Chapter 28
Acall to Coconut Home Security led us to Wyatt Baxter. He was on a service call at a home in Paradise Pines. It was a nice neighborhood, but not the same level as Stingray Bay or the Platinum Dunes.
We pulled to the curb in front of the two-story French colonial on Del Sol Avenue.
We parked behind the white van with the security company's logo.
Jack cut the engine, and we hopped out and pushed through the gate at the picket fence.
The steps to the veranda creaked as we climbed to the porch. I rang the video doorbell.
I flashed my badge. "We need to speak to Wyatt.”
She looked confused. "Wyatt?"
"The security technician.”
"Oh, yes, right. I never got his name. I'm sure he told me, but it goes in one ear and out the other." She stepped aside and said, "Please, come in.”
We walked into the foyer, and she called for Wyatt.
He appeared a moment later with a curious look on his face.
"There are two deputies here to see you.” With a hint of concern, she said, "I hope there isn't a problem?"
Wyatt's face stiffened. The tension in the room grew thick.
Mrs. Williams excused herself.
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" Wyatt asked.
"Just routine questions. We’re talking to everyone who's done work at the Caldwell residence."
He swallowed as he tried to recall the job. “The Caldwell residence?” He knew damn good and well who Douglas Caldwell was. "Yeah, I remember them. Nice couple."
"Can you tell me where you were last night around 3:00 AM?”
His brow knitted. "Why? What happened?”
"There was a robbery. Mr. Caldwell was shot."
His jaw dropped, and his eyes rounded. The reaction looked genuine, but he could have been a damn good actor. We met a lot of criminals who should have gold statues.
He stammered, "Who got shot?"
"Mr. Caldwell.”
Wyatt offered a sympathetic frown.
He matched the physical description of the medium-build assailant. Wyatt was early 30s with sandy-brown hair, a trimmed beard, and a muscular physique. He had brown eyes and rugged features and was a handsome man.
"You’ve got priors," I said, having looked at his history on the way over.
His lips tightened, and he exhaled with frustration. "Those charges were dismissed."
"Armed robbery. That's pretty serious."
He winced and looked around, hoping Mrs. Williams wasn't in earshot. "That was a case of mistaken identity. They got the wrong person, and the charges were dropped. That was a long time ago.”
"I'm surprised you got the job at Coconut Home Security," I said.
"Are you not comprehending what I said? I'm innocent. I was not convicted of that crime."
"I just find something odd about the whole thing."
His eyes narrowed with curiosity.
"Can you tell me where you were last night?”
"I was at home.”
"Alone?”
His jaw tightened, and he exhaled through his nose, knowing he didn't have an alibi. "My girlfriend is out of town right now."
"Nothing on the side?"
"No," he said, growing angry. "I don't lie, cheat, or steal."
"That's interesting, because over the last year, there have been six robberies at homes protected by Coconut Home Security. Homes that you have personally made service visits to.” I’d done my homework.
Wyatt swallowed hard. "Look, I wasn't anywhere near the Caldwell residence last night. If you think you've got something on me, arrest me. If you don't, you should get the hell out of here and let me do my job."
"I'm not sure Mrs. Williams is going to feel comfortable with you here after she finds out about your track record.”
"I don't have a track record.”
"You had every opportunity to disable the window sensor at the Caldwell residence.”
His face wrinkled. "That's ridiculous. I've been working at this company for five years. I love my job. I feel good knowing people can sleep easier at night because they're protected.”
It sounded like a line from the company brochure. I tried not to laugh.
"I'm not saying anything more to you without an attorney. I'd like you to leave now.”
"Would you tell Mrs. William’s we’d like to have a word with her before we go?”
Wyatt glared at me before spinning around and marching out of the foyer, into the living room. "Mrs. Williams, the deputies would like to have a word with you."
She’d been standing close by in the living room and had heard the entire conversation.
Her skin was white as alabaster, and her eyes wide when she stepped into the foyer.
She moved close to us and said in a hushed voice, "I don't want to be left in the house alone with that man.
I think I'm going to cancel my service and go with another company. "
We stuck around until Wyatt finished the job. He gave us a dirty look on the way out.
Mrs. Williams breathed a sigh of relief once he was gone. We watched through the window as he climbed into the van and drove away.
"Is he really a criminal?" she asked, trembling.
"He's a person of interest in an ongoing investigation," I said. "In the meantime, I would exercise caution."
"Well, I don't intend on ever allowing him in the house again.”
"That might be a smart move.”
I gave her a card and told her to get in touch if she had any questions.
We left and walked back to the Porsche.
“That guy might be my new favorite,” JD said in an optimistic voice.
I wanted to go back to the station and look through the case reports of the recent burglaries to see if we could find anything that tied them all together.
We set out to find Hendrick Van der Valk first.
He was a collector of rare books and was in town for the convention. My guess was he didn't commit the crime himself but hired someone to get the Codex for him.
It was a working theory.
You’d have to be foolish to steal something like that without a buyer lined up.