“I’d ask Lincoln, but…” I held his gaze.
His eyes flickered. “Terrible shame about Lincoln. Never met a nicer guy.”
“I agree, and still, someone murdered him in cold blood.”
“Well, maybe if you did your job better, there would be less violence in Rainy Dale. Instead of trying to catch Lincoln’s murderer, you’re talking to me. You don’t have your priorities straight, Sheriff.”
“I’m talking to anyone I think is possibly connected to all three murders.”
He pointed at me. “You don’t know Liam is dead yet.”
“I’m fairly sure the DNA from the body in the car will come back as his.”
He tsk-tsked. “A fire that hot, would DNA survive it?”
“There are always dental records.”
His mouth thinned. “I guess that’s true.” He cleared his throat. “You know, even if that body in the burned car is Liam, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an accident. Why are you so positive there was foul play?”
“Too much gasoline.”
He frowned. “What?”
“According to the fire specialist on scene, the fire was way too hot, and there was way too much gasoline for one car. He suspects someone burned the car on purpose by adding accelerant.”
“Is that right?” He looked unsettled. “Sounds pretty… violent.”
“Yeah.”
He harrumphed. “Well, I was at the slideshow. Ask anybody.”
“You must be pretty upset that the guy you backed to oust me as sheriff is possibly dead.”
He scowled. “You don’t know that Liam is dead. Why do you keep saying he’s dead?”
“You know why.” I hesitated. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Michael shifted in his seat. “There are plenty of people who can run against you.”
“So you’re not upset that Liam might be dead?”
“Stop putting words in my mouth. Of course I’m upset. I’m simply saying you’re not off the hook,” he growled. “I’ll find another qualified candidate to beat your ass in the recall election.”
I decided to switch subjects to throw him off a little. “Did you know Kyle Segrott well?”
His face tensed. “What?”
“Kyle Segrott.”
“Oh, you mean the kid who died of peanut poisoning?” He shrugged. “I knew he was a candidate. I also knew he wasn’t qualified.”
“Someone called him threatening him. Did you know that?”
“No.”
“The call came from a burner phone.”
“That’s too bad.” He avoided my gaze. “Sounds like you have a real psychopath on your hands, Sheriff.”
