A Darkness Absolute (Casey Duncan #2)(109)

Shawn Sutherland.

This all began when Anders and I left Rockton to chase Sutherland. Then the storm hit. We saw a man in a snowsuit. He dropped Sutherland’s bloodied toque and walked away. We took shelter and found Nicole.

The puppy circles, spinning me on my ass, the nylon suit whispering over the snow. The sound reminds me of the man.

Could Sutherland have been the man in the snowmobile suit?

I know now that the man in the snowmobile suit was not the one I’d seen behind my house. The second man was Roger, and he was the only one I’d gotten a good look at. So I needed to separate that part of my killer’s ID from my mental picture of Roger.

Imagine the man in the snowmobile suit. Size, weight, build. It could be half of the guys in Rockton, but it does fit for Sutherland.

Back to the beginning. Sutherland leads us into the forest. The storm hits, and he changes into the snowmobile suit and returns to drop off his bloodied toque. A few days later he “escapes” back to Rockton with the injuries to support his captivity story. But none of those injuries are impossible to self-inflict. Rub his wrists raw with rope. Add splinters. Knock his head against something hard. Let himself suffer a bit of exposure. Then come back to Rockton.

Having Roger chase him only added an unexpected—and helpful—flourish to his story. Yet when he discovers we’ve found Roger, he must act. Sneak out and follow us. Vent his victimized rage on his supposed captor, silencing him before he can talk. When Roger survives, he sneaks in and finishes the job.

As for his nighttime attack, it’s easy enough to rig up a ligature. Easy even to use it in a way that’ll leave marks.

In this case, I would have been wrong about the reason for Sutherland’s attack. He would have already gotten Nicole away and stashed her someplace. Then he came back and feigned his attack to give himself an alibi.

But if Sutherland is the kidnapper and killer, why would he get cabin fever and run into the forest? He unnecessarily drew attention to himself. And what is the chance that we just happened to find Nicole while chasing her captor? It would only make sense if we’d caught him sneaking into the forest and pursued at enough distance to track him to his lair. But that’s not how it happened—at all. He declared his intent to leave Rockton.

Which brings up the timing issue, the biggest problem with this whole theory. I can’t make the timing work. Sutherland arrived in Rockton barely a year ago. He’s one of Rockton’s white-collar criminals.

Which explains his cover story. For most people, teaching is a career they know enough about to fake it. Unless they’re talking to an actual teacher. Jen says she only asked which grade he taught, but I suspect there was more to it. Anyone could have fudged that answer. I’ll have to speak to her.

As I consider timing, something in Isabel’s story pokes at the back of my brain. Damned if I can pinpoint it, though.

Think outside the box.

I’m trying to do just that when something moves in the forest. I hear it first, and when I look over, Storm’s already on alert. Then she goes wild, yanking on the leash and whining and yelping. I think it’s an animal, and I shine my flashlight and instead catch the flash of an arm as a figure moves past a tree.

Someone in the woods.

Yeah, Butler, there are lots of someones in the woods.

Not near Rockton, though. Yet that’s what I think of, the settlers in the forest, and my mind snags on that thought, and I’m not sure why—

“Better drop that leash before she drags you.”

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.