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Kevin gripped the doorknob before stepping aside and inviting them into the foyer. “Can you tell me what this is about?”
“A woman is missing,” Bennett said. “We know from surveillance footage that your brother and Debbie Roberson were in the parking lot at the same time. We’re hoping Tyler saw something.”
Kevin’s jaw worked at the joints as if he were weighing the pros and cons. Finally, the pros appeared to win. “Tyler, come downstairs.” A door opened, and the faint bass beat of music grew louder.
“Coming,” Tyler said.
“Are you Tyler’s legal guardian?” Macy asked.
“Our mother travels a great deal, and I step in when she’s gone. I have full legal authority, then, when it comes to Tyler.”
“What does your mother do for a living?” Macy asked.
“She travels. For pleasure,” Kevin said.
“Sounds like fun,” Macy said.
“It is, for her.”
Meaning it wasn’t for Tyler and Kevin. “How often do you commute in from DC?”
“A few times a week.”
“That’s rough,” Macy said. “Traffic never lets up.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Does your family own the Wyatt barn?” she asked.
“No. My father sold it almost thirty years ago, but the name has stuck.”
“You heard about the recent discovery at the barn?”
“I did.”
“Did you know Tobi?” Macy asked.
“Knew of her, but we never spoke.”
“Band geek versus Dream Team kind of thing?”
“High school kids can be very judgmental. I wish I’d been kinder to her.”
“You weren’t nice to her?” Macy asked.
“Most of the football players, including me that year, were too stuck up for their own good.”
Heavier footsteps thudded across the upstairs floor before Tyler appeared at the top of the stairs. Tall like his brother, he was wiry and strong. Likely the same build his older brother had enjoyed at that age before long hours at the office and stress had caught up.
When Tyler saw Bennett, his face flushed a faint pink as if he were mentally ticking through what he had done recently that would warrant a visit from the law.
“What’s up, Kevin?” Tyler asked.
“You’re not in trouble,” Kevin said. “The police have questions about a missing woman.”
“Tyler,” Bennett said. “You and Amy were at Lucky’s on Saturday night.”
“Yeah. Everyone was there, even Matt,” Tyler said.
“Matt?” Macy asked.
Bennett’s frown deepened. “Matt is my son. He’s fourteen.”
Macy sensed the deputy’s frustration over this new bit of information about a curfew-breaking son. “Continue, Tyler.”
“We were all getting food after the rally at the high school.”
“Tyler, did you see Debbie Roberson?” Macy asked.
“Yeah.”
“How did you know her?” Macy asked.
“She worked at the assisted living place where my grandmother lived until she died. Grandma liked her. She was nice.”
“Did you two speak?” Macy asked.
“Yeah. I said hi and so did she. She was wearing her scrubs and looked like she just got off work.”
“Did anyone else speak to her?” Macy asked.
“Yeah. A guy. He used to work at the old folks’ home, too. I think his name is Rafe.”
Bennett shifted her stance as she reached for her phone and typed in a name. When an image came up, she showed it to the boy. “This him?”
Tyler studied the picture. “Yeah. That’s him.”
“Rafe Younger,” Bennett said.
“Did Younger say anything to Debbie?” Macy asked.
“I wasn’t really paying attention. But she laughed when he spoke to her. She got in her car and left.”
“What did Younger do?”
“Drove off, I guess,” Tyler said. “I don’t know. I didn’t sense anything odd.”
“Did you see anyone else around Ms. Roberson?” Macy asked.
“No. But I wasn’t paying attention. Matt had just—” He glanced toward the deputy and stopped.
“Matt just what?” Bennett asked calmly. “I’m not mad, seriously.”
“Nothing,” the boy said.
Bennett looked as if she wanted to press the matter, but let it go. “Okay.”
“Is that all the questions you have?” Kevin asked.
Macy thanked both Kevin and Tyler Wyatt, but as she turned, she asked Kevin, almost as an aside, “What about Cindy Shaw? You must have known her. A cousin, right?”
“The two families never mixed, but yes, she was a cousin.”
“Why didn’t the families mix?”
“My aunt was a meth addict. And Cindy was following the same path as her mother,” Kevin said.
“And Bruce?”
“He tried to be a good brother to Cindy, but his life was football. She finally realized that and took off.”
“And Bruce stayed.”
“His future was here. He moved in with my family the second half of senior year.”
“I hear Cindy was really into the bonfires,” Macy said.
“The bonfires?”
Macy smiled. “You know, the big pregame events that were a good luck ritual for the Dream Team. Seems to me if you mix teenagers, booze, and hormones, it’s a recipe for something to happen.”
“I don’t understand your meaning,” he said carefully.
“Did anyone ever get hurt at those shindigs?”
He glanced quickly at the deputy but then shook his head. “Not that I remember.”
Macy reached in her breast pocket and pulled out the cylinder holding a buccal swab. “Would you allow me to swab the inside of your cheek? I’m gathering samples from every male who might have been in contact with Tobi those last days. It’s really just to eliminate you so I can move on to the real suspects.”
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He hesitated. “How will DNA help you find Tobi’s killer?”
“I’m not sure it will, but we’re being proactive with the DNA testing given the recent news about the untested rape kits. It’s more of a PR thing.”
“I still don’t see how I figure into the equation.”
“Exactly. And the sooner I don’t have to look in your direction, the better for us both. It’ll only take a second. I promise.” He was an attorney and knew he could say no, and if she wanted to press, she’d have to get a court order.
“I’ll check with my attorney. If he gives the go ahead, I’d be glad to.”
“Why not just do it now?” Macy asked.
Kevin smiled. “I never deal directly with the cops even if I have a speeding ticket.”
Macy reminded herself that even innocent men were cautious. “Next time I see you, I’ll ask.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. What’s going on with Debbie Roberson?” Kevin asked.
“Hopefully it’s all a false alarm, and she’ll show up just fine,” Macy offered. “Thank you for your time.”
Bennett rattled her keys as they moved toward their cars. “You believe Tobi’s killer is wrapped up in the Dream Team?”
When they reached Macy’s car, she drew a line under her notes and then jotted Kevin Wyatt’s name down. “I have no idea. But I have three unsolved rape cases and a murder from the year this Dream Team went all the way.”
Bennett’s brow knotted. “The team received a lot of exposure, which in turn brought to town a lot of people who weren’t normally here.”
“How can I find Rafe Younger?” Macy asked.
“I’ll see if I can track him down.”
“I’d like to speak to Debbie’s mother, too,” Macy said.
“Special Agent Crow, you’re here to investigate the rapes and murder, not this case.”
“Deputy, have you ever had one of those moments when a word you wish to recall is on the tip of your tongue, but for the life of you it remains out of reach?”
“Sure.”
“When I get that feeling with a case, I don’t ignore it. In fact, I run with it until that funny feeling goes away.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’ve got that feeling now.”
“You think Debbie’s case is related to Tobi’s?”
“It makes no logical sense, but I can’t shake the feeling.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
