When I say, "Oh, it's you," Dalton steps into my flashlight beam, shielding his eyes and saying, "Yeah, I thought you saw me. Didn't mean to spook you. I saw someone I really didn't want to talk to--stupid fucking housing dispute--so I cut through the woods."
He walks over as I drop the leash, and Storm goes running to Dalton. He grabs the lead as he pets her, then he draws closer and peers at me. "You okay?"
"Sure. I just..."
I was thinking something.
Isabel's story.
And settlers.
Why was I...?
Shit. Yes. Exactly.
"We need to talk to the council about Sutherland," I say. "Now."
*
As we walk to Val's, Dalton fills me in on what he knows of Sutherland's life down south. He does have a connection to teachers--as a fund manager for their union. He'd been suspected of taking significant kickbacks for investing the teachers' money in questionable ventures. Given that he was able to buy his way into Rockton, it was obviously more than a suspicion.
"And before you ask," Dalton says. "I didn't investigate his claim. Never got around to it."
"Because you had no reason to. It's a common enough story for Rockton, and unless he crosses your radar, you aren't going to dig deeper."
"Yeah. But if you're asking for his backstory, that means you're considering him as a suspect. I'm guessing you have new information that suggests we're looking at multiple perps again."
"No," I say. "Just playing a long shot. A very long shot."
*
I explain my theory to Dalton before we arrive. Then I tell Val I need to speak to the council. She nods and leads us inside.
"What do you need from them?" she asks me.
"I have to ask questions about Shawn Sutherland's situation down south."
She frowns. "You're considering him for these crimes? I don't mean to second-guess you, Casey, but he's only been here a year." She looks at Dalton. "Have you forgotten that?"
"He hasn't," I say. "Which is why I didn't consider Shawn a suspect before now."
"But he's a victim, isn't he? He came back badly injured. I'm sorry, Casey, but I really don't see how he could be responsible."
"Nicole came back in worse condition," I say. "If we suspected her, we can't ignore Shawn. Otherwise, we're saying that all women who are victimized may have been complicit in--"
"No," she says quickly. "That would be wrong. Of course we need to consider everyone. I don't keep admission files here, but Shawn's entry was recent enough that I might be able to help."
SIXTY-ONE
Val's version only confirms that Dalton isn't misremembering. What I want to know, though, is how thoroughly the council researched Sutherland.
"He brought in a significant sum of money," she says. "And the teachers' union had only begun to raise suspicions. They hadn't actually accused him. It's an ideal situation, like in your own case, where no charges have been filed and no formal accusation made."
"So what research does the council do in those cases?"
"In yours, they would have confirmed that the young man's death occurred as you claimed and that the attack on your current boyfriend happened as you also claimed. But that's a case where there's the threat of violence and no financial gain."
"Because I wasn't buying my way in."