by D. K. Hood
“Sure thing, ma’am.” Wolfe shot her a smile. “Don’t speak the language, huh?”
“Not at this level.”
As if Provine heard her, he glanced up and a deep frown crossed his face. Moments later, he straightened, said something to his admirers, and strolled toward her. She offered him a smile. “Lionel Provine?”
“Yes, is there a problem?” Provine pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and peered at her through black-framed glasses.
“Nice place you have here.” Wolfe offered his hand. “Deputy Shane Wolfe.”
“Thanks, I have worked hard to make this store a going concern.” Provine frowned but shook his hand. “How can I help you?”
“Do you supply command-and-control servers and associated hardware?”
“I can order anything you need.” Provine raised both eyebrows then lowered his voice. “Are you planning on setting up remote control of multiple targets because hacking of personal information, as I’m sure you are aware, is against the law?” He rubbed his chin. “Oh shit, you don’t think I’ve been supplying a Black Hat, do you?”
“Not at the moment. Not many people would know that term for a superior type of hacker. You surprise me, Mr. Provine.” Wolfe towered over the man. “Supply of individual hardware items is not against the law. In my case, the sheriff’s department’s computers need an upgrade and to be working via a secure department server, so I’ll be sending you an itemized list as soon as the funds are approved.”
“If you need a technician, I am fully qualified.” Provine brightened seeing a potential massive sale.
Jenna blinked at Wolfe; his tech-talk was way over her head but she had to join in the conversation. “Some of the kids mentioned you often send them bonus cards. Why?”
“Ah, Sheriff, I earn the cards during gameplay and share them with other players. We all share bonuses—it’s part of the online gamer environment.” Provine glanced up at Wolfe and hunched his shoulders. “You know your stuff and yeah I’ve used cheat codes, but I didn’t write them, I traded them online.”
“Uh-huh. Do you recall where you were between the hours of eight and ten yesterday morning?” Wolfe took out his notebook and pen.
“Yesterday?” Looking slightly bemused, Provine rubbed the back of his neck. “Here, I live in the apartment out back of the store—why?”
“Just routine inquiries.” Wolfe made a note in his book and his cold gaze moved over the smaller man. “Can anyone verify your whereabouts?”
“Yeah, I open the store at nine and a delivery arrived about the time I opened.” Provine shrugged. “The kids started to arrive around that time as well. During school vacation the place is usually packed. It’s the free Wi-Fi but they do buy games and their parents stock up on the latest tech for birthdays and holidays.”
“Can I see the proof of delivery slip?” Wolfe narrowed his gaze. “What about the period between eight and nine?”
“I was in my apartment, alone, having breakfast.” Provine let out a long, aggravated sigh. “I’ll make you a copy of the delivery note.” He moved to the counter, took out a box crammed with paper, sifted through, then slid one into a scanner. He handed the document to Wolfe. “Is that all? I really need to keep an eye on the kids before they break something.”
Jenna took the copy from Wolfe and read the information. As Provine had stated, the delivery arrived at nine. She folded the paper and moved her attention back to the storekeeper. “Thank you. Do you know Felicity Parker?”
“Yes, she comes in frequently with her friends.”
Jenna nodded. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“Saturday, she was in with the usual crowd.” Provine looked interested. “Yes, that was the last time. She didn’t come by yesterday. I remember her friends asking me if I had sent her any bonuses because she wasn’t answering her phone earlier in the morning. They thought she might be playing her game, and you know kids, they get engrossed for hours at a time.”
“And did you send her any bonuses?”
“Yes, I sent out quite a few on Sunday, it brings the kids back into the store. You have no idea how keen they are to play the latest games. During summer break, Lucas and Chad are usually waiting outside the store for me to open. They catch the early bus into town.” Provine smiled. “They always end up buying a game or one of the new gadgets, and the girls are great at grabbing my lunch. It saves me closing up for an hour like today.”
That proves where Chad and Lucas were on Monday morning. “You send them out in emails?”
“No.”
Jenna met his gaze and shrugged. “So if you don’t use email, I gather you text them these game bonuses and… ah ‘cheat codes’, you would have to know their cellphone numbers? Exactly how many of these underage girls’ numbers do you have in your contacts list?”
“Zero.” Provine gave her an indignant glare. “They play online. Haven’t you ever played a game on Facebook or one of the other interactive games sites? It’s a community and people have player names. Most of the kids tell me their player ID so we can swap bonus cards online. I send the bonuses et cetera to their gift boxes.”
“Okay.” Wolfe flicked her a glance and closed his notepad. “That’s all we need for now. I’ll drop by and place an order soon.” He turned for the door.
Jenna followed him into the street. “What do you think?”
“I’ll have to unpack my equipment to discover if he is doing anything.”
“I’m not sure I understand.” Jenna opened the door to the cruiser and slipped inside. “What could he be doing?”
“I’m not sure yet but if he is chatting in an online games room, he could be dangerous, but Felicity and her friends seem to be playing online using their cellphones. If this is the case, without the phone, we have zip. I doubt I’ll find anything via their computers.” Wolfe dropped into the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt. “I’ll spend the rest of the day checking out Felicity’s laptop and see if anyone has hacked it, but don’t expect instant results—it takes time, maybe a day or two.”
Jenna started the engine and headed back toward the sheriff’s office. “Can you explain in plain English? I understand hacking but what relevance does that have to the case?”
“She might have been telling her friends on social media her plans for the day. Kids share everything and don’t seem to worry who reads their posts or looks at their images. They friend anyone because the number of friends they have is a status symbol.”
Jenna pulled the vehicle into her reserved parking space and turned in her seat to stare at him. “Is that possible? I mean, social media have privacy laws as a fail-safe. No one could find out where she lives for instance.”
“There lies the problem. Once information is out there in cyberspace, it’s too late. The kids post pictures of their locality and friends all the time and it wouldn’t take a hacker to track them down.” Wolfe gave her an intense stare. “In my line of expertise there is no such word as ‘fail-safe’ on the internet.”
Twenty-Six
Kane leaned over Rowley’s desk and stared at the computer screen. “How did you get onto her Facebook page?”
“I did a search and found her easily enough via my own page.” Rowley scrolled down the screen.
Felicity Parker’s smiling face beamed out at him from her Facebook page. His stomach clenched at the sight of her looking so happy in the selfie taken the morning of her murder. “She looks like she doesn’t have a care in the world.”
“No, she mentions getting a game bonus on Sunday night and posted on her timeline fifteen minutes before her boyfriend called her.” Rowley turned in his seat and looked up at him. “I’ve looked at all her posts leading up to her death, it’s all normal chatter, plans to go to the dance, what she planned to wear, how many characters she caught in her game.” He shrugged. “All the posts came via her cellphone.”
“When Wolfe gets back, he’ll go through her laptop and see what he can f
ind. I’m not expecting him to get any information today—it’s getting late, and with his girls at home, he won’t be doing any overtime.” Kane glanced up at the sound of voices at the front counter. “Ah, that has to be Mr. Rogers’ lawyer. I’ll speak to him. Go and collect his client from the lockup.” He straightened and headed for the front desk.
“Deputy Kane, I presume?” The small, balding man wiped sweat from his brow with a gray handkerchief and glared at him. “I insist on seeing my client, Steve Rogers, this moment.”
Kane folded his arms across his chest, which made the lawyer turn beet-red. “And you are?”
“Samuel Jenkins, Attorney at Law in the State of Montana.” Jenkins fished a card out of his jacket pocket and waved it at him. “I insist on seeing the arrest warrant.”
Kane noticed Rowley waving Steve Rogers into a seat at his desk and frowned. “You don’t have to insist, we follow the letter of the law. I must insist you keep the details of this interview secret. We haven’t released any details to the press and want time to investigate before we give out any information.”
“Of course, I will instruct my client not to speak to anyone about the incident.”
“Thank you. Your client is waiting for you at my desk if you’ll come this way.” Kane plucked the card from Jenkins’ hand and ran his gaze over it then led him to his cubicle at the back of the room.
He took the arrest warrant from his desk drawer and handed it to Jenkins. “We had probable cause.” He stuck the document into the lawyer’s hand and waited for his reaction.
“You don’t believe my client was involved in murder, do you?”
“What?” Steve Rogers’ eyes bulged in astonishment. “Murder? Who has been murdered? Not Millicent?”
Kane leaned back in his chair and took a pen from the cup on the desk. “Who is Millicent?”
“My wife.”
“And why would you think anyone would murder her?” Kane raised an eyebrow. “Is she missing?”
“You don’t have to answer that question, it is not relevant to the arrest warrant, and in fact you don’t have to say another word.” Jenkins mopped his sweaty brow.
“If your client has nothing to hide and can account for his whereabouts between the hours of eight and ten yesterday morning, he is free to go; however, if Millicent is missing, perhaps we can help.”
“She isn’t missing.” Rogers moved around in his chair. “We argued and she is probably at her sister’s.”
Kane made a few notes in an attempt to appear uninterested. “Maybe you should call to make sure she is safe?”
“Call her?” Rogers scowled and his eyes flashed with anger. “Trust me, if someone murdered her they would be doing me a favor.”
“Mr. Rogers, I must advise you not to say another word.” Jenkins pulled a horrified expression. “You are in custody as a suspect in a girl’s murder. I suggest you refrain from uttering another word.”
“I’m talking to him. I didn’t murder a girl.” Rogers turned his back on his lawyer and lifted his scowling face to Kane. “I like to walk in the forest and Millicent believes I’m meeting women.” He let out a long sigh. “We argued and she left about ten minutes before you arrived. I was pissed, okay? I should have answered your questions. I haven’t killed any girls.”
Girls? Kane scanned the case file on his computer screen then turned his attention back to Rogers. “Do you take your dog for a walk with you?”
“I don’t own a dog.” Rogers gave him a quizzical stare.
“Did you see anyone or speak to anyone who can verify the time?”
“Yes, I spoke to Aimee Fox and Kate Bright at the traffic lights. It must have been around nine.” Rogers cleared his throat. “It’s not a crime to speak to my students.”
Kane smiled. He had caught him in a lie. “You told them you had been in the forest looking for your lost dog but you mentioned you don’t own a dog. Why did you need an excuse to be out for a walk?”
“I don’t know.” Rogers put his face in his hands and let out a mournful sigh.
“Can your wife verify what time you left yesterday morning?”
“No doubt.” Rogers lifted his pale face and grimaced. “She watches my every move. It was around eight, or maybe eight thirty, I guess.”
“It’s a big forest. Do you have a trail you prefer?” Kane glanced back at the computer screen.
The lawyer had not said another word and looked as if he might explode.
“I walked to the rock pool, stayed there for about half an hour, then walked back.”
Kane leaned back in his squeaky chair and bounced his pen on the desk between his fingers. If Rogers had told him the truth, he would have been at the rock pool at the same time as Lucky Briggs and Storm Crawley. “Did you see anyone in the forest or at the rock pool?”
“Maybe.” Rogers avoided his gaze.
Kane pushed on. “Who did you see?”
“Lucky and Storm.” Rogers looked down at his hands and appeared to wilt in the seat.
“They didn’t see you.” Kane cleared his throat. “Were you watching them skinny-dipping? Is this why you are being so defensive?” He glanced at Jenkins. “I suggest you explain to your client the difference between being charged with invasion of privacy and first-degree murder.”
“I want to speak to my client alone.” Jenkins placed one hand on Rogers’ shoulder.
“Not a problem.” Kane turned off his computer and walked to the coffee machine.
By the time he had poured the coffee into a mug, Jenkins waved him back to the desk. He returned and sat down, looking from one to the other. “Well?”
“My client was certainly not watching the cowboys at the rock pool nor is he interested in men in that way. He had an argument with his wife and took a walk to cool his temper. He was embarrassed seeing the two men swimming nude and didn’t want them to know he had seen them. When he returned home, he discovered his wife had packed a bag and left. Mrs. Rogers can verify this, I’m sure. She is probably staying with her sister but she is known to take off for days without informing anyone.” Jenkins dragged in a breath and wiped his damp brow. “Once you have spoken to Mrs. Rogers, I am sure you can release my client. You have not one shred of evidence to imply he was involved in a murder.”
“Very well, I will speak to his wife, but if your client is innocent, I would like him to give a DNA sample.” Kane reached into his desk drawer for a kit and raised a brow at the lawyer.
“No, I refuse.” Rogers turned to his lawyer. “That’s an invasion of privacy. I haven’t been charged with anything.”
“He doesn’t have to comply.” Jenkins bristled. “You’ll need a court order and you don’t have probable cause of any crime.”
Kane rubbed his chin. “I have him coming out of the forest at the time of death and two witnesses to say he was in a distressed state.”
“That’s hearsay and from a couple of kids.” Jenkins snorted in obvious disgust. “It won’t stand up in court. You have nothing.”
Kane pushed the notepad across the table. “I’ll need your wife’s cellphone number and your sister-in-law’s name and number and a statement of your whereabouts between the hours of eight and ten.” He waited for Rogers to write down the information then stood and walked to the kitchenette. As he turned his back to the counter, he noticed Jenna and Wolfe returning to the office and wondered what information they had extracted from Lionel Provine.
He pulled out his cellphone and found Mrs. Rogers at her sister’s house. She confirmed that she and her husband had argued and that he’d left the house before eight. She left soon after and could not confirm what time he arrived home as she had gone to her sister’s. “Did you see anyone walking along Stanton Road on your way to your sister’s? If so, can you describe them?”
“Yes, a girl, maybe sixteen or so, wearing pink cowboy boots and a blue outfit. She had long black hair and those earbuds the kids all seem to have growing from their heads of late. She ran right across th
e road in front of me. I nearly hit her.”
“Can you remember which direction she was heading?”
“Toward the forest.”
“Did you notice anyone else, any cars parked along the road or people out for a walk?”
“Not that I recall.”
“I’ll send a deputy out to take a statement, if that’s okay?” Kane leaned against the counter and stared at Mr. Rogers hunched at his desk writing a statement. “Thank you for your help.” He shut his cellphone.
He strolled into Jenna’s office and closed the door behind him. “What did you get from Lionel Provine?”
When Jenna explained, he nodded. “He does makes money out of the high-school kids visiting his shop, but would they go there without his bonus cards?”
“We can’t discount him as a suspect, although motive is a problem. We’ll need a background check on him and all the suspects in case anyone has priors.” Jenna sighed. “How did it go with the Rogers interview?”
“I have Mr. Rogers in my cubicle with his lawyer.” Kane pointed over his shoulder with one thumb. “I think he is guilty as hell and I have a problem cutting him loose but I don’t have enough evidence to charge him.”
“What have you got?”
“Apart from the fact he was seen walking out of the forest at approximately nine this morning and the witnesses mentioned he looked agitated, his lawyer made a point of saying the information was hearsay. And Rogers has refused a DNA test.” He shrugged. “Although at this stage it won’t make a difference. From what Wolfe examined at the autopsy, he doubts they collected any viable DNA traces from the crime scene or the body. He checked all the samples personally under a microscope and found zip.”
“Then we have to let him go.” She lifted her blue gaze to his face. “We’ll keep an eye on him, maybe park a cruiser near his house, so he’ll believe we’re watching him. He fits the age profile, arrived in town some months ago, but he is married. He was in the right place at the right time, and is on our suspect list.”
