The color drained from Holloway's face as the implications of Vic's words sank in. Miles watched the man's reaction carefully, looking for any sign of deception or guilty knowledge. But what he saw was genuine shock and horror.
"Jesus Christ," Holloway said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Are you suggesting that I'm somehow involved in murdering people?"
"We're not suggesting anything," Vic replied quickly and calmly. "We're investigating connections between the victims and trying to understand who might have had reason to target them."
Holloway stood up abruptly and began pacing the small living room, running his hands through his graying hair. "This is insane. It’s…yes, I was angry about that development deal. Yes, I made public statements criticizing the people involved. But murder? I would never, ever consider harming anyone, no matter how much I disagreed with their business practices."
Miles found himself genuinely believing Holloway's protestations. The man's shock seemed authentic, and his body language suggested someone who was genuinely disturbed by the revelation rather than someone trying to cover up his involvement. Not once had he gotten defensive.
"Mr. Holloway," Vic said, her voice taking on a slightly more sympathetic tone, "we're not accusing you of anything. But we need to understand the full scope of your lawsuit and your knowledge of the people involved. Your help would be greatly appreciated."
Holloway stopped pacing and looked directly at her. "My lawsuit was specifically against Patricia Vance's company. I had very limited knowledge of the outside investors who were backing the project."
"Exactly how limited?" Miles asked.
"I knew there were private investors involved, but the details of their participation weren't relevant to the legal issues I was pursuing. My focus was on the company's treatment of the displaced tenants, not on the financial structure of the deal itself."
"So you wouldn't have had detailed information about other investors like Rebecca Thornfield or Nelson DeWalt?"
"I might have seen their names in passing, in some of the financial documents that were part of the discovery process, but I couldn't tell you anything specific about their involvement or their other business activities. Thornfield, though…the name does sound familiar."
Miles watched as Vic processed this information, seeing her mental evaluation of Holloway as a suspect shift in real time. His limited knowledge of the other victims undermined any theory that he had targeted them specifically for their broader business practices.
"Mr. Holloway," Vic said, "I need to ask you about your whereabouts on several specific dates."
"Of course," Holloway replied, settling back into his chair. "Whatever you need. If this…God, if people are being killed over something like that, I’d like to help however I can.”
As Vic began walking through the timeline of the murders, asking for alibis and documentation of Holloway's activities, Miles found himself studying her technique with growing appreciation. She managed to ask probing questions without making Holloway feel accused, maintaining a professional distance while still engaging him as a cooperative witness rather than a hostile suspect.
There was an elegance to the way she gathered information, starting with broad questions and gradually narrowing down to specific details. She confirmed Holloway's alibi for the nightPatricia Vance was killed (he had been at a community meeting about affordable housing), and gathered information about his daily routine and work schedule that would allow them to verify his whereabouts during the other murders. And Miles wasn't sure Holloway was even fully aware that she was doing it. She wasthatgood.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about the people involved in the development deal?" Vic asked as the interview began to wind down. "Anyone who expressed particularly strong feelings about the project or the investors?"
Holloway considered the question carefully. "There were a lot of angry people, Agent Stone. The families being displaced, community activists, other attorneys working on similar cases. This kind of development project creates enemies throughout the community. It can getveryheated."
"Was there anyone who stood out as particularly angry or who made statements that might be relevant?"
"Not that I can think of, no. Most of the opposition was channeled through legal and political processes. People were angry, but it was the kind of anger that leads to lawsuits and protest rallies, not violence."
Miles could see that Vic had reached the same conclusion he had about Holloway's involvement in the murders. The man was clearly passionate about housing rights and had genuine grievances against the victims, but he lacked both the technical knowledge and the psychological profile of someone who would commit elaborate murders. And based on what he’d heard, the alibis he’d provided to Vic ruled him out.
As Vic continued gathering alibi information, Miles reflected on what their interview had accomplished. They had confirmed a connection between all three victims through the development deal, but they had also eliminated what had seemed like their most promising suspect. Holloway was exactly what he appearedto be: a committed advocate for housing rights who had used legal channels to fight what he saw as injustice.
Which meant their killer was still out there, and they were back to searching for connections they hadn't yet discovered. The killer remained ahead of them, probably already working toward another murder.
CHAPTER NINE
Vic pushed through the heavy glass doors of the FBI's San Francisco field office and immediately felt the familiar weight of institutional bureaucracy crash down on her. The building's lobby stretched out before them with all the warmth and personality of a corporate law firm. The freshly cleaned marble floors reflecting the harsh fluorescent lighting made everyone look slightly sickly. Gray walls displayed the standard collection of official portraits and FBI mission statements, while security checkpoints and metal detectors created bottlenecks that slowed movement to a crawl.
God, she hated coming to field offices. Every single one of them felt exactly the same to her—sterile environments where momentum went to die and cases got bogged down in procedure and jurisdictional politics. The moment she stepped through those doors, she could feel her investigative energy draining away, replaced by the grinding machinery of federal bureaucracy. But after their interview with Marcus Holloway, she had to admit that traditional office work was probably their only option at this point.
She was aware of Miles Sterling beside her, though, and didn’t want to allow her grumpiness to sway his opinion of her, or the field office. Hell, for all she knew, the San Francisco field office might be much better than the dozens of others she had visited.
She approached the industrial looking receptionist’s desk and was greeted by a mousy woman who looked just about as happy to be there as Vic was. Vic showed her badge and said, "Special Agent Victoria Stone, Violent Crime Unit out of Quantico. I'm working the gold murders case and need workspace for myself and Dr. Sterling here." She gesturedtoward Miles, who was looking around the lobby with the slightly overwhelmed expression of someone who didn't spend much time in field offices.
The receptionist's fingers moved across her keyboard as she accessed the scheduling system. "I can get you a conference room on the third floor. How long will you need it?"
"Indefinitely," Vic replied. "This is an active investigation and I don't know how long we'll be in the city."
