Dave Duvall was turning out to be a dead end. Except for that flash of panic in his eyes.
“How did you hear about Bubbles?” Detective Ryan asked.
“My sister got a call a few days ago. At first, she thought it was a crank. But she followed up and called the number the caller left. It led to the dog. She picked him up. He’s fine. Not a scratch on him.” Dave gave them a watery smile. “Something good, eh?”
“That is something.” Jane paused, wanting to word her question just right. “Mr. Duvall, do you know the Coatney and Strand families?”
He paled. “The Coatneys were killed. I know that. I’d met them once or twice at Jim’s parties. Karen loved hosting events. I think Nick Coatney was a friend of my brother’s through business.”
“And the Strands?”
“Glen and Kai, I think. I do remember them. They kept trying to get Jim to branch out into electronics.” Dave huffed. “We’re good at what we do. Why would we want to delve into tech? Our trade routes and distributors are the best, though. I think that’s why they were talking to us about it. Or talking to Jim, I should say.”
She had a feeling he knew a lot more than he admitted.
“Anyway, I wanted you guys to know the killer came after me. I’m leaving the country for a while. Sherry refuses to go, but I can’t stay here. I’ll be with friends in Paris. Sherry will know how to reach me if you have more questions.” He paused and asked, “Unless I’m not free to go?”
Jane shook her head. “We appreciate you coming in at all. And we’re taking the threat to you very seriously.”
Mollified, he added, “I wish I could tell you more. If I had even an inkling of who might have hurt my family, I’d tell you.” He sighed. “I just… I need some time to think.”
“What your family has suffered is terrible,” Detective Ryan rumbled. “I don’t blame you.”
“Yeah, but my sister and mom need me. I’ll come back, even if I wish I didn’t have to.” Dave stood.
Jane figured he’d shared all he planned to and stood with the detective as well. She held out a hand. “We really appreciate your help, Mr. Duvall. If we learn anything, we’ll let you know.” She held onto his hand as she asked, “And you’re sure you’ve never heard your brother mention a collective? A group of some sort?”
His hand felt damp, his grip weak. He quickly pulled back and shot her a fake smile. “The only group my brother was into recently was a pickleball club he and Karen had joined.” He stared at her, as if weighing his next words with a gravity they didn’t deserve. “TheRavens, I think they called themselves. Not the Collective. Other than that, nothing.”
Jane just watched him, understanding he’d tried to tell her something without telling her. She gave an easy smile. “Thanks again for your cooperation, Mr. Duvall. And best of luck on your trip.”
“I’ll show you out.” Detective Ryan walked Dave out the door.
Jane stared after them. Dave Duvall had lied about his knowledge concerning the Collective. She didn’t need her cousin to point out the obvious untruth. But that comment about his brother playing on a team called the Ravens…
Wasn’t a raven a type of corvid?
Like a rook—the kind of rook Matthew had asked her about?
Chapter 9
Jane returnedto work with more questions than answers. She sent the cold wallet out to the lab in Quantico, hoping they could do something with it. Though from the state of it, she had a feeling it would be good for nothing except a trash can.
She made some notes and found Sherry Duvall’s number. After setting up a meeting for the following day, she thought about what had been bothering her about Dave Duvall and called Detective Ryan.
They’d worked together a year ago on a murder case, and she appreciated his dedication to his job. Plus, he had a sweet tooth that went well with a good stakeout. He’d been working the Duvall and Coatney cases and had been the one to call her in on them.
“Agent Cannon,” he answered on his personal cell phone. “What can I do for you? Sorry I couldn’t stick around earlier. Had a doozy of a perp pop up we’ve been trying to grab for months.”
“No problem. Something’s been bugging me about the interview, and I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk.”
“About our terrible liar, Dave Duvall?”
She chuckled. “That’s the one.”
“You know, the guy seems genuinely upset about his brother’sdeath. I don’t get the feeling he had anything to do with killing his brother, sister-in-law, or those poor kids. And to be frank, I’ve seen a lot of murderers. Dave Duvall doesn’t have the stomach to kill.”
“I didn’t get that sense either.”
