‘So the shooting death, it was from the second book?’ Rivers questioned. He sat on the couch, pen poised, the cup of tea he’d insisted on Amy making when she had offered them a coffee from the pot she’d recently made, still untouched on the table beside him.
Jake shot him an irritated look.
The question was rhetorical. They already had the name of the book the first responding officers had found at the scene and bagged up as evidence.
‘Yes, I thought you already knew that before you got here?’ Amy said, echoing Jake’s thoughts. She moved to sit back at the dining table, where she had been writing before their interruption, and scraped her hands back through her hair again, letting out a deep breath. She seemed drawn and nervous, with no sign of the feistiness from their previous meetings.
‘We had been told that,’ Rivers responded, his tone surly. ‘But I like to be thorough. The information I put in here,’ he continued, tapping his notebook with his pen in a patronising manner, ‘it has to be orderly. I can’t work with scribbles.’
Prick, Jake thought, keeping his temper reined in.
He pulled out a chair and sat down facing Amy, prompting Huckleberry to get up from his bed and mosey over. Rivers watched the dog guardedly, looking relieved when he settled against Jake’s leg. The younger agent hadn’t been impressed with Huckleberry’s greeting when they’d arrived, and Jake had gotten the feeling Rivers didn’t do slobbering tongues or dog hair on his suit pants.
Something he didn’t get. He’d been around animals all his life; his parents owned a ranch back in Georgia and he had grown up surrounded by horses, dogs, cattle and chickens. Dogs had always featured in his life and he couldn’t imagine not having one.
‘Why don’t we ignore thorough for now,’ he suggested, rubbing Huckleberry’s soft ears, sounding calmer than he felt, ‘and try and move things forward.’ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rivers shoot him a look and he glared back at him, daring him, before refocusing his attention.
There was a vulnerability about Amy today and, for reasons he didn’t care to define, he felt protective towards her, especially when Rivers was acting like an asshole.
‘I need you to think,’ he told her. ‘I know we went over this before, but who in your life might have a problem with you? We already have Nadine Williams on the list, but I need you to think of other people. Anyone you may have inadvertently pissed off or who has a reason to spite you.’
‘I don’t think there is anyone; just Nadine.’
‘Cast your mind back. No other fans or writers whose toes you’ve trodden on? Any of the employees in the Velvet you might have had a disagreement with? Friends or exes you’ve fallen out with?’
She did as asked, closing her eyes for a moment, her face pale as she struggled to come up with a name. Eventually she reopened them.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m struggling. I guess I had a bit of a fight with Jocelyn, one of the waitresses I work with, a few weeks back, but it wasn’t even a fight; just a stupid disagreement over tips. We were fine by the end of the shift. I try not to fall out with my friends; we’re all good. And exes – I broke up with my last boyfriend nearly a year ago.’
Jake nodded. ‘Was it amicable?’
‘Is it ever amicable?’
‘You broke up with him?’
‘Yes, but it had been fizzling out for a while.’
‘So you’re saying he agreed with the decision.’
‘Well, no.’ Amy paused, a little flustered. ‘He was peed off because he wasn’t the one to end it.’
‘So he was controlling?’
‘Well… I guess he liked to have things his own way, but you can cross him off your list, he moved away six months ago.’
‘Where did he move to?’
‘Chicago, I heard. I didn’t see him before he left. We’d already severed ties.’
‘We’re still gonna need to check him out, to be certain before we cross him off the list.’
Amy shrugged. ‘I guess.’
‘What’s his name?’
‘David. David Gavin.’
Jake glanced over at Rivers to make sure he was writing it down. They would definitely need to check the ex-boyfriend out. Exes often had a score to settle.
‘How about work at the Velvet Lounge?’ he asked. ‘Have you noticed any customers paying you any extra attention?’
‘No more than normal. It’s a bar and I’m a cocktail waitress. Put men together with alcohol and there will always be situations where they try it on a little. It goes with the territory.’
‘But no one has stood out as going a little too far?’
‘No.’
‘I know you’ve already told us you didn’t know Ben Hogan or Kasey Miller. What about Shawn Randall? Does that name ring any bells?’
Amy thought for a moment. ‘No, should it?’
‘He was Kasey’s ex-boyfriend.’
‘Is he a suspect?’
‘Everyone is a suspect at this point.’
‘Including me.’ It wasn’t a question.
‘You know that’s not what I meant.’
‘Of course you are the catalyst for all this,’ Rivers piped up, far too cheerfully. ‘You may not have done the deed shall we say, but three people would still be alive if you hadn’t written those books.’
Jake wanted to punch him; tactless son of a bitch.
Amy paled further, but her tone had an edge when she spoke. ‘I write fiction, Special Agent Rivers. I didn’t expect some sicko to use my work as inspiration.’
‘She’s not to blame for this,’ Jake added, scowling at Rivers. ‘Our guy could have used anything for a trigger.’
‘I realise that,’ Rivers spluttered, his face reddening. ‘I was only pointing out he used her books and if she hadn’t written them–’
‘The victims would still be dead. He would have found another way.’
‘But–’
‘But nothing,’ Jake snapped. ‘Only one person is to blame and that is whoever put Ben Hogan and Kasey Miller in the graves. And whoever strung our latest vic up in a tree. Our attention would be better focused finding out who did that, instead of casting the blame elsewhere.’
He turned to Amy, who was looking a little surprised at his outburst. As if she hadn’t expected him to side with her. Thinking back to their previous encounters, he guessed she would have a point.
When did that change?
Deciding not to read into it, he got to his feet, throwing a scowl in Rivers’ direction that it was time to go. As the young Fed scooped up his notes, Jake glanced down at Amy.
‘Keep thinking of names. Remember, anyone who might be pissed at you, anyone showing a little bit too much interest or anyone acting at all oddly.’
Amy nodded. ‘Okay.’
Jake hesitated, glancing briefly in Rivers’ direction, before adding. ‘And if you get any trouble at all, give me a call.’
‘So what’s the deal with Adam?’ Hickok asked, as he and Rebecca made their way to the crime scene.
‘Alan, Hickok. His name is Alan.’
‘You guys serious?’