Tyler didn’t exactly walk through an open door. He looked around, seemed nervous. This was a deliberate act. He didn’t want to be seen.
The security breach ticked Wren off. He knew about that door and the lock and alarm. He thought his guys could limit their access to hourly checks of that one instead of having a man standing there because the door wasn’t exactly general knowledge. Tenants didn’t use it. Couldn’t because they didn’t have access or keys and it was inside a supply closet.
All that raised one very big question. “How exactly did he know it was there and figure out how to use it?”
“Very good question.” Garrett closed the lid and cut off the video’s sound. “I have a meeting with building staff tomorrow morning.”
Wren wanted to know now, but he could pretend to be patient. “And insight as to why he’s even in town?”
“I’m waiting to hear back about his job in New York and why he isn’t at it.”
“His alibi was always a little squishy,” Rick said.
“Interesting word.” Wren preferred questionable, possibly unbelievable. The kid had been in love and dumped. Some guys didn’t take that well, especially if they’d been raised to think they could have anything.
Some days Wren appreciated having nothing as a kid. Made him work harder now.
“I always suspected him, but it’s Sunday. I was trying to use nice words and not to swear,” Rick said.
Garrett waved the concern away. “Fuck that.”
Now on to the harder question. The one sure to raise eyebrows. The avenue he was exploring more or less behind Emery’s back. Wren inhaled and dove in. “Where are we on Michael Finn, Emery’s father?”
Rick sat up straighter in his chair. “What?”
“I’m not a fan of the man. Thought I’d go on record on that point before we get much further.” Wren poured a second cup of coffee. At this rate he might drink the whole pot in less than an hour.
“That doesn’t make him a suspect.” Garrett held up both hands. “Technically.”
“It puts him on my list. So does his story about being at home when all of this happened.” The details were sketchy. Wren had been inside the house. He knew the bedrooms were in the back, away from the doors in and out. Sneaking away would not be that difficult.
Rick searched through his file until he found whatever he was looking for and opened it. “Emery backs that story up.”
Yeah, about that. Wren had checked the timeline and read over every detail. The alibi wasn’t as clear as everyone said. “No, she says they fought and she was in her room doing some assignment he gave her. He could have used that time and snuck out.”
Rick shook his head. “Seems flimsy.”
“What, you don’t think he stepped out, killed Tiffany and then went back in and watched television?” Garrett asked. “That spur of the moment opportunity is tough to imagine in light of him having a daughter at home, right there.”
“I’ve heard of stranger things.” Rick hesitated, as if he were choosing his words. “He was never really on our radar. The piece with Emery made sense, and honestly, she was a mess. I know he’s an asshole, but he really did step up back then. Was adamant about protecting her.”
They both had good points. Perfectly valid. But Wren had run through it all and something still nagged at him. His mind refused to accept and move on. He’d learned the hard way to listen to that irritating voice in his head. “But Tiffany’s disappearance didn’t seem to bother him, not outside of the impact it had on Emery.”
Garrett looked at his notes. “He was on the search crew for Tiffany. And not just once.”
“It would have been odd for him not to be since Tiffany was his niece and Emery was out there looking.” Wren had seen the photographs. Scanned every inch, looking for any lost hints. “Then there’s his over-the-top interest in the case now. Hell, the man stalked Senator Dayton.”
Garrett’s eyebrow lifted. “So did Emery.”
Rick scoffed. “She didn’t hurt Tiffany.”
No one was saying that. Wren wanted to be clear about that before Rick lunged over the table at him. “Of course not.”
“Now that that’s settled.” Garrett flipped a few pages on his lined notepad and started writing something down. “What’s his motive?”
That part was not as clear for Wren. It was hard to imagine a grown man killing or hiding a young girl except for the most obvious reasons, and he had no idea how the man would have gotten away with that for all these years. There should be more victims . . . something.
He offered the only piece he had. “Niece or not, Michael Finn didn’t talk about Tiffany with much affection.”
“He also has a thing for younger women,” Garrett said. “Though that fact likely doesn’t support your point.”
Rick frowned. “Twenty-somethings. That’s a lot different from underaged girls.”
“I agree, but there’s something that doesn’t feel right. He’s triggering an alarm in my head.” Which was an understatement. Seeing the mix of frustration and sadness that moved through Emery when she dealt with him made Wren like the older man even less.