Page 25 of Vanish From Sight (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #2)

He laughed. “Despite the obvious. Nicholas. Someone from the Academy. Take your pick. There are any number of people that would love to see me go down in flames.”

“Why?”

“Envy. Hatred. Greed. Pick one. The newspaper, government officials, I’ve exposed handfuls of assholes over the years. In my line of work it comes with the territory. Don’t believe me? Look at all the journalists who have mysteriously ended up dead when they were investigating corruption.”

“So, you’re a popular guy,” McKenzie said.

“No. Unpopular but for all the right reasons,” he replied.

“Did you know Katherine was pregnant?” Noah asked, coming straight out with it. He wanted to gauge his reaction or lack thereof. The smile disappeared from Sawyer’s face, as if someone had stolen a breath. He leaned back and got this expression that could have been read any number of ways.

“She was pregnant?”

Noah nodded.

“Listen, where were you on Friday the eighteenth of November? ”

“That’s simple. I worked all day then had a meeting in the evening.”

“With who?”

“Alexander Hawthorne.”

“Would he recall that?”

“I sure as hell think so. I was about to write one hell of a piece on that place.”

Noah stared at him, trying to see a break in his demeanor. There was none. He rose from his seat. “You want some coffee or a cigarette?”

Sawyer nodded slowly. Noah figured it would be a good time to confer with the others.

He gestured with a nod of the head to the door and the three of them stepped out.

They went back into the room that gave them a clear view of Sawyer.

His head hung low, he was rubbing his hands and muttering to himself.

“You think he could be the daddy?” Callie asked.

“We’ll soon know once they get the DNA of the fetus.”

McKenzie put his foot up on a chair and leaned forward, eyeballing Sawyer through the window. “Only if there is a match. I hardly think he is going to give us consensual DNA without a warrant or court order.”

“Hence the reason for a cup of coffee and a smoke,” Noah said. They would use surreptitious DNA, otherwise known as cast-off DNA, which came from a tissue, a cup, or another used object.

“Do you think he could have murdered Katherine over the baby and then taken out Laura because Katherine had told her?” Callie asked.

McKenzie balked. “Steady on, lass, you’re jumping to a lot of conclusions there. Murdering someone over a baby? You saw the look on his face. He had no bloody idea that she was pregnant.”

“Or he wanted it to appear that way,” Noah added, not taking his eyes off Sawyer .

“Aye, you could be right. Yeah, I think the bastard is playing us,” McKenzie said, staring through the glass.

“Seen these types before. All irate one minute and then giving an Oscar performance sob story the next. He fancies himself as some Morgan Freeman. If he keeps this up, the only damn award he’ll be getting is my foot up his ass. ”

Noah stifled a chuckle. “Check with local PD to confirm the report of a stolen vehicle.”

McKenzie was quick to offer a rebuttal to Sawyer’s answer. “Doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved. He could have murdered the jogger, dumped his vehicle in some remote place where he had already parked his truck, and then driven over to High Peaks Police Department and reported the SUV missing.”

“Possibly but that’s where the names of those who can verify his alibi will come into play. Maybe you can handle that,” Noah said, patting McKenzie on the arm.

“No need, Callie will do it, won’t you, love?”

“Well… I …”

“That’s a good lass, and while you’re at it, get me a cup of coffee.

I think this is going to be a long ass day.

Oh, and don’t get me one from that shite machine in the break room.

I’m taking a hammer to that bastard later.

No, nip down to the local café. I take a large with two cream and three sugar.

And snag me one of those strawberry scones.

Fucking love those.” He lifted a hand, all theatrical.

“You know the ones with the icing on the top. And what’ll you have, Noah? ” he asked, turning to him.

Callie looked at a loss for words.

Noah waved her off and shook his head, to indicate to ignore him. Callie looked utterly perplexed as she strode away. Once she was gone, Noah piped up. “You want coffee, pal, get it yourself. That’s not what she’s here for.”

“Aye, I see, so she only does favors for you. I get it. You cheeky wee lad. ”

“McKenzie. I don’t know how you ran things down in the Big Apple but up here, you’re liable to find yourself with a black eye if you keep rattling off at the mouth like that.”

McKenzie scoffed, squaring off to him. “Aye, you and whose army?”

Before Noah could reply, Callie returned looking out of sorts. “Noah. Is your phone off?”

“Yeah, while we were in the interview.”

“Your daughter Mia is on line two. She sounds pretty worried.”

He nodded, hurrying to the nearest phone in the office. He took a seat on the edge of the table and scooped up the handset. “Mia?”

“Dad. I’ve been trying to get hold of you all morning.”

“Sorry. I…” He took out his phone and turned it back on to see a whack of text messages and missed calls from Mia, Ethan and Aiden. “I had my phone off.”

“It’s mom. She never came home last night.”

“What?” He stood up, his body tensing. With the two women dead, and talk of a serial killer on the loose, his mind began to think the worst.