Page 27 of Deputies Under Fire
Well, he sure as heck had some questions now.
“Why are you here?” Rory demanded, and he lowered the window just a fraction so the man could hear him better, but not so wide that he could get the barrel of a gun through the opening.
“Oh,” Carter said, suddenly not as eager as he had been just seconds earlier. “I’ve, uh, been keeping an eye on Diedre.” He motioned toward a small pull-off area on the other side of the neighborhood sign. “I’m parked over there.”
Since that explained exactly squat, Rory repeated the question. “Why are you here?”
Carter huffed and lowered his phone to the side of his leg. “Because I’m worried the cops might try to pin Brenda’s murder on me. I didn’t kill her,” he added quickly, “but they asked me a bunch of questions, and they think I’m guilty. I could see it. It was all over their faces.”
“They believe that because you were stalking Brenda,” Rory pointed out. “Or do you deny that?”
The man took his time responding and finally shook his head. “No. I followed her around. I called her and left threatening messages.”
“You stalked her,” Eden snapped.
“Well, if I did, it was because she deserved it,” he added without a pause. “She deserved worse. Brenda destroyed my business.”
Rory had read all about that, and it was true. Well, it was mostly true, anyway. Because she had been friends with Carter’s late mother, Brenda had loaned Carter about fifty grand to open a pub near the downtown River Walk. However, after Ike’s antics had cost Brenda a good chunk of her income and customers, she had called in the loan. Carter had fought repaying it, but it was a fight he’d lost. And without any working revenue, the pub had gone belly up.
Yet another casualty of Ike’s dirty dealings.
“I asked Brenda just to wait a couple more months, and then I could start repaying the loan,” Carter went on. “But she wouldn’t. She took me to court.”
“Because she had no choice,” Rory pointed out. “She was on the verge of having to declare bankruptcy.”
“She had a choice,” Carter practically shouted. “She could have gone into business with me. Then, we both would have had an income.”
“Maybe,” Eden said, “but that wasn’t the decision Brenda made, and you stalked her because of it.”
Carter looked ready to spew out some obscenities about Brenda, but he must have realized that wouldn’t do him any good. He clearly had something he wanted them to see. Something on the phone he held in a white-knuckle grip.
“After I lost the pub,” he went on, his voice and demeanor much calmer now, “I started following Brenda, looking forsomething I could use to have her arrested. I wanted her punished.”
“You stalked her,” Eden repeated, and it was obvious she had no sympathy for this guy. Neither did Rory.
“Yes, I’ve already admitted that,” he said, still in the calm mode. “And after she got a restraining order, I kept my distance but continued to watch her through binoculars and the long-range lens of my camera.” Now, he did pause. “I was watching her the night she was murdered. I think I saw when she was taken.”
Everything inside Rory went on high alert. “You saw who took Brenda but didn’t tell the cops?”
“No.” Carter held up his hands in a stop gesture. “I didn’t actually see the person. I saw a car speeding away from her place, and in hindsight I think she might have been in the vehicle. I’m not sure when she was attacked, but I believe the timing would fit. It was maybe around five p.m.”
Yes, thatcouldfit. Could. But Carter didn’t seem at all certain of the time. Then again, he could be feigning uncertainty and knew the exact time that Brenda had been snatched or lured.
“Tell me what you saw,” Rory demanded. “And then when you’re done, I want you to cover both investigative bases by going first to SAPD and then to Renegade Canyon to give a full statement.” SAPD would need to be involved since the possible abduction would have taken place in their jurisdiction.
Carter gave a shaky nod, and he didn’t look at all sure he would do that. Eden must have thought so, too, because Rory saw her send two texts. No doubt to someone at SAPD and at Renegade Canyon who’d make sure Carter showed up to tell them this latest information.
Or this lie.
Rory wasn’t sure which.
“Like I said, I was watching Brenda’s place,” Carter explained, “but I must have fallen asleep because I didn’t see the car go to her house. But I woke up when I heard an engine revving, and I saw it speed past me.”
Rory huffed. “So you don’t know if the vehicle was even at her place?”
“I think it was.” There was more uncertainty, but then something lit up in his eyes. “But the car isn’t what I wanted to tell you about.” He dragged in a long breath. “I tried to follow the vehicle, but when I lost it, I decided to drive by here.” He motioned to Diedre’s house.
“Why?” Eden asked. She had finished her texts, put her phone on her lap and slid her hand back over the butt of her weapon in her holster.
