“Can’t blame him if his story is true.” Bree drummed her fingers on the table.
“But can we believe Kenny?” Todd cocked his head.
Bree’s fingers stilled. “Jim Rogers’s story matched.”
“But Jim didn’t actually see Oscar plant the drugs,” Matt said. “And Dylan isn’t talking.”
“Which brings us to Brian Dylan.” Bree sat back. “I don’t know what to make of him. He was belligerent and uncooperative. He seemed to hate me on sight, even though I’d never met him before.”
“He hates you by association.” Todd frowned. “He was Oscar’s buddy, and you went after Oscar.”
“If he was that close to Oscar, then is he a valid suspect for the murders?” Bree asked. “Does he have motive?”
“They were—pardon the cliché—thick as thieves,” Todd said. “Maybe Oscar was going to get Dylan into trouble.”
“How?” Matt couldn’t see it.
Bree shook her head. “I can’t think of anything Dylan would gain by killing Oscar. If they committed crimes together, then how could Oscar threaten him without putting himself at risk?”
Todd shook his head. “Maybe they were planning something new and Oscar was going to double-cross him to keep all the profits.”
“Maybe Oscar’s death is related to that survivalist group Dylan joined, the Hudson Footmen.” Matt didn’t think Dylan needed a rational reason to fear Oscar. Clearly, the guy was more than one brick short of a wall.
Bree shook her head. “That’s pure conjecture with no proof. Dylan is hardly an innocent, but we have no evidence that suggests that he killed Oscar and Camilla.”
Matt wasn’t ready to move Dylan to the bottom of the suspect list. “He’s unstable and armed. He thinks the queen is a friggin’ cannibal. He had a whole inventory of paracord in his garage.”
Bree agreed with a nod. “But we have no way to establish probable cause for Dylan. His personal beliefs, no matter how weird, aren’t enough to make him a suspect.”
But they were definitely disturbing.
“What about the phone calls on Oscar’s cell to and from burners?” Matt asked. “Could they have been Dylan?”
“It’s possible. We know he’s into using tech without being tracked,” Bree said. “But we can’t prove anything unless we find actual burner phones at Dylan’s house, and we don’t have enough evidence to obtain a search warrant. For now, we focus on the warrant for Bernard Crighton’s place.”
Todd stood. “I’m on it.”
“Make sure his vehicle is included in the warrant.” Matt rose. He wasn’t through with Dylan yet, but the case against Bernard was gathering momentum.
Sometimes the truth was only a few lies away.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
By four o’clock, Bree stood at Bernard Crighton’s front door. Would they find the gun that killed Oscar and his mother? Her heart thumped and excitement rushed through her veins, forcing her to admit how much she enjoyed solving crimes and hunting killers. She might have joined law enforcement to help people, but the thrill of the chase was addictive, almost like a drug.
Bernard opened the door. His gaze went over Bree’s shoulder to where Todd and Matt waited with two deputies on the front walkway. Bernard’s face went dark. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Bree handed him the warrant. “We have a warrant to search the premises.”
“You can’t do this!” Bright pink spots colored his lean cheeks as he waved the folded papers in the air. “I have rights.”
“Yes, sir. That’s why we have the warrant.” Bree pointed to it and brushed past him. “I’ll need you to wait outside with Deputy Juarez.”
Bree assigned Todd and Deputy Collins to the first floor of the house. She gestured for Matt to follow her to the second floor. “Let’s start with the spare bedrooms.”
The first one had clearly been recently redecorated with young grandchildren in mind. The twin beds looked new, as did the toys lined up on a shelf. The closet held clothes for small children. Bree opened a second door into a room decorated for an older male child. These furnishings appeared dated, but the room had been recently dusted and vacuumed. Several school awards in the name of Robby Crighton were dated more than twenty years before. The room was shrine-like.
She made a note to ask about Robby and called for Matt. “Where are you?”