Scout’s gaze went to the corner.
The typewriter case.
Burke set the recorder down. “We’re updating interviews. Start again. Your contact with Quinn and Parker.”
“I barely knew Parker,” Raines snapped. “And Quinn consulted on departmental matters. That’s all.”
“You had feelings for her,” Scout said evenly. “You didn’t hide it well.”
Color crept up Raines’s neck.
Tucker stepped in. “Where were you the night Agent Quinn disappeared?”
“I went home. Graded papers. Alone.”
Denton checked his tablet. “Badge logs show your card leaving campus after six. No return scan.”
Raines opened his mouth. Closed it.
Scout nodded toward the case. “Tell us about the Royal.”
“It’s at my house.”
McHan spoke quietly. “Search team executed a warrant ten minutes ago. No typewriter found.”
Raines blinked. “That’s impossible. Someone must’ve taken it.”
“Convenient,” Denton said.
Burke folded his arms. “Let’s talk about the violet left on Agent Quinn’s table.”
Raines exploded. “I didn’t leave anything! I bought that plant months ago—another for my mother last week.”
“Will we find it there?” Burke asked.
Raines hesitated. “…Yes.”
An analyst stepped into the doorway.
“Update on Sinclair. Alibi confirmed for the night Deputy Parker disappeared. Dinner with girlfriend’s parents. Stayed overnight.”
He swiped his tablet.
“For the night Agent Quinn was taken—badge logs show Sinclair on campus until 22:14. Cameras confirm vehicle exit at 22:23. No reentry logged.”
“Travel time to the cabin?” Tucker asked.
“Thirty-eight minutes minimum,” McHan said.
“That narrows opportunity,” Tucker replied. “Doesn’t eliminate him.”
Raines went pale.
“Then it’s Keller,” he blurted. “You should be looking at Keller.”
Burke’s eyes narrowed. “Everyone’s got a name ready.”
Scout said quietly, “Funny. Keller’s students say you and Sinclair constantly tried to one-up each other. And that you hated Keller for how he treated Lauren.”
