“Freya’s not part of the team. She’s an asset.” Eli may as well have stomped his foot.
“All three of you be quiet. Bennet doesn’t know we’re coming. I need you focused. Jude, wait round the back exit. Freya, you’re coming with us but hang back in the reception area until I call for you.”
Everyone falls into position, and I push open the door to the vets.
A bell chimes above my head and a young man behind the front desk looks up. “Hi there, do you have an appointment?”
I flip open by badge. “That won’t be necessary. We’re here to talk to Dr Colin Bennet.”
The receptionist stands up, his glasses slipping down his nose. “Oh, um, he’s with a patient at the moment.”
I smile but there’s nothing kind about it. “It’s urgent.”
The man wipes his hands on his scrubs. “Right, of course. I’ll just um...” He fumbles for the phone, his fingers tripping over the buttons. His voice shakes as he speaks into the phone before replacing it in its cradle. “He’s just coming.”
A white door to the right opens and I jerk my head at Freya, signaling for her to move out of sight.
Bennet looks much like his photo only with less hair and slightly rounder cheeks. He ushers a dog mum and her trembling poodle out of the room. The dog’s nails scratch against the green linoleum floor. “Scotty will be just fine Mrs. Beadle, just keep giving him the antibiotics till the course runs out.”
Mrs. Beadle holds Scotty’s leash as he scrambles for the door. “Thank you so much doctor.”
Bennet waits till she’s firmly out the door before turning to face us. It’s a subtle power move meant to show us that we’re working on his time, not the other way round. It doesn’t work of course but the fact that he used it tells me a lot about his character. This is a man who likes to be in charge. He probably gets a thrill out of being a vet and playing savior to all those people.
He strides over to us, straightening the cuffs of his lab coat. Another gesture designed to highlight his authority. This man is a textbook narcissist. “Gentlemen, this is a bit of a surprise. How can I help you?”
I flip my badge again. “Dr. Bennet, I’m Special Agent River Park, this is my colleague, Special Agent Eli March. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”
“Of course, of course. My office is just through here.” He waves an arm and flashes an affable smile that doesn’t quiet reach his eyes. He turns to lead the way and I look over my shoulder to check on Freya.
Her head is buried in a pamphlet, but she catches my eye and gives a subtle nod. It’s him.
Bennet’s office is overly neat even to my standards. In my experience doctors and vets are among the most disorganized of people when it comes to their belongings but everything from the precise rows of folders to the lined-up pencils suggests Bennet isn’t as laid back as he’s trying to appear.
He rounds the desk and turns to face us. “So, what’s this about, Officers?”
“Agents,” I correct.
“Oh sorry, I can’t say I’m up to scratch on my FBI terminology.” He chuckles. “My wife’s obsessed with that profiling show, but I must say I prefer something a bit lighter in the evenings.”
“Hit a little too close to home, does it?” Eli asks.
Bennet blinks. “Excuse me?”
“Do you know a man named Arthur Maxwell?” I press, getting straight to the point.
A muscle in Bennet’s jaw ticks, his smile turning forced. “What’s this about, Agent?”
“Answer the question, please.”
“Ah, well, I do know him, yes, or rather I did. I haven’t seen him since he disappeared.” Bennet runs a hand over what’s left of his hair. “If this is about the things they say he’s done, well, I must admit I find it hard to believe. Maybe I’m wrong, I’m not a profiler after all,” he flashes a self-deprecating smile, “but the man I knew, he wouldn’t hurt anyone. I don’t know where he is if that’s why you’re here.”
“We know where he is,” Eli states.
Bennet’s bumbling mask slips, his hand tightening around the paper weight on his desk. “You do?”
“He’s here in Quantico. At least that’s what our two murder victims would suggest.”
Bennet regains his composure and shakes his head. “I heard about those poor women on the news. It’s terrible. I didn’t realize it was the work of the Cross-Cut Killer. How awful.” He pauses, as if taking a moment of silence. “I’m still not sure how this led you to me though.”
