Page 46 of So Twisted

“He trusts him,” Faith added.

“Nathan Reed is clearly a fan of animals and clearly not a fan of people,” Michael said. “Especially people who hurt animals.”

Faith shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m having second thoughts.”

Michael frowned. “Because of Turk?”

She nodded. Before Michael could reply, Reed returned with an armful of clothing. He tossed them at the agents, and Michael caught them. “It’s all there,” Reed said. “Go ahead and look for whatever you want.”

“We’re going to check the footage to make sure this outfit matches,” Michael warned.

“Check whatever you want. I told you I didn’t kill anyone.”

“When were you fired from Animal Control?” Faith asked.

“Ten years ago.”

“May I ask why?”

Reed’s eyes narrowed. “Something tells me you already know.”

“In your own words,” Faith insisted.

Reed took a deep breath. Faith noticed that his hands were shaking a little. "I got a call from a concerned neighbor about a house with a lot of dogs in poor condition. Showed up, and there's this skinny little bitch arguing with my partner that he can't take her dogs from her. You should've seen these dogs. Couldn't have weighed more than forty pounds. Shepherds should weigh close to twice that much when they're full grown, but these dogs were so malnourished. They were missing fur, covered in mange…" He looked at Turk, and tears welled in his eyes. "I don't get it. Why do people hurt innocent animals?"

Turk trotted over to him and pressed his head against Reed’s legs. Reed dropped to the floor and hugged Turk. Faith was all but convinced now that Reed wasn’t their man. Turk’s instincts were good. He wasn’t always right about who was a murderer and who wasn’t, but he had never treated a murderer this well. This kind of behavior was usually only reserved for families of victims or close friends of Faith herself.

Reed took a breath and said, “Well, the bitch was yapping on about how their spirits were fed and that mattered more thanearthly food. I grabbed her by her hair, yanked her down and made her look at the dog. I asked her if he looked happy and healthy to her. She said, ‘Of course. Can’t you tell?’ So I slapped her around a little.”

“You split her lip and gave her a black eye, Nathan,” Michael corrected.

Reed frowned. “Yeah. I beat her up. She deserved it.”

“And was it before or after that you were trespassed from Marcus Reeves’ zoo?” Faith asked.

‘After. That was four years ago. Again, if you’d seen the conditions these animals were in, you would have understood. I can tell you care about your dog. He’s in great shape, happy, healthy and strong. You would understand if you saw what the asshole was doing to his animals.”

“Understand what, exactly?”

“I told him that if he and his zookeepers didn’t get their shit together, I’d throw them all in the cages with their animals.”

“But there was no physical confrontation?”

“Nah. Security dragged me out.”

“Can you confirm your whereabouts for the night of the murders?” Michael asked. “Four nights ago, two nights ago and last night?”

“Well, you said you saw me at a convenience store last night.”

“Within a mile and ten minutes of our latest murder, yes.”

Reed scowled. “No. I live alone, and Cookie and Brownie don’t speak English. I can tell you I was home four nights ago, out on a walk through the park with my dogs two nights ago and clearing roadkill last night. But I’m guessing it’s not enough for you guys.”

“I believe you,” Faith said.

Michael snapped his eyes toward her. Turk barked approvingly. Faith smiled and said, “Turk can tell you’re a good man at heart. But listen, keep your nose out of trouble, okay?”

“Excuse me, Special Agent Bold,” Michael said curtly. He turned to Reed. “You said you’re glad these three are dead. You’ve had run-ins with two of them in the past, and in both cases, you were punished, not them. We have you near the murder scene of the third victim.” He glared at Faith. “How are we supposed to believe you didn’t kill them?”

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