“For what purpose?” I asked. “We didn’t know what he was up to.”
“I thought it might be an affair,” Gertie said. “We didn’t want to say anything unless we knew for sure because of Peaches.”
“And you think it was Brandon who was inside Nolan’s house?” Carter asked.
“We can’t be sure,” I said. “It certainly looks that way, but we didn’t actually see him go there. Everything we’ve told you is circumstantial.”
“Yeah,” Carter agreed, “but damning.” He cursed and rose from his chair. “What the hell is Brandon thinking? He’s got a great wife and baby and makes a good living. Why would he want to go screw all that up?”
The three of us shook our heads.
“We don’t know,” Ida Belle said. “But if Brandon is the one who killed Gail…”
Carter nodded. “Yeah, I get it.” He ran one hand through his hair. “I need to get back to the sheriff’s department and process all of this. I appreciate the information, but from this point forward, I need you to steer clear of Brandon and Peaches. At least until I get this figured out.”
We all nodded. The general mood in the room was beyond gloom. No one seemed to have any fight left in them.
“Are you going to question Brandon?” Gertie asked.
“Not yet,” Carter said. “Not until I have a plan.” He headed for the front door, then turned as he was about to exit. “I know I don’t have to say this, but watch your backs.”
He closed the door and Ida Belle went immediately to lock it.
Gertie looked up at us. “I assume that wasn’t everything?”
“Of course not,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie grinned. “Then what are you waiting for?”
I explained to Gertie that I’d gone home but decided I wanted to check out Brandon’s truck and see if there were any clues inside as to what he had been up to. I didn’t want to tell either of them about the tracker. Not yet. Maybe not at all. If Brandon had killed Gail, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill any of us as well. Ida Belle had seen the box of equipment in my Jeep, but when she’d arrived at Brandon’s house, I was at the back fence, so she didn’t know I’d had time to put anything in place.
We told Gertie exactly what we saw from the time Ida Belle accosted me at the fence up until when we arrived at Nolan’s front door. Gertie looked slightly disappointed that we didn’t have more to tell, but she agreed that we’d definitely gone the right route, leaving out my intended search of Brandon’s truck and hedging a bit on how we saw the flashlights.
“What could he possibly want in that room?” Gertie asked.
“I have no clue,” I said. “It’s a desperate move, and I can only see making it if you know for sure that something in there exposes you.”
“But surely Brandon would know that the house was already worked by a forensics team,” Ida Belle said. “They always take laptops, and that’s the only place I can imagine proof might be.”
I shrugged. “When it comes to criminals, I’ve learned there’s no telling what they might think.”
“That’s true enough,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie sighed. “If only we knew for sure what he was doing in his truck. No matter how hard I try, I can’t wrap my mind around Brandon as a killer.”
“I’m a killer,” I pointed out. “Most people who’ve met me would have a hard time believing that, but it’s true.”
“But you’re a professional,” Ida Belle said. “You’re trained to play the role you’re dealt. Granted, this cover has been a bit of a reach, but I don’t think anyone would ever come close to guessing your true identity. You immersed yourself in the role, or at least, gave it your best attempt—extensions, nail polish, wearing a dress—all of it goes to creating the persona that you wanted people to believe.”
Gertie nodded. “And since this is a small town made up of mostly nice people, no one thinks twice about it. No one assumes you’re anything but what you claim to be. But Brandon has lived here his entire life. How could he hide something that disturbing for so long?”
I frowned. It was a damned good question. Granted, sociopaths were capable of the most extraordinary things, but surely there would have been a crack in Brandon’s armor before now.
“I wish I had an answer for you,” I said, “but I’m afraid we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens. Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe there’s some perfectly logical explanation that doesn’t include Brandon as the villain.”
Ida Belle and Gertie glanced at each other, and I could tell they’d like to believe that was possible, but neither of them could come up with a good explanation for everything we’d seen either.
“I’m going to get out of here,” I said. “I need some dry clothes, and then I’m going to hop in bed and sleep until we have power again. You ready, Ida Belle?”
“I think I’ll just stay here tonight,” Ida Belle said. “I’ll get my motorcycle tomorrow.”