“Dr.Marcus Sullivan?”she asked.
“Yes?”Marcus replied in a high-pitched, slightly nasal voice that sounded like it belonged to a man half his size.“May I ask why the FBI is at my door?”
“I’m Special Agent Faith Bold,” Faith replied.“This is my partner, Special Agent Michael Prince, and our K9 unit, Turk.”
Turk barked a formal greeting, and Marcus squinted down at him.“Wow.He’s in excellent shape for an older dog.”
Faith’s lips thinned, but she kept herself composed.“Thank you.To answer your question, we’re here investigating the murders of Paul Martinez and Kevin Barnes.”
Marcus tilted his head.“I see.Well, I’m afraid I don’t know either of those gentlemen.Or didn’t know them, rather.”
“Really?”Michael said.“But you were definitely at one of the crime scenes.”
Marcus blinked.“Was I?”
“Staff Sergeant Barnes’s body was buried in a shallow grave at an archaeological dig site in Collis P.Huntington State Park outside of Danbury,” Faith informed him.
Marcus's mouth dropped open in an O, an action that somehow emphasized the roundness of his face."Oh my goodness!The excavation of the Battle of Candlewood Village?"
“Yes,” Faith said.
“Oh my.”He shook his head.“Well, you’d better come inside.Don’t worry about your dog.I don’t mind if he tracks a little mud inside.”
Faith shared a look with Michael.“Thank you.”
The three agents followed him inside.The house was well-appointed with stone tile floors and hardwood furniture.A wood-burning furnace dominated the living room, and the kitchen counters were made of some dark basaltic stone that contrasted nicely with the brushed aluminum surfaces of the appliances.A chandelier hung over the center of the dining room, and a massive ceiling fan occupied the same space in the living room.
And every available flat surface was piled with books, journals, and magazines, all of which were histories of warfare.Faith shared another look with Michael.Dr.Sullivan was looking better by the minute.
"Would you two like some coffee or tea?"Marcus asked, flitting around the kitchen with the odd grace that many big men seemed to possess."I have a lovely Earl Grey or, if you prefer, a Jasmine tea imported directly from Kyoto."
“We’re all right, thank you,” Faith said.“So you have a special interest in the Candlewood site.”
"I have a special interest in all sites of human conflict," Marcus replied, filling a small kettle with water and setting it on his stove."Especially those that have gone unnoticed by the general public.I'm writing a book cataloguing all of those lesser-known sites in the United States.I have a feeling it's going to be a multi-volume work, considering how many sites are popping up just in New England.Did you know there's a site on the Upper Delaware River not two hours from here where the Delaware Nation engaged in battle with the Mohawk Indians over territory?It could be the oldest record of conflict between the Delaware and the Iroquois Confederacy."
"Why, what a coincidence," Michael said drily."That site happens to be where we found the body of Paul Martinez."
Marcus paused as he held a scoop of tea leaves over a stoneware mug.“Oh.”He looked up.“Oh.You suspect me of being the murderer.”
“We’re not saying that yet,” Faith replied carefully, “but you clearly have an interest in warfare.Both victims were veterans.Both were buried in shallow graves at sites of ancient battles—another interest of yours.”
“A double interest,” Marcus interrupted.“I am also intrigued by the different burial practices of warrior cultures.”
Faith raised an eyebrow.She suspected that their killer wanted to be caught, but Marcus was basically flaunting it at this point.
Or he was innocent and confident that he could prove it.
“I’ll get right to it, Dr.Sullivan,” she said.“Can you provide an alibi for last night and for three nights ago?”
“Last night I was here.I have security footage that will show me arriving home at eight o’clock and show that I didn’t leave until six this morning.Three nights ago, I was at a writers’ convention in Vancouver.I flew back yesterday.”
Faith shared another look with Michael, this one of disappointment.Once more, they had followed a promising lead only for it to reach a dead end.They’d confirm the alibis, of course, but considering Marcus’s confidence and relaxed attitude, she was pretty sure they’d turn out to be legitimate.
Marcus must have noticed their disappointment because he said in a wry tone, “I’m sorry to have let you down.You seem to have put a lot of stock into the possibility of me as your killer.”
“We follow the evidence, Dr.Sullivan,” Faith replied.“It led us here, but assuming your alibis check out, that evidence will lead us somewhere else.”
“Well, all is not lost,” Marcus said.“I might not be your killer, but I’ll bet I can help you find him.”
