“I didn’t kill Marie.” Lovall raked a hand through his hair and let out a low, frustrated growl. “She told me a couple of the guys were annoying her. I laughed at her and told her she was imagining it. No one wants to risk their job and Bowman is very tough on guys who harass the women.”
“So she came to you for help and you told her to suck it up?” Styles looked away disgusted. “You’re her boss.”
“No, I’m not. I’m the cattle boss. If she had problems with the hands in the hay shed, she should have gone to speak to Tex.” Lovall shook his head. “Cops are all the same. Because I have a few misdemeanors, right away you’re on my back.” He shook a finger at Beth. “I’m not scared of you.”
Beth smiled. “You should be. You see, people who torture women to death can’t stop at one. We’ve dealt with all types of killers and we’re not going anywhere until we find who did this.” She stood slowly and stopped the recording on her phone. “That’s all for now. You may go.” She waited for him to go and turned to Styles. “He’s got a short fuse.”
“Yeah”—a slow smile crossed Styles’ lips—“and you just lit it.”
Twenty-Three
Beth allowed the interview to percolate through her mind. Dirk Lovall was the type of man Beth had encountered a number of times. She could push his buttons and delve into the shadows surrounding him. He had a tell, the kind that made him twitch when one of their questions landed too close to the truth. Even though they’d warned him not to lie to FBI agents, he lied like a man who’d never been caught before. It wasn’t smooth or practiced but she’d picked up on his jaw tic, his shifting eyes, and the way his hands disappeared under the table to cover the shakes. Lovall was scared, not of her or Styles but of something outside the room, something or someone he didn’t dare name. Beth didn’t trust him. He must be hiding something, or was so loyal to someone—or terrified—he might do something to protect himself.
Like burying a body.
The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as she followed Styles out of the small room and scanned the ranch yard. The few hands wandering by avoided her gaze and kept their heads down. By now it will be all over the ranch that the FBI was investigating a murder.
“That was a waste of time.” Styles stopped walking and turned to look at her from under his Stetson. “The guy’s a hothead but I don’t figure he’s our killer.”
Slowly, Beth moved her attention from the yard back to him. “I don’t agree. I’m keeping him on the suspect list.”
“I’m not seeing the smooth charismatic persona we usually see in a man who dominates women and this is obviously what our killer is like.” Styles snorted. “You had him shaking in his boots. What makes you think he did it?”
Beth’s gaze didn’t leave his face. “I’ve seen this type of killer before. He’s the type who follows orders. Impulsive, defensive, and people usually believe what he says, so he gets away with lying. I figure he’s terrified of something or someone.”
“Well, if he was terrified of someone, why didn’t he talk to us?” Styles hung his thumbs in the belt around his waist and stared into the distance.
Unable to put all her thoughts into words, Beth sighed. “That’s a red flag right there. I believe he’s covering for someone—or is involved deeper than we believe. Think about it, Styles, he’s been here for twenty-four years. I figure he knows what happened to Rhett’s parents and why. So all this time, he’s been hiding something he believes will get him killed but he’s not smart enough to hide it from me.”
“What’s he been hiding, Beth?” Styles blew out a long sigh. “We have one murder and it’s fresh. How could it be linked with whatever Rhett’s father got involved in twenty-two years ago?”
Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to him again. “What if Cutter discovered something so terrifying he covered it up along with what happened to the Lawsons? It frightened him to such a degree he couldn’t live with it and took his own life? What if that something is still happening now? We’ve only found one body. If we’re talking about a serial killer, they stop killing only when they’re dead. I figure I know what Rhett’s father discovered—the torture and murder of young women. He must have seen something suspicious and got too close. Maybe he spoke to the wrong person. Maybe he spoke to Lovall in confidence, and he in turn went and told the killer. Their only way out would be to make sure the Lawsons had a tragic accident.”
“It will be all over that he’s spoken to the FBI. Do you think he’ll try and run?” Styles walked slowly toward the ranch house.
Feeling eyes on her, Beth turned to look over one shoulder. “No, he’s too scared to run. We’re not the danger. He figures the danger is out there.”
“So he knows the killer is watching him?” Styles scanned the ranch yard. “Interesting.”
Beth glanced at him. “You know the deal with people like him. They become puppets to people stronger than them. I figure he’d do anything to survive.”
“I hadn’t noticed that he’d gotten so deep under your skin.” Styles rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You really don’t like him, do you?”
Beth shook her head and snorted. “I don’t like anyone—well, apart from you.”
“Yeah, I know.” Styles flashed her a grin. “That’s why we get along.”
Twenty-Four
Enjoying the afternoon breeze, Jenna leaned against the porch railing on the ranch house, scanning the yard, watching for anything unusual. From the barn, Beth and Styles approached talking up a storm. She looked from one to the other. “Did you get anything from Lovall?”
“He’s hiding something and so nervous he sweat through his shirt.” Beth wrinkled her nose. She gave a brief rundown of the interview. “I taped it, so I’ll upload a copy to the server. Maybe we should all do the same and then we can listen when we get some downtime.”
“The guy is scared of his own shadow.” Styles shook his head. “He’s not the killer.”
Nodding, Jenna looked from one to the other. “Did you come down too heavy on him?”
“Nah.” Styles met her gaze. “He’s scared of someone here or of repercussions if he talks. Maybe Bowman has a hold on him. It’s hard to tell. It’s as if the Lawsons’ death story is rehearsed. Lovall told the same story as Bowman. Well, apart from Cutter finding the bodies and freaking out.”
