“So something was occupying his time.”
“Maybe he didn’t have anything to say.” She shrugged. “But that’s not Ken. He was always the one with a story to tell and knew how to tactfully pry conversation out of the biggest introvert.”
“That’s a skill.”
“He came by it naturally.” She sucked in a shuddering breath. “Oh jeez. I’m going to lose it again. Excuse me, Detective.” Shannon snatched two tissues out of the box on the table, bent her head, and pressed the tissues against her eyes.
Evan leaned back in his chair, giving her some space, mentally running through their conversation. Other than something possibly preoccupying Ken over the last weeks, he hadn’t gleaned anything to follow up on. He still needed to ask her who Ken’s closest friends were, but Evan suspected his closest was sitting across from him.
“Excuse me, Shannon,” Evan said quietly, hating to interrupt her moment of grief. “Can you tell me who Ken would consider his closest friends?” If Ken didn’t have any known enemies, he’d start with the friends.
She lifted her head, sniffed, and wiped her eyes. “I’d say his cousin Eric Steward—he lives outside of town—and his friend Rees Womack. Rees is canine SAR too. He has a German shepherd. Gunnar.”
Evan wrote down their names, smiling inwardly because she’d included the dog’s. It appeared that in the close-knit SAR community, owner and dog were often seen as one unit.
Shannon’s phone chimed, and she glanced at the screen. “It’s Rowan. Checking up on me. She’s a good kid.”
Rowan had to be in her early thirties. That meant Evan also was a kid in Shannon’s eyes.
“Is there anything else you think I should know about Ken?” Evan asked, prepared to end the interview.
Shannon scratched her neck as she thought. “I feel like I should have a secret to reveal to help find his killer, but I don’t.”
Evan stood, prompting Shannon to get to her feet. “You’ve been a big help. You have my number if you think of anything else.”
After she left, Evan returned to his desk and pulled up his email, pleased to find two attachments from the forensics team. One was a list of every object recovered from the campsite. Multiple objects had been highlighted for testing, like Ken’s clothing and sleeping bag. The other list was from Ken’s home. The team had collected some fingerprint evidence and looked for weapons. His desktop computer had been removed to be sent to the FBI’s regional digital forensics lab in Portland along with the cell phone from the scene. Evan made a note to wait a few days and follow up on the electronics, hoping he wouldn’t have to prod the lab to move his case up the priority list. Every investigator wanted their evidence to be highest priority, and the lab was overworked.
He’d already submitted a request to the wireless carrier for the last two months of Ken’s cellular activity, and the medical examiner had planned Ken’s autopsy for the next morning. She’d placed Ken’s death at between midnight and 4:00 a.m. but warned Evan that the window of time was an estimate until she ran some labs from the autopsy.
A BOLO had been issued for Ken’s SUV. A ten-year-old Ford Explorer.
Evan knew it was possible he was looking for two suspects. Somehow the killer had gotten to the camping location but also managed to take Ken’s vehicle with him. It indicated two drivers.
He didn’t feel the stolen vehicle was the killer’s target. The deliberate shots to the head and torso didn’t jibe with someone who simply wanted to steal an older SUV.
The killing felt personal.
A tour of Ken’s home was next for Evan. The forensics team had found no evidence of a break-in or violence at the house.
Evan glanced out the window. The sun was moments away from setting.
Tomorrow.
He wanted to search Ken’s house in natural light. He knew a patrol car had been parked in front of the home since Ken’s identification, keeping watch until Evan could go through the house. He grimaced, hating to tie up a much-needed patrol unit overnight.
I should go through the home now.
He could always return in the daylight.
Evan shut down his computer and pushed in his chair, his gaze falling on his notes from the interview with Shannon.
Rowan’s missing brother.
It had absolutely nothing to do with his investigation, but damn, he was curious. He could do a quick search, get an idea of what Shannon had meant when she said Rowan was looking for her brother.
He pushed the thought away.