“Let’s assume for a minute that Oscar faked those charges. Why did he do it? It took work to pull that off. Oscar was lazy. He must have had a reason to go through all that effort.”
“Good question. Maybe Brian Dylan can give us an answer,” Bree said. “It’s also possible that Kenny ran because he’s guilty.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Behind the wheel of her SUV, Bree listened in as Matt called a buddy who still worked for the Scarlet Falls PD.
After a brief conversation, he lowered the phone. “Brian Dylan worked for the SFPD until a few weeks ago, when he was fired after arresting a teenage girl. The girl claimed he slapped her. Dylan said the girl was resisting arrest, but since he’d turned off his body camera, it was his word against hers.”
“Body cameras are mandated by the SFPD.” Bree had included cameras for all her deputies in her budget proposal. Thankfully, no one was objecting to them, because they were one of Bree’s nonnegotiable items.
“That’s right, and Dylan turned his off. The police chief in Scarlet Falls doesn’t put up with that sort of behavior. The charges against the girl were dropped, and Dylan was fired.”
“Sounds like I should be glad Dylan left the sheriff’s department.”
“Definitely.”
“Do you know his address?” Bree asked.
Matt nodded. “He’s on the edge of the county, out near the national forest.” He plugged the address into the GPS. The automated voice told them to head west on the highway. “My buddy said Dylan was furious at being let go.”
“He quit the sheriff’s department just before I took over, so I’ve never met him.” Bree pulled up to a stop sign, then made a left. “You worked with him?”
“I did. I never saw him do anything, but there were always rumors of him behaving inappropriately. I remember him being very tight with the old sheriff. Dylan’s father was a deputy, killed in the line of duty when Dylan was a kid. There’s a plaque in the hallway.”
Bree felt bad she didn’t remember the man’s name. “That sucks.”
“Yes, but it made him kind of a legacy in the department. I was surprised when he quit. Todd will know more.”
“Let’s call him. I didn’t have a chance to ask him earlier.” Bree made the call to her chief deputy with her hands-free connection. After he’d answered, she asked, “Tell me about Brian Dylan.”
Todd’s sigh was audible over the Bluetooth speakers. “I was glad to see his back when he quit.”
“Did he have complaints in his personnel file?” Bree asked.
“No, but he should have,” Todd said. “He was one of the old sheriff’s favorites.”
Bree asked, “Because of his father?”
“Yes, but people he arrested ended up with unexplained bruises.”
“Let me guess,” Bree said. “A lot of people resisted arrest when Dylan took them into custody.”
“You know it,” Todd said with disgust. “The old sheriff approved of heavy-handed tactics.”
“Do you know why he quit the sheriff’s department?” she asked.
“He didn’t want to work for a female,” Todd said.
He hadn’t been the only one. Though she’d had to scramble to hire replacements, Bree wasn’t sorry to be rid of anyone who would quit for that reason.
Bree asked, “Everything work out with the patrol vehicle?”
“It’s fine,” Todd said. “Just a dented fender. The body shop will fix it this week.”
“Great. Talk to you later.” Bree ended the call. The GPS prompted her to turn off the highway onto a narrow country road. Meadows gave way to forested slopes.
Matt scrolled on his phone. “According to his social media accounts, he’s into conspiracy theories.”
“What kind of posts?” Bree asked.
Matt scrolled on his smartphone. “How to keep the government and big business from tracking your every movement. Best antisurveillance technology. How to build a Faraday cage and why you want one.”
“I almost want to read that one.” Bree made a left. “That’s not too unusual. I’ve read about potential electromagnetic-pulse attacks on the power grid. A Faraday cage blocks those EMPs, right?”
“Right, but there’s more.” Matt whistled. “The government adds subliminal mind control to TV advertisements. Secret high-altitude government planes are spraying chemicals into the atmosphere to reduce fertility. The queen of England is either a vampire or a cannibal. Seems he can’t make up his mind which one. Finland is a fake country.”