It was the first time he had spoken. Raveneau heard defeat in his tone and guessed he could probably question him with just the video but stayed with the plan of building on logic.
‘We sent the video to an FBI lab that specializes among other things in photo enhancement techniques. The results arrived yesterday and we booked a flight immediately. You may or may not be familiar with enhancement software, but generally speaking a computer program makes thousands of comparisons.’ He let a beat pass. ‘The computer says it’s you.’
Because that claim was false Raveneau worried the lieutenant colonel would react and give it away, but Shay’s eyes stayed on the computer monitor. The best the FBI techs could do was put the odds at thirty-five percent that Shay was the shooter. Meaning he almost certainly wasn’t and Raveneau agreed.
Shay now stared down at the table. ‘I was a stupid kid and they led me into helping. I didn’t shoot him.’
‘The FBI says you did.’
‘They’re wrong.’
‘We’re here to take you back. We’re prepared to charge you with murder. We have the gun used and you know the gun.’ Raveneau took a flyer. He took a chance here. ‘Your fingerprints were found on the gun.’
‘I’ve used it before, but they couldn’t still be there.’
‘Why not?’
Shay just shook his head.
‘You used it to murder Alan Krueger.’
‘No, that’s not true. I might have picked it up last time I was at the house, but I didn’t kill him. If that’s the gun-’
‘You know it’s the gun.’
‘No sir, I don’t know that. It would surprise me.’
‘You just admitted you did.’
‘No, I wasn’t saying that but the gun got borrowed by people.’
‘You borrowed it. We know that.’
‘Other people, friends of the captain used it.’
‘It was used to kill Alan Krueger. It was used to kill other people. It’s over. We have a ballistics match and we have you in the video. Now we want to know who else it was used on.’
‘I didn’t kill Alan Krueger.’
‘Is the video wrong?’
‘That’s not me.’
‘Oh, the FBI specialists are wrong. It’s not you then who is it?’
‘Other people borrowed the gun.’
‘What do you mean borrowed?’
‘There were missions. They took the gun and brought it back.’
‘What missions did you go on?’
Shay didn’t answer. He stared down at the table and Raveneau’s voice softened. He spoke slowly.
‘The FBI has the most sophisticated program in the world that enhances and compares facial profiles. We have the fact that you lied to me about knowing Alan Krueger. I have even more photos now and we just came from an interview with Aolani Ito who says you were there often and that you didn’t like Alan Krueger. Tell me why we shouldn’t charge you right now.’
‘I carried the gun over and brought it back, that’s all. I didn’t know what it was for. It was unregistered and I was carrying it as a favor because it was easy for me on a military transport. I took it to the mainland on one ride and brought it back months later on another trip. They were always moving stuff. Captain Frank carried something every trip.’
‘What did he carry?’
‘You name it. Mangoes, coffee, fish, he didn’t like to deal with the California agriculture laws and he liked to bring presents to his friends.’
‘You’re admitting you transported illegally the gun used to kill Alan Krueger, but you’re still claiming you didn’t kill him. Then who did? Who did you give the gun to?’
Shay closed his eyes. He said, ‘To one of the guys Krueger brought to Jim’s house.’
‘What’s his name?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t see him. I just know he knew Krueger and Jim. I left the gun for him.’
‘Where?’
‘In San Francisco where he told me to in this mail drop at a business.’
‘You’re trying to tell us this man you can’t identify shot Alan Krueger and not you.’
Shay looked up suddenly.
‘He must have set me up. He left the gun for me to pick up again and I brought it back to Hawaii.’
‘You went on a mission with it. Tell us who else you killed.’
‘I didn’t kill Krueger.’
‘Who did you kill?’
‘I was just stupid and young. I wanted them to like me. I did a lot of errands for them and they used me, but I never shot anybody.’
Raveneau looked at la Rosa. He was inclined to believe him.
FIFTY-FIVE
Without being asked, the lieutenant colonel said he would keep Shay confined to base and order him not to speak to Thomas Casey or Matt Frank.
‘Will that be enough?’
Raveneau didn’t know but he and la Rosa were glad to get the cooperation and he thanked him several times. After they left, Raveneau gave Coe the heads-up call he wanted and they began the long descent from the high plain.
‘I keep getting the feeling there’s more here,’ la Rosa said, ‘like the FBI has a different interest in Casey and they aren’t telling us. Is that possible? Would Coe do that?’
‘I think he’s telling us what he can, but you may be right.’
‘Look.’
La Rosa touched his arm and pointed at the gray pickup truck rounding a curve ahead in the opposite lane and accelerating toward them.
‘Yeah, that’s Matt Frank.’
Frank didn’t recognize them until he was alongside them. He braked hard and made a tire-screeching U- turn.
‘Coming after us,’ la Rosa said. ‘He’s gaining fast.’
‘I see him.’
‘I don’t like this.’ She opened her purse and took out her gun. ‘How’s our car?’
‘Not great. Let’s see what he does. We’re about fifteen miles from Waikoloa Village and there’s nothing in between and that’s just a shopping center. I don’t know if we’ll get any backup out of any of the nearest towns but see what you can do in case this escalates into something.’
Raveneau checked his rear view mirror again. He saw Frank’s face, the mirrored sunglasses. Frank’s jaw was set. Frank closed to within ten yards and Raveneau was gradually speeding up.
‘What’s in the water over here?’ la Rosa asked. ‘What happened between when we met him this morning and now?’
‘Uncle Casey talked to him and Frank hasn’t been straight with us, though we haven’t exactly been straight with him either. Either way, I’m starting to get the picture. Hang on, it’s about to get a little rough.’
Raveneau didn’t want Frank to think they were running from him or had any fear, and in truth, Raveneau wouldn’t run either way. But he didn’t doubt Frank was armed. Behind them, Frank swept over the line into the opposite lane and sliced the curve. He was right on their bumper now. Raveneau listened as la Rosa got through to
