What I've Done (Morgan Dane #4)(80)

“Would you look closer?” Morgan handed her the phone.

Carol took a second, longer look and frowned. “He still doesn’t look familiar.”

“His name is Roger McFarland, and his landscaping sign is in your side yard.” Lance studied her face.

“Oh.” Carol shrugged. “I’ve never met the owner of the company. A foreman and crew come out once a week to cut the grass in season. They also handle our spring and fall cleanups and take care of snow removal. Neither Bob nor I can handle the backbreaking work anymore.”

“You don’t know if Mr. McFarland has ever been to the inn?” Lance asked.

“My husband handles the outside maintenance.” Carol handed Morgan’s phone back. “Would you like me to ask Bob?”

Morgan slid her phone back into her bag. “That would be very helpful.”

Carol sent a text. “He should be here in a minute.”

True to her word, a middle-aged man in gray slacks and a blue button-down shirt came into the office. He gave Morgan and Lance curious looks.

His wife introduced them. “They’re here about Shannon.”

Bob’s eyes softened, and he closed the office door. “We’re all very upset about her death.”

“We’re sorry to dredge it all up again,” Lance began. “But can you tell us if Roger McFarland has been to the inn since Shannon was hired?”

Bob took off his wire-rimmed glasses and cleaned them on his shirt, his head cocked, as if he were thinking. “I don’t think so. I haven’t seen Roger since September, when we met to discuss the fall cleanup and the replacement of a couple of shrubs. Usually, I deal with his foreman.”

Disappointment slipped thorough Lance. “But the crew has been here to clear snow?”

“Yes.” Bob hooked his glasses behind his ears. “We had quite a few snowfalls this year. We’re very happy for the early spring.”

The winter had been cold and snowy.

“Is there any way to know for sure if Shannon was working on any of the days that McFarland’s crew came to do snow removal?” Lance asked.

“Why?” Bob’s eyes narrowed. “Is Roger mixed up in this?”

“We have no evidence of that,” Morgan said quickly. “The fact that he contracts with your inn is probably a simple coincidence.”

“I don’t have a record of the times he came to plow and shovel. I pay a monthly fee, and he removes any snow deeper than a couple of inches.” Bob propped a hand on his hip. “His company contracts with many of the local businesses. In fact, I got his name from Peter Wence, who owns that retail strip down the road. I believe you’ll see McFarland’s yard signs all over this area.”

Lance considered the information. As a previous offender with a history of violence and no respect for women, Roger McFarland was an excellent suspect. On the other hand, linking McFarland to Shannon’s murder might sever the connection with Noah’s case.

“Do you need anything else?” Bob asked, glancing at his watch. “The restaurant will be opening soon.”

“Just one more thing.” Morgan opened her tote and took out some photos in an envelope. She turned them to face Carol, dealing them out on the desk like a game of solitaire: Kieran, Isaac, Justin, Chase, Noah, and Adam. “Do you recognize any of these young men?”

Both Carol and Bob scanned the pictures and nodded without any hesitation.

Bob tapped Justin O’Brien’s picture. “Justin made a new logo for the inn. The old one was terribly outdated. We had new menus, business cards, and brochures printed last month.”

“Did Justin come to the inn?” Excitement gathered in Lance’s gut.

“Just once. We found him through an online freelancer site. We discussed our needs in a phone call and emails. But he did come to the inn to show us a dozen potential designs. He didn’t seem thrilled about the face-to-face meeting. I understand that most business today is conducted online, but I’m afraid I’m old-fashioned. I like to meet the people I’m going to do business with. And Justin was local, so there seemed to be no reason to make an exception.”

“What did you think of Justin?” Lance kept his voice level, but inside he was encouraged for the first time since they’d taken this case.

“He was awkward and a little shy, but then I suppose he spends most of his day on the computer.” Bob shook his head. “Young people today are losing their ability to talk to other people.”

“Do either of you remember if Shannon was working when he came to the inn?” Morgan asked.

“We don’t have to remember.” Bob took out his phone. “I’ll check my calendar.”

Carol turned to the desktop computer on the other side of the L-shaped desk. She moved the mouse. When the screen brightened, she typed in a password.

Bob looked up from his phone. “Justin was here at five p.m. on January 9.”

Carol tapped on the keyboard. “Shannon worked the registration desk that day from two to ten p.m.”

Justin had been at the inn at the same time as Shannon.





Chapter Thirty-Five

Sharp paced his office, frustrated. Lance and Morgan had called to bring him up to speed on the case. If Shannon Yates had been at Beats the night she’d gone missing, then how was her case related to Haley’s? Could Justin O’Brien be a serial rapist and killer? Even if he was and he killed Shannon, how did they tie the murder of Shannon Yates to Noah’s death? Raping and strangling a woman was a very different crime from stabbing a man.