rights earlier when he was questioned by Claire, but Emilia wanted to make sure any information gathered in this interview was admissible in court.
John continued to stand. “More questions? Why? I’ve already told Sheriff Hanks everything. Honestly, I had no idea I was near a crime scene.”
“Things are more complicated. Please, take a seat, sir.”
John did as she requested. He jabbed his hands through his hair, making it stand on end. “Is this about Derrick?”
“It is. We believe Derrick wasn’t acting alone when he committed the murders last year.”
Since the media had already connected the deaths, Emilia wasn’t telling Derrick anything he wouldn’t discover when he left the interview room. At least, now she could use it to her advantage.
John blinked at her. “What do you mean Derrick wasn’t working alone?”
“He had a partner. Someone he killed with.”
Some emotion flashed in John’s eyes, but before Emilia could distinguish what, it disappeared. Still, the hair on the back of her neck rose.
John’s gaze dropped to the table. He shook his head. “That’s horrible.”
“It is. Do you know Kathy Rose?”
“She’s a waitress over at the Milly’s Diner off the freeway. I go there sometimes after work. Sweet lady…” He sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh no. Kathy’s dead?”
“She was murdered by Derrick’s partner. That’s the crime scene you ran close to this morning, Mr. McInnis. It seems an unlikely coincidence that her body was left on the trail you frequent.”
His mouth dropped open. “You can’t think I’m involved? That’s preposterous.”
“Is it?” She arched her brows. “You and Derrick regularly had lunch together. In our first meeting, you claimed to barely know him. You lied to me.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” He held up his hands. “I didn’t lie. Derrick and I weren’t close. Yes, we had lunch together sometimes, but I do the same with all of my employees. It’s an opportunity to speak to them in a nonformal setting.”
The man had an answer for everything.
Emilia pushed harder. “Here’s the problem, Mr. McInnis. I can connect you to three of the victims. You dated Alice Nelson. Rachel McAdams lived in an apartment complex your company manages. And now, Kathy Rose. You also had a relationship with Derrick.”
John continued to study the table, but his eyes flickered back and forth as if he was sorting through a puzzle. His breathing increased. “I…I don’t think it was a coincidence Kathy was left on the same running trail I use.” He met her gaze. “But I swear, I didn’t have anything to do with her death. I’m being set up.”
“Set up? Why would the killer do that?”
“Because of what I know.” His hands trembled. John licked his lips. “Here’s the thing. Derrick didn’t have any family or many friends. He was a loner.”
She stayed quiet, letting John find his way to the point. Emilia didn’t want him to stop talking. She’d felt from their first meeting John was withholding important information about the case.
“When I started taking him out to lunch, Derrick would talk to me about stuff. Sometimes we talked about his family.” John swallowed hard. “Derrick has a brother. Here in Fulton County.”
Emilia froze. Her pulse thundered in her ears. “Derrick told you that?”
He nodded. “It’s a secret because the brother was put up for adoption before Derrick was born. Derrick found out about him from his grandmother before she died. Almost no one else knows.”
“Who is Derrick’s brother?”
“Malcolm King. Sheriff King’s son.”
Malcolm King lived on several acres on the outskirts of town. The property was close enough to provide privacy while still being only a fifteen-minute drive to his law practice. The sun was setting as Bennett crossed the yard toward the barn. Brilliant pinks and purples painted the sky with bold colors. On a normal day, Bennett might take a moment to admire the gorgeous sight. But not today.
Exhaustion bore down on his shoulders, but a determination to get to the truth fueled his steps. Was Malcolm really Derrick’s brother? Malcolm’s adoption wasn’t a secret, but the King family had always said his birth parents were dead. Derrick was one year younger and had been raised by his maternal grandparents. It was entirely possible Malcolm and Derrick were related but had only discovered the truth as adults.
If they were brothers, did Sheriff King know? The former sheriff had been in a hurry to dissolve the task force after Derrick’s death. The case files had holes. Mistakes had been made. Bennett had always believed those errors were due to sloppy police work. Now he