“A few red flags have come up in their backgrounds that warrant a closer look at them,” Evan replied.
“How do you want to approach this? Good cop, bad cop?” Cummings puffed out his chest. “I can definitely work the bad cop role.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Evan couldn’t think of anything more ridiculous that Walter playing the role of bad cop. “I can handle this,” Evan replied.
The chief frowned. “I will be sitting in on these interviews. I need to know what’s going on.”
“Of course.” Evan just hoped Chief Cummings didn’t do anything to interfere with the interviews. All Evan wanted to do was ferret out the guilty.
As he followed the chief down a short hallway to the conference room, he carried with him transcripts of the initial interviews that had been conducted on scene with the two employees by Nick and what Hendrick had discovered about the pair.
Evan hadn’t met Earl yet, but he remembered Susan DeKalb and how desperate she had been for answers when she’d talked to him. Now he was the one needing answers.
She stood when the two men entered the room. “What’s happening? Why am I here?” she asked with obvious nervousness.
“Please, sit down,” Evan said. “I just have a few things we want to clear up with you.” He offered her a smile, hoping to put her at ease. People who were more comfortable and at ease often talked too much.
“Would you like something to drink before we get started?” Evan asked as she sank back down at the table. “Maybe some coffee or a soda?”
“No, thank you. I just want to understand why I’m here,” she replied.
Evan sat across from her, and Chief Cummings sat next to him. “You should know that we’ve been checking out the backgrounds of everyone who works at the school. We believe the hostage takers had somebody on the inside who gave them information, and in checking into your background, a few things came to our attention.”
Susan’s eyes widened and her lower lip trembled. “You believe somebody at the school was working with those horrible people? That I was...that I am somehow involved?”
She looked at Chief Cummings and then back at Evan as her eyes filled with tears. “I would never... I could never be a part of something like this. What would make you believe that I might be?”
“We believe the person involved in this was hoping for a big monetary gain,” Evan said.
“Is this about me losing money in my son’s restaurant?” she asked. “I understood the risk when I gave it to him, but that doesn’t mean I would invite monsters into the school.”
As they continued to talk, Evan watched her body language carefully, seeking tells of deception. By the time the interview was over, Evan was certain Susan wasn’t the rat he sought. For what it was worth, Chief Cummings agreed with his assessment.
Earl Winslow was a thin, wiry fifty-two-year-old with an attitude. When led into the room, he slammed himself into the chair and gazed defiantly at the two law officers.
“I really got better things to do than hanging out here,” he said. “So, what’s up?”
“Be nice, Earl. Special Agent Duran has some questions for you,” Chief Cummings said.
“I just had some follow-up questions concerning what happened at the school,” Evan said. “I understand you haven’t been working there that long.”
“About six months or so,” Earl replied.
“And your last job before being hired on at the school?” Evan asked.
Earl frowned. “I worked as a house painter.”
“But according to my records that was three years ago. I imagine financially things have been pretty tight for you,” Evan said. Once again he watched Earl carefully, seeking any sign of deception.
“I’m not going to lie to you. There’s been some lean times, but I lead a fairly simple life. What does my financial state have to do with what happened at the school?” Earl changed positions in the chair and looked at Chief Cummings. “Come on, Walter...what the hell is this really about?”
“It’s about your involvement with what happened at the school,” the chief replied.
“My involvement?” Earl sat up straighter in the chair. “What in the hell are you talking about? I didn’t have any involvement with anything.”
“How long have you known Jacob Noble?” Evan asked.
Earl’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. His chin shot up just a notch. “Jacob Noble? I don’t know the man at all.”
“I have evidence to the contrary,” Evan replied.
Earl stared at him for a long moment and then nodded and averted his gaze to someplace over Evan’s head. “Okay, I met him a couple of months ago when they held a rally. I went to the compound to see what it was about. I’d heard it was kind of like a commune where they grew their own vegetables and all lived together in peace. I was only there for about fifteen minutes before I realized Jacob and his wife were crazy.”
“Is that the only contact you had with the Brotherhood of Jacob?” Evan asked.
“Definitely. I left there and that was the end of it.”
“I’m sure you have had a chance to interact with the students at the school.” Evan thumbed through his notes, as if seeking more information.
“Not really. I see them in the hallways and I nod and smile, but that’s about it,” Earl replied, looking more and more uncomfortable with the conversation. “Look, I had nothing to do with this. I’d never do anything that might hurt those kids.”
“Do you have a cell phone?” Evan already knew the answer because he could see the device in Earl’s breast pocket.
“Yeah...why?” Earl’s dark eyes narrowed once again.
“Do you mind if I see it?” Evan asked.
“Yeah, I do mind. I think you need a warrant for that.” He got up from the table. “Walter, you’ve known me for years. You should know I’d never be involved with anything like
