Page 29 of The Smart Killer

His gaze was guarded, assessing them. “Who’s asking?” His voice was gruff, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge, holding it up for him to see. “State Police. Bureau of Criminal Investigation,” he stated firmly. “We had some questions about Hannah Thorne.”

“Is there a problem?”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

He shrugged. “Six, maybe eight days ago. We were hashing out some of the finer details of our divorce. Is she okay?”

“I’m afraid not. A home she was in caught fire.”

He squinted. “She’s dead?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

Porter chimed in. “Where were you two nights ago?”

Noah glanced at Porter. It was an innocent enough question. Something he wouldn’t have objected to having him ask, excepthe wasn’t there to ask questions. Just to observe and learn. Noah let it slide.

“At my cabin over by Lake Colden.”

“You go alone?” Noah asked.

“I did.”

“How long did you stay there?”

“I went for three days. Overdue vacation.”

Noah nodded. “You used the company truck?”

“Saves me paying for gas. Yeah.”

Noah stepped a little closer. He took some information he’d obtained out of his pocket and handed it to him. Kyle looked at it. “You work for a fire system company that serviced Adam Johnson’s home.”

“And?”

Noah pointed at him. “What can you tell us?”

“Not much to say. We service businesses and residences. That neighborhood’s entire system is under contract. We go in monthly to ensure everything is in good working order.”

“And was it?” Noah asked.

Kyle handed the sheet back. “Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have signed off on it. And before you ask if I sabotaged the fire system. No. Hannah and I may have had differences, but I wouldn’t lose my job over her.”

Noah shifted gears. “What can you tell me about the system in that place?”

“It’s all high-end compared to regular fire alarms.”

“In what way?” Noah asked.

“You’ve been through enough residences as a detective. How many have you come across that have sprinkler systems in every room of the house? Or a monitoring system that can alert the fire department before the family?”

“So, if there was no technical fault, you would say it’s doubtful a fire could get out of control in those homes?”

He exhaled. “Fire is unpredictable, humans even more so. Anything is possible. Based on what I’ve serviced in those places, unless someone switched off the sensors, it’s very unlikely. Owners have an above average chance of survival compared to a regular residential home.”

“And these sensors could be turned off through the smart system?”