The Darkness of Evil (Karen Vail #7)(76)

“Agent Vail, is it? I’d like to know what this is about. I haven’t been told anything. But anytime the FBI shows up at your door it’s not good news.”

“No, Mr. Sheridan, it’s not. I mean, it’s not horrible, but it has serious implications. Let’s put it that way.”

“I don’t care how you put it. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“You own the home in Lake Ridge?” She read off the address.

“Yeah, about ten years now. Why?”

“Can you tell us what you’ve got in the basement, in the entertainment center?”

Sheridan cocked his head to the side. “How do you know about our basement? What the hell’s going on?”

“We had reason to enter your home. It has nothing to do with you, I assure you.”

“That’s not an—”

“Mr. Sheridan, this will go a lot faster if you just answer my questions, and then I’ll explain everything. Okay?”

Sheridan took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. “Fine.”

“The entertainment cabinet. You’ve got DVDs in there.”

“Yeah, movies my wife and I bought back before Netflix and HBO Go started streaming. And we’ve got some videotapes of our family trips, stuff like that. Why?”

“Can you describe some of the types of movies you’ve got there? Not the ones of your family.”

He shrugged. “Some romantic comedies—When Harry Met Sally. You’ve Got Mail. Thrillers and suspense, some dramas. Hunt for Red October. No Way Out. We’ve got a little bit of everything. Some foreign films. Chocolat. Edward Scissorhands. Oh, and a bunch of Disney films, the animated classics, the early Pixar ones—Toy Story, Monsters—really, can you tell me why that’s relevant?”

“Any adult films in your collection?”

“Adult? You mean like—X-rated? Porn?”

“Like that, yeah.”

“No.” He shook his head. “My kids play Xbox down there, they watch TV in the basement. It’s our playroom. Why would you even ask that question?”

“We found some movies of … of that nature. And I wanted to know if they’re yours.”

“Definitely not mine. Now—Agent Vail, I have to insist you tell me why you’ve been in my house without our knowledge. And—and how those X-rated movies got there.”

Vail squared her shoulders. Based on his reaction and body language, she was reasonably certain that Sheridan was telling the truth. “You had a squatter living there for the past several months.”

Sheridan’s mouth dropped open. “You’re not serious. We’ve been here with my wife, she’s in an aggressive cancer treatment program. With the kids and everything, I haven’t had a chance to fly home. My neighbor’s supposed to be checking on things, taking in any mail that’s not forwarded here.”

“He or she isn’t doing too good a job.”

“This squatter. What’s he been doing in my house?” Sheridan shivered, twisted his face with revulsion. “This is disgusting. I feel … violated.”

“We had reason to question him and we had an informant tell us where he could be found. Your house. There was—well, he had some automatic weapons and your front door is, um, it needs to be replaced. As soon as possible. It’s been snowing here. Our crime scene unit should be finishing up today.”

“Crime scene unit.” He covered his face with both hands. “Jesus Christ.”

“Mr. Sheridan, did you bring a laptop or tablet with you to Ohio?”

He looked up. “Both. Why?”

“Would you consent to having the FBI do a search of them?”

“What for?”

“We just need to confirm what you told us. Bottom line, if we don’t find any child porn, we’ll leave you alone.”

“How long will that take? I’ve got a bid that needs to be completed by this afternoon. Do you have to take it with you?”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary. An hour should be sufficient. Give or take. But if I need to follow up with something regarding your house, can I call you?”

He looked at Vail with weary eyes. “Of course.”

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I wish you and your wife luck with her treatment.” Vail finished up the call, then disconnected Skype and turned to Curtis. “I think he was being honest with us.”

“Yeah, he looked very surprised. And genuinely pissed off.”

“So Booker Gaines will now have a warrant out for his arrest for possession of child pornography.”

“I’ll see if CSU can get us a list of items found in the house sometime today or tomorrow.”

Vail pulled out her phone and looked at the display. Shit. Still nothing from Jasmine.

“Problem?”

“Jasmine’s not answering her phone and didn’t return my call. Left a voice mail, still haven’t heard back.”

“Try her again. Maybe she didn’t hear it ring and doesn’t realize she has a message.”

When she called last time, it was a number I didn’t recognize. Vail dialed it and waited, got a generic computerized greeting, then hung up.

“You want to go looking for her?” Curtis asked.