Tucking her flashlight under one arm, Bree opened the closet door. Empty. There was no other spot large enough to conceal anyone over the age of six. The main rooms were clear.
Bree led the way to the bedroom. She and Matt took the same positions as with the front door. They’d worked together long enough that they operated smoothly as a team. They went through the doorway. Bree checked under the bed. No one there.
Matt ducked into the adjoining bath. Bree heard the metallic zing of a shower curtain being swept open. Matt reappeared, the rifle across his chest. “Bathroom is clear.”
She exhaled, her pulse slowing, the adrenaline rush in her veins ebbing. The night wasn’t close to being over, but no one had opened fire on them, and they hadn’t encountered a loose rattlesnake.
It’s the little things.
Bree pivoted, scanning the room. “Where did she stash the snakes? Those aquariums took up some room.”
“They’re not here,” Matt said.
Bree used her earpiece to communicate with Todd as she returned to the main living area. “Inside is clear. No sign of the suspect. What’s your status?”
“Barn is clear,” Todd said in her ear. “Two deputies are searching the barn gym space for evidence now. Two more are sweeping the surrounding woods. I’m headed back to the cabin.”
There weren’t many hiding spaces in the homemade gym. Bree needed Todd to help search Farah’s personal space, where they were more likely to find trace evidence that might match that found at one of the crime scenes. Without a full hazmat suit, it was damned hard not to leave anything behind after committing a major crime. People shed skin cells and hair everywhere they went.
“Make sure they bag and tag the climbing chalk,” Bree said. “We’ll need it for comparison to the chalk found on Julius Northcott. I want the forensics tech in the Highlander. That’s the vehicle likely spotted at both scenes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Two minutes later, Todd came through the front door.
Bree holstered her weapon, snapped on gloves, and shifted into search mode. She flipped a wall switch and turned on the lights. “Let’s get cracking. I’ll take the kitchen area.”
“I’ll take the bedroom,” Matt said.
Todd headed for the living room space. He sat on an ottoman and opened the top drawer of a credenza.
Bree pulled out her flashlight and opened a kitchen cabinet. “Be careful. Last time we tried to search a house, we found a rattlesnake.”
Todd froze for a second. Flashlight in hand, he turned back to the drawers with more caution.
Bree spotted a box of plastic wrap in the kitchen. She bagged and tagged it, though Farah would certainly have a separate box of plastic wrap for committing murders. She wouldn’t just grab the box on the way out of the kitchen. Not two nights in a row. But she might buy the same brand of wrap out of habit.
Farah would have prepared. She would have packed a bag with her stun gun, zip ties, plastic wrap, gloves, et cetera. Neither Spencer’s nor Julius’s murder had been impulsive.
No. Their deaths required planning. Detailed planning.
Todd stood. “These drawers are mostly full of spare cables, the empty boxes her electronic devices came in, and some user manuals for appliances. Nothing even remotely interesting.”
“Why don’t you check with the deputies in the barn?” she suggested.
“Will do.” He left through the back door.
Bree finished the kitchen and circled the living area. Snapshots lined a bookshelf. From appearances, she thought the people in the photos were Farah’s parents and younger sister. Bree studied a photo of the family at the sister’s college graduation and another of the same people, much younger, at a campsite in front of a lake. Farah and her sister had clearly been raised camping, hiking, and skiing.
Stepping sideways, Bree moved on to the next wall and a photo collage. She studied the pictures, doubt wriggling inside her like a worm on a hook.
Matt walked out of the bedroom and joined her. “You look like you’re thinking.”
Bree nodded toward the collage.
Matt scanned the photos. “Interesting. Didn’t Rhys say they weren’t that close?”
“He did.” Bree’s gaze moved from picture to picture: Rhys and Farah at a fair of some kind, Rhys and Farah sitting in front of a campfire, Rhys and Farah smiling in front of a brilliant blue sky. Her brain started down a new path, hacking away at former deductions like a machete through the jungle.
“That’s a lot of joint activities for two people who are barely acquainted.” Clearly, Matt was thinking the same thing.
“It is,” Bree agreed. “Seems like Farah was telling the truth about them having a lot in common and spending time together.”
“Why would Rhys lie about their relationship?” Matt asked. “Maybe he wanted to distance himself from a murder suspect?”
“Or maybe this was all of their activities, and she documented each and every one. Whichever it is, I think we should ask him.” Bree pointed to the collage.
Matt frowned. “Spencer lied. Farah lied. Rhys refused to lie for Farah but lied to us anyway.”
Bree rocked back on her heels. “Is there anyone in this case who isn’t lying?”
“I don’t know, but what someone lies about can be as telling as the truth,” Matt said. “I see two options here. One, Farah killing men she dated because they rejected her.”
“I can see a motive for her to kill Rhys. He denied her alibi.”
“She’s definitely angry.” Matt contemplated the photos. “Regardless of how he feels, she thought they were best friends.”
“She’s going to feel betrayed.” Dread tightened Bree’s throat. “Maybe she’ll want to get even, which gives her motive to kill Rhys. Plus, Spencer and Julius rejected her.”
“Or our answer is the exact opposite,” Matt said. “Which brings me to option two.”
Bree picked up his train of logic. “Rhys killing the men Farah dated out of jealousy.”
“He admitted to still having feelings for her.”
Bree let the idea roll around in her head. “We have physical evidence against Farah. The chalk, the receipt . . .”
“True.”
“Sometimes, you can’t fathom what goes on in a person’s head.” Bree had worked one case where a man claimed his cat convinced him to beat his wife to death with a hammer. “We know Farah has a short temper and threatened both Spencer and Julius.”
“Yep.” Matt waved at the photos of Farah and Rhys. “Rhys could have picked up some chalk dust on his person while he was here, and if they went out together, it would be easy enough for him to grab the wrong receipt.”
Bree looked around the room. “Farah’s short fuse and impulsiveness make her feel hostile. But it’s possible she’s just a bitch and not a killer. So, is she out killing someone?”
“Or is she missing?” Matt finished. “And he planted the evidence to frame Farah.”
Bree nodded. “In which case, Farah could be in danger. There’s only one way to get the answers we need. Let’s go talk to Rhys.” She checked the time. “It’s almost midnight.” They had no time to waste.