Page 49 of Nothing Hiding

"Good afternoon, ma'am," Juliette said, flashing her badge. "I'm Agent Juliette Hart, and I'm investigating a case.We're looking to get some information from your neighbor, but he doesn't seem to be home. Do you know where he is? The man named Matt Doone?"

She watched as the woman's face hardened into suspicion and then something else. Something that looked more like fear.

"I don't have anything to do with him. I'm sorry," she said.

There was something in her eyes that betrayed her fear. Juliette knew that she had to tread carefully if she wanted to get any information out of her.

"He's a person of interest in a high-profile case, and we just need to talk to him to clear things up," she explained. “Do you at least know if he was here recently? Any habits or routines he might have had?"

The woman shifted uncomfortably, smoothing her hands over the apron, her gaze darting around nervously.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm sorry."

Juliette was sure she did know. But the fact that she wasn't telling was enlightening. And the fact that the door was now firmly closed in her face meant she was getting nothing more here.

Hoping that the other neighbor might be more talkative, or less scared, she then walked past Doone's house again and on to the other side.

The other neighbor's house was painted a cheery yellow, with a small herb garden out front, rose bushes planted alongside the low picket fence, and a couple of bicycles propped up against the side wall. She couldn't see anyone, but she could hear a dog barking from the back yard.

Juliette took a deep breath and rang the bell.

Footsteps approached from inside the house, and a young man with tousled ginger hair and a sleepy expression opened the door. He looked like he had just woken up from a nap.

"Agent Hart," Juliette introduced herself. “I'm investigating a case. We're looking for information on your neighbor, Matt Doone. He's not at home, and we're wondering if you knew where he might be?"

The young man rubbed his eyes and frowned."That weirdo?" he said.

Juliette raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the young man's choice of words, and encouraged by the fact that he clearly did know Doone and was willing to talk about him.

"What do you mean, weirdo?" she asked, keeping her tone neutral.

"He's just ... strange," the young man said, shrugging. "He keeps to himself, mostly, but he's super aggressive if you disturb him, and my folks warned me not to go near him. I’m not sure I should talk to you about him,” he said as if rethinking his initial chattiness.

“We don’t reveal our sources,” Juliette reassured him. “Whatever you say will be kept totally confidential. And it might help us solve a very serious case.”

The young man’s eyebrows rose, and she could tell her words had encouraged him.

“Well, I don’t know that much, but I can tell you what I’ve seen. He comes and goes at odd hours. I think he might be some kind of artist or something.He's always carrying around these weird canvases and paints."

Juliette felt a thrill of excitement run through her. This was the kind of lead she needed. "Do you know where he might go to paint?" she asked.

"I don't know about painting," the man said, "but I know he's got some kind of hideout down in the woods there. I see him from time to time when I'm cycling, but I keep away. There's something about it, and him, that gives me a bad feeling. People here don’t like to talk about him. I’ve only lived here a few months, but I think he’s threatened some people in the past." He paused, pointing in the direction of the woods that stretched down the hillside.

"Where is the hideout?" Juliette asked.

"It's like an old, abandoned cabin down by the stream. But hey, don't tell him I told you," he said, and now, she saw a flash of fear in his eyes. "I don't want to get on his bad side. Okay?"

"I won't say a word, and I'm grateful for the information," she said.

She waved to Wyatt and Sierra, who were just leaving one of the houses, and from their discouraged demeanor, she guessed they hadn't found anything.

But she had. She now knew where Matt Doone might be. They urgently needed to get to that abandoned cabin in the woods.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

The woods were at the end of the road, a tract of thick, dark trees that were heavy with undergrowth. But there was a path running through them, Juliette saw. A narrow, winding trail wended its way through the closely packed tree trunks, leading them into the murky, cool darkness.

She and Wyatt headed in on foot, walking in single file due to the narrowness of the track, which was also overgrown.

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