what he said next. “Anna and Laurel were good-looking women. I enjoyed being around them. They were easy on the eye.”
“I heard that recently you walked in on Laurel nursing Jeremy, and you refused to leave,” I said.
“It was beautiful. She was beautiful,” Carl said, his voice defiant. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to watch.”
“What did Jacob have to say about that?”
“You know, he never did seem to mind when I paid attention to his wives,” Carl said. “I think he enjoyed having me appreciate them. I think that made him proud.”
“Did you kill Anna and Laurel, Sybille and Benjamin?”
“I told you that already. I know nothing about the murders,” he said, sitting up straighter, bristling with contempt. “You said at the trailer that you were bringing me here to answer questions, not ’cause you suspect I did it.”
“Did you kill them?” I asked again.
“No.” He locked his eyes onto mine and didn’t back off.
“Did you attack Jacob and cut his throat?”
“No,” he said again. He hesitated and then added, “I admit I’m not the world’s best man, and it could be true that I cross lines off and on. But I didn’t kill those women, those little kids. And I love Jacob. I never would have done anything to hurt him.”
Max was waiting outside the door when I walked out of the interview room. “Anything?” he asked.
We stood at the window looking in at Carl and I shook my head. “Not really. Except that Anna, Laurel and Jacob argued the night before the killings. Carl says it was about the noise the kids were making,” I said. “Carl’s a strange guy.”
“How so?” Max asked.
“Odd reactions. He doesn’t respond emotionally the way you’d think he should.” Max nodded as if he’d seen it too, and I asked, “Did the judge give us the go-ahead?”
Max held up the paperwork. “Yup. The search warrant is signed. I’ve got the forensic team heading out to Carl’s trailer now. We can meet them there.”
I turned away from the window and said, “Good. Let’s go.”
“What about talking to Jacob’s parents first?” Max asked. “Maybe they can weigh in on what they saw out at the ranch.”
I’d considered that. I knew Michael and Reba Johansson had already been told about the killings. Max’s boss, Sheriff Virgil Holmes, had offered to notify the next of kin. He’d have to track down Anna’s family in Mexico. Bad news coming from far away was going to be tough to deliver and, of course, even harder to take. Every violent death sent out shockwaves and ripples of sadness.
“My guess is that the Johanssons are at the hospital with Jacob by now,” I said. “Let’s see what Carl has out at the trailer, find out if there’s any actual evidence tying him to all this, before we talk to Jacob’s parents.”
“Since our prime suspect is their son’s best friend that’s probably a good idea. They may be relatively resistant if we have no evidence,” Max agreed.
“We’re a long way from considering Carl our prime suspect,” I countered.
Max shrugged. “True, but then we don’t really have a list either. At the moment, he’s our only suspect.”
He had a point there.
“What about Naomi?” Max asked. “You want to take her statement before we head to Carl’s?”
“The social worker should be here any minute to take the baby,” I said. “Conroy will be back soon. Once that happens, he can drive Naomi out to the ranch to get the van. I’ll get with her and take her statement later, but not here. The more I’ve thought about this, as resistant as she is Naomi may talk more easily in a more familiar setting.”
A plan in place, I stuck my head back in the interview room and Carl looked up at me. “You’re free to go,” I said. “But Judge Crockett signed a warrant to search your place. Want to see it?”
Carl scowled. “Nah, I believe you.”
“We’ll get you a copy to take with you. If you don’t want to be there, I suggest you take a few hours and do something else before you head home.”
I watched for a reaction, wondering if he’d protest. “I’m pretty sure I left it unlocked when you dragged me down here,” he said, as if none of it worried him. “You have at it. I ain’t got a thing to hide.”
“Good,” I said. “If we need anything else, I’ll be in touch. Don’t leave the county, okay?”