and squeezed it.
Dellan smiled. He was an easy man to love. Yeah, I loved him.
“And he still is a good boss,” Horvan added. “Because it’s his company, right?”
“When he’s ready to run it again,” Rael said quietly. Dellan gave him a warm glance.
“Er, guys?” Crank nodded toward the main door. “Cops are here.”
“Just in time for coffee,” Roadkill commented dryly.
Two officers came over to where they sat. “Mr. Carson?”
Dellan got to his feet. “Good afternoon.”
“Can we see your ID, sir?”
Dellan handed it over, not daring to breathe. The older officer examined it before giving it back. Dellan heaved an internal sigh of relief. God bless Hashtag. He prayed Anson had taken his real ID and stored it at the house.
They shook hands, and then everyone sat down. Dellan indicated the silent group. “These are my friends who were with me at the cabin. They’re helping me out here because I didn’t want to be alone right now.”
The older-looking officer gave them a polite nod, then focused his attention on Dellan. “I’m Officer Franks, and this is Officer Dalton. I wouldn’t normally interview someone in surroundings like this, especially in a murder case, but you’re obviously not a suspect.”
Dellan frowned. “Obviously? Because I was in Idaho at the time?”
“No, Mr. Carson. Because your brother’s killer is already known to us.”
Officer Dalton peered closely at Dellan. “Did you know your brother kept a tiger in his office?”
“Yes, but only when I saw its rescue on the news. Anson must have got it after I’d left for my sabbatical. It was one of the things I wanted to discuss with him during our Skype call.” He swallowed. “Not that I got the chance.”
“You don’t sound like you approve,” Officer Franks remarked.
Dellan shrugged. “I’m not a fan of keeping wild animals in captivity, especially not in such an environment. That poor tiger must have been going out of its mind. I’m grateful to whichever activist group got it out of there.” So grateful, they would never believe it. He sighed. “I’m sure Anson wouldn’t have agreed with me.”
“He seems to have been keen on having an exotic animal as a pet. Apparently he replaced the tiger with a silverback gorilla almost immediately,” Officer Dalton told him. “Which then escaped from its cage….” He focused his gaze on Dellan, who stilled.
“Then that was what I heard? It was the gorilla that killed him?” This time there was no way he could hold back on the shudder that rippled through him.
Officer Franks nodded, his face solemn. “But not before he was able to shoot it. I’m afraid we haven’t finished with your office yet.” He gave Dellan a speculative glance. “You are intending on running the business again?” When Dellan nodded, Franks cleared his throat. “The officer in Salmon was able to confirm the Skype call. We were unable to do so from here because your brother’s laptop is missing.”
There was silence for a moment.
“But… how can that be, when I called him on it?” Not that Dellan was under any illusions as to the laptop’s location: Anson’s “associate” had obviously removed it.
“That’s where we’re at a loss too,” Franks admitted. “We were at the scene maybe twenty minutes after you called, and there was no one around, not even your brother’s secretary. It appears Mr. Prescott had given her the day off, which was not a rare occurrence. She says it happened a couple of days every month, regular as clockwork.”
“And Mr. Prescott was in no state to disconnect the call,” Dalton added. “So there had to be someone else present. Or someone who came into the office afterward and removed it. The problem with those scenarios is that in both cases, they would have seen Mr. Prescott’s body, yet no one called the police.”
Dellan’s stomach rolled over. Tying up loose ends, my ass. The unknown associate had left one very big loose end.
“While it is suspicious, there is no doubt concerning Mr. Prescott’s death. However, the case will remain open for the time being.” Franks clammed up as Rick came over with a tray of cups and a pot of coffee. He deposited it on the table, then withdrew.
“Will you gentlemen have some coffee?” Dellan asked them.
Franks shook his head. “Where can we contact you, Mr. Carson, should we need to speak with you again?”
Dellan rattled off the number for the house, and Dalton took note of it. “I’ll be staying there for the present. It’s only thirty or so miles from here.” A