He pressed his fingertips flat to the desk. In the next room, the camera’s lens watched—his borrowed eye, never blinking.
For now, he waited.
45
Sheriff’s Department – Interview Wing
They used the medical interview room—Dr. Calder’s temporary setup inside the sheriff’s department.
Sara sat at the metal table, back straight, hands locked together. Scout stood behind the glass with Burke, Tucker, Denton, and McHan.
Calder set her recorder down. “Same boundaries. If we hit something too hard, we stop. You tell me.”
Sara nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Start with the room,” Calder said. “Anything you missed. Air system. Access points. Mechanical sounds. Anything.”
Sara closed her eyes. “The air felt processed. Clean. Like it was filtered.”
Burke wrote:vent system/filtered air.
“Smells?”
“Cedar,” Sara said. “Soft. Old. And something like linen or lavender. Not strong. Just there.”
Burke underlinedcedar twice.
“Sounds besides the clock and fridge?”
Sara hesitated. “Twice, I heard a scrape. Low. Like wood sliding.”
“Where?” Calder asked.
“Lower,” Sara said. “Not the desk. Like something opening beneath the floor. Or inside a wall.”
Burke’s pen stopped.
Calder watched Sara’s breathing shift. “Okay. That’s enough on that.”
Sara swallowed once.
“Journals,” Calder said. “How were they stored?”
“They weren’t dusty,” Sara said. “Even the old ones. Someone handled them. A lot.”
Calder nodded. “That fits.”
Burke looked up. “Fits what?”
“Someone who can’t leave a story alone,” Calder said.
She flipped a page in her notes. “Lauren. When you read her journals—how did she describe the men around her?”
“Keller lied. Told her he was separated. Slept with her anyway.”
“Raines?” Calder asked.
“He flirted when no one was around,” Sara said. “Made her skin crawl.”
