, but I figure we’ll be able to get the files he mentioned. If there are changes to the data, I’ll be able to find them, and if I do, he’ll be going to the top of our suspects list.”