‘All right,’ Sydney said, accepting the reality of the situation confronting her. ‘Let’s row back a little bit. You believe Dexter Muller’s theory is a possibility. Not probable, not likely, but possible. That’s as good a place to start as any. Two things spring to mind. First, taking a look at the alternatives if Kevin is innocent after all. Second, looking at the CCTV footage with a fresh and dispassionate eye. Examine closely the way the masked figure walks and behaves. See if we’re able to spot any differences between the one who strolls in and out of the art supply room and the one who moves towards you all at the front gate.’
Benton was nodding along. ‘I can get a copy of the final spliced footage.’
‘That’s good of you. Better still if we can have it all, though. I don’t want us to miss a thing.’
‘Sure. I can do that without risk, so consider it done. How about these other students you mentioned? That’s one area we can’t afford to go messing around in, Syd. Not until we have some clear evidence against them.’
Sydney winced. Dropped her eyes for a moment before meeting his once more. ‘That train may already have left the station, Ben. At least where one of the boys is concerned.’
She gave him the names of the three students, plus a run-down of the visit she and Duncan Baxter had paid Mitchell Copping. At the mention of the boy’s name, Benton threw his head back and cursed.
‘Damnit, Sydney! You know who and what that family are?’
‘I... I got a fair idea having visited the house, yes.’
‘So now you know what you’re up against. When that boy’s father learns you were inside his property, he is going to scream harassment. Their sort despise any and all government departments, but they reserve a special place in hell for the likes of us.’
‘I’m sorry. I realise it probably wasn’t helpful, but I thought I was on my own in this. I took a risk, but at the time it was only my risk to take. I couldn’t have anticipated you approaching me like this.’
‘You couldn’t?’ His tone suggested her admission disappointed him. ‘It didn’t occur to you that in the cold light of day I might revisit our disagreement and take a second look?’
Shrugging, Sydney said, ‘Doc, you have to admit that you made it clear to me how you felt. Sure, I wondered, I asked myself the question, but the fact was I had to do something, not wait around for you to accept I was right about this.’
Benton greeted her statement with a shrug. ‘Okay. What’s done is done. Nothing we can do about the Copping kid at this point. There will be blowback, but as you say, that will come your way not mine. You may be hearing from your own field office soon, and definitely expect a call or even a visit from the boys in dark suits back at the capital. That will mean we have to be even more circumspect in the coming days. I know Dylan Cole’s father, and you will get nowhere there. He’s a tough, no-nonsense cop, but he is also fiercely protective of his family. As for DeVeer, I doubt you’ll get close enough to him to make any difference.’
‘So we start with the video footage.’
‘Sure. I can get that done tonight and we can take a look at it together over the weekend if you like.’
‘I’m up for that.’
‘As for the boys, let me think about it some more. As sheriff I am bound to officially hear about your little talk with Mitchell Copping, and I’ll have an idea after that conversation which way the wind is blowing where he is concerned. It’s a touchy subject all round, because we suspect the father of running something illicit up there. We just don’t know what or how. A lot of people come and go on that property, that’s for sure. You better warn your teacher friend, Baxter. Michael Copping will not react well to your visit, and Baxter may have made himself an enemy.’
‘I’m sorry if I’ve made a bad situation worse, Ben.’
‘No,’ he shook his head firmly. ‘That’s on me. I left you feeling high and dry. If I’d listened, then we could have discussed the matter calmly and I’d have been able to advise you accordingly.’
‘On the other hand, if you had listened I may never have approached Duncan Baxter at all. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have known which boys to look at more closely.’
‘Yeah, but at the end of the day that’s still only one man’s opinion.’
‘It is. But a man who knows all three very well. He’s astute, Ben. Baxter has a healthy disregard for the type.’
‘Let’s call them a good place to start. You mentioned another teacher. How about asking the same question of them, see if they come up with the same names.’
Sydney liked that idea. ‘No harm in trying. She is still at the school and as such has no official opinion on the matter. However, she was willing to talk to me about Kevin, so if I convince her it will remain between the three of us, she may offer up some names.’
‘Good. What else?’ Benton asked, stretching out his feet and taking in the air. The evening was another fine one, a faint breeze whispering through the treeline. ‘We look at the footage, we consider the alternatives to Kevin Muller. Say you were Special Agent in Charge on this, Syd. What more would you be looking into?’
‘Me, an SAC? I’d be looking into my boss’s ass to see if there was room for me to crawl up inside. As the special agent I am, I’d be interested in Kevin’s recent history. I’ve already asked his father to request access to his son’s laptop, but at this stage I’d also be looking to speak with any of his friends. Dexter told me Kevin had only one or two, and they were more like him than not. I doubt we’ll get anything of substance from them, but they will at least offer their own perspective of him. It would be especially interesting to find out if anyone ever saw Kevin in conversation with Cole, Copping or DeVeer immediately prior to the shooting.’
‘You think Dexter will offer up the names of his son’s friends? Maybe even smooth the waters for us to enable you to have a chat with them?’
‘Of course. At this stage he’ll do absolutely anything to help.’
‘Is that it? Security footage, alternatives, and friends is not a huge list.’
‘I wonder if Kevin had his own cellphone. Unless his father knows the boy’s password we may not get access to his mail and social media – if he was even active in that way. But his cell records are worth checking out.’
‘It’s worth asking. If there is a gunman out there, then he has to be both smart and confident to have pulled this off. I don’t see someone like that leaving an easy trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow. But anything we can lay our hands on might make all the difference.’
Sydney was starting to feel much better about prying into Muller’s claims. Having someone who understood the ropes as well as she did to share information with was a bonus, and despite Benton’s continued misgivings, he was being surprisingly supportive, especially as they had agreed not to make it official at this stage.
‘Cool,’ she said. ‘I’ll speak to Dexter in the morning and ask him about a cell and the friends. I’ll also call the teacher who still works at the school to ask her for some additional names. If you’d grab a copy of the footage and spend some time thinking about how to handle the issue of the students whose names we already have, that would be great.’
‘Right.’ He smiled for a moment, huffing through his nose.
‘What? What is it?’
‘The other teacher. I’m not sure if it’s subconscious or deliberate on your part, but you’ve avoided mentioning her by name. What is it, you still don’t trust me?’
‘That’s not it at all, Ben.’ She crinkled her eyes, hoping her look projected sincerity. ‘I know Baxter doesn’t give a crap and no longer works at the school, but she does and I don’t have her permission to betray a confidence.’
‘Fair enough. That sounds reasonable. Look, Syd, it’s not that I don’t believe in you, nor that I’m not fully invested. I hope my presence here convinces you of that. But what I said earlier is true. I go official on this and it gets taken away from me. It’s as simple as that.’
<
br /> Sydney put her cup down and placed her hand over his. She gave it a squeeze and waited for him to meet her gaze. ‘Hey, I believe you. I know how the machinery works at county level. And I appreciate your involvement in any way you are able to provide it. Doc, I don’t want to see you out of a job, and I believe you’d be willing to risk it if you thought doing so would lead us to the right result here. But you’re absolutely right, those assholes would replace you in a heartbeat if not doing so meant risking their own jobs. We’ll see how far we get over the weekend and come Monday call the next play.’
Benton appeared to be both pleased and relieved by her response. ‘So, how are you fixed tomorrow afternoon?’
Sydney had to run a couple of things by both Dexter Muller and Rebecca Wade before she and Benton spoke again, and speaking with Sonia Kasper featured high on her list of things to do. Duncan Baxter also needed informing of the sheriff’s change of heart and bringing up to speed with developments, but it was all achievable in a single morning.
‘How about lunch?’ she suggested. ‘Here. One-thirty.’
Benton nodded and got to his feet. He stretched out his back and stifled a yawn. ‘I can make that work. Your TV here take a USB thumb drive? Better to watch the footage on a bigger screen.’
Sydney chuckled, reflexively gazing through the sliding doors into the living room. ‘I have no idea. Daddy was a creature of habit, so I’m guessing the TV is pretty old. I’ll check it out. If not, he does have a computer with a decent-sized monitor in the study.’
‘We’ll figure something out.’ Benton hesitated, and Sydney caught it.
‘What?’ she asked. ‘What’s up?’
‘Tell me something, Syd. Were you ever going to tell me about Peavey and what he did to you?’
She looked up at him in surprise. Then she shook her and head and said, ‘I guess I should’ve known it would get back to you this quickly. I suppose everyone is having a laugh at my expense?’
‘Not at all. It made me feel sick to my stomach, and believe me when I tell you he lost a few buddies because of his actions. Sure, there are one or two who think and behave like that fool, but they’re in the minority, Syd. You have to know that.’
Sydney was no longer sure what she believed. ‘I’m not sure I would have told you,’ she admitted. ‘To be honest, it was humiliating. I don’t want to think about it anymore than I have to.’
‘I understand. I’m surprised you didn’t lay him out there and then when he did it to you.’
‘Believe me, I wanted to. It took every ounce of composure not to react immediately. But think about it, Ben. Me and him up there on a quiet road, and him the only one of us armed. I didn’t bite my tongue exactly, but I bit down on my anger.’
‘He’s unlikely to forget about that punch you eventually landed. Sounds like you caught him with a solid blow.’ Benton grinned and winked.
They agreed to call each other if something got in the way, but otherwise the lunchtime meeting was set. When she closed the door on him and locked up the house, Sydney realised she had forgotten to question Benton about the witness he had previously mentioned. The thought caused her to reflect, and this time she did not like what she saw.
Why had he not mentioned the witness himself? Whoever this person was they were an obvious factor in repudiating Muller’s theory, yet Benton had not raised the matter during their entire conversation. Had he forgotten, as she had? Or was there something more to his silence on the matter?
She continued to wonder at her friend’s change of heart and coming up to the house, bringing a different attitude with him this time. A part of her – small, but there all the same – wondered if he had insinuated himself into her investigation in order to keep closer tabs on what she knew and who her sources were. Having such suspicions made Sydney feel lousy, but the sum of her experiences created a default position no matter who was involved. Bottom line was, she believed in Benton Lowe. But trust… that was another matter entirely.
Twenty-Five
The first call Sydney made on Saturday morning was to Sonia Kasper. Guilt lay heavy in her chest, solid and immovable. Whatever her husband had done, Sonia herself was entirely innocent, and Sydney was unable to shake the gnawing sensation that she had let the woman down since being taken into her confidence. She explained that it would be a while before she found the time to devote her efforts solely to Gerry, and that she understood if Sonia decided to take her business elsewhere.
‘Are you saying you want out?’ Kasper’s voice carried with it a desperation that made Sydney feel dreadful about what she was doing behind the woman’s back. Her reply was all the more earnest because of it.
‘No. Not at all. I’m not certain how soon I’ll be able to switch my focus is all.’
‘Then let’s give it another week or so, see where we are.’
‘I’m happy to do that if you are, Sonia. And perhaps you can help me out. You told me your husband’s flatbed was out of action, and a tow truck can get real big and cumbersome. So I was wondering how your husband is currently getting around outside of work hours.’
‘Oh, of course. I should have mentioned it the other day. He borrowed a truck from a friend. It’s a white GMC pickup. I’m not sure about the model.’
Sydney hated herself for handling the conversation this way. The segue into Gerry Kasper’s current mode of transport made it appear as if she wanted to know what to look out for in respect of Sonia’s case, rather than her own needs. She sent her mind back to the parking lot opposite the man’s place of work, and pinpointed the white truck out by the sidewalk.
‘Sonia,’ Sydney said, feeling awkward but determined to see it through. ‘Are there any bars in which I’m likely find Gerry on a regular basis?’
There was a snort of derision on the other end of the connection. ‘You think he would let me know where he hangs out after work these days? When we were together, he’d drive his truck until six in the evening, but I wouldn’t lay eyes on him until close to midnight. On a Saturday night, or more like the early hours of Sunday morning, he would climb into bed drunk as a skunk and sleep it off until I woke him with his lunch. Don’t ask, don’t tell is how we got by.’
‘That doesn’t sound like any way to live.’
‘It wasn’t. It’s why we’re not together anymore.’
They left it that Sydney would call again the moment she had any further news. Thinking about the conversation afterwards, Sydney asked herself if driving by the salvage yard again to check out the condition of the pickup, was worth the risk. Such a move was dicey, as she’d be too exposed out in full view. She couldn’t imagine Kasper using a borrowed vehicle to nudge her father’s SUV off the road, not unless he was capable of repairing any damage caused by the collision. It would be nice to rule the vehicle out, but Sydney wasn’t sure if the man had bought her story back at the diner. The consequences for her would be dire if she was discovered anywhere near his other ride.
Muller was next on her list. Sydney finished up the previous night’s pie before making the call. First up was a question about Kevin’s access to a cellphone. Initially excited to hear the boy had one, Sydney was less elated when Muller told her his son never took it to school with him. If somebody had hoodwinked Kevin into taking the fall for them, they had probably communicated that morning by phone. Nevertheless, she told Dexter to drop it by her office first thing on Monday.
‘No can do,’ he said. ‘Police took that, like they did the laptop.’
Sydney had hoped for negligence on the part of the Sonora PD in respect of Kevin’s possessions. She suggested Dexter petition them to get it back as well, so that both devices were made available to them for closer inspection of their data. He agreed and told her he would do so the moment their conversation was over.
‘About Kevin’s friends,’ Sydney pressed. ‘I realise those he had were boys he fitted in with more easily, but it can only help me to understand more about how Kevin behaved around them, and whether anyo
ne else befriended your son recently.’
‘You asking if you can speak with them?’
‘Would that be a problem, Dexter?’
‘I’m not sure.’ A sigh rattled through her phone’s speaker. ‘There are two I can think of. Actually, one of them is a young girl. I’m sure they would both be happy to talk to us about Kevin. It’s their parents who are more likely to object. I can’t be certain whose side they are on, nor if they would be willing to subject their children to questioning, even if they have their doubts as to my boy’s guilt.’
‘I understand. I also sympathise with your own reluctance when it comes to asking them. In truth, I’d rather not leave the questions unasked. I have my hands tied by this enough, so anything that can be tried should be.’
After a slight lapse in the conversation, Muller agreed. He said he would have answers for her Monday morning when he hoped to also have news about the cell and laptop computer. Sydney followed up by asking if he knew either Stewie Beavon or Nile Landry.
‘I know of them, sure. Both boys were in Kevin’s class. Why d’you ask?’
‘Only because Mitchell Copping told me Kevin was friends with both of them.’
‘You spoke with the Copping boy?’
‘Yeah. Dexter, I was going to arrange a meeting with you on Monday so’s I could update you in more detail. I’d prefer to still do that rather than run through it now if that’s all the same to you.’
‘Sure. No problem. As for Kevin being friendly with those two boys, all I can say is I highly doubt it. They seemed like decent enough kids, and Kevin had no issues with either of them as far as I’m aware. But friends..? I don’t believe so.’
Sydney took a breather after speaking with Muller, wondering why Copping had mentioned Beavon and Landry. Had he tried to lead her astray? Or was it more likely that because the boys shared a class, he’d genuinely assumed the three were close? She made herself a tea to loosen up her throat, but before her cup was half empty she was back on the phone. Rebecca Wade was more wary and far less forthcoming since their meeting at the school. Her reaction puzzled Sydney, and she mentioned her confusion.
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