Page 55 of So Twisted

“Turk!” Faith called. “Heel!”

Turk obeyed the command but growled at Faith in frustration. He turned back toward the interior of the house and barked urgently.

“What is the meaning of this?” the balding man asked.

“Dr. Victor Lawson?” Faith asked.

“Yes, and you do not have permission to be on my property.”

“I’m Special Agent Faith Bold,” Faith replied, watching Turk. The K9 was turning in a circle in a spacious living room, snorting, sniffing and barking, impatient for permission to look further. “The dog is my K9 unit, Turk. This is my partner, Special Agent Michael Prince and Detective Jim Cuthbert of the Council Bluffs Police Department. We need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“The murders of Marcus Reeves, Alison Chen, Dr. Elena Vasquez and Dr. Sarah Clement.”

At the last name, Dr. Lawson’s jaw went slack. “Sarah’s dead?”

“Sure is,” Faith said. “Her face was torn to pieces.”

Dr. Lawson exhaled sharply, deflating like a balloon as he did. “Oh God. Did the birds get her?”

“It was made to look that way,” Faith replied. “Turns out, it was actually fishhooks.”

“Fishhooks?”

“You a big catfish guy, Victor?” Michael asked.

Faith followed his eyes to see a picture of Dr. Lawson on the wall. In the picture, the doctor was in fishing gear, holding up a large river catfish in his left hand and a pole in his right.

Dr. Lawson blinked. “Wait. Are you telling me that you believeIam the killer?”

“Can we come in?” Faith asked.

Before Dr. Lawson could reply, Turk barked loudly. His teeth were bared, and his ears were flat to his head.

“Easy boy,” Faith called.

Turk dipped his head in frustration and turned back to Faith, barking earnestly.

“This is ridiculous,” Dr. Lawson said. “You can talk to me at your station rather than invade my house.”

“I’m afraid we’re past that point,” Faith said. “Turk is a trained K9 who has picked up the same scent at each crime scene. His reaction constitutes probable cause, and as of right now, he will search your property. Go ahead, Turk!”

Turk shot off, moving from place to place throughout the living room. Every so often, Dr. Lawson would start to protest again and earn a growl from the K9.

“He won’t hurt you unless you try to hurt one of us,” Faith assured him.

Dr. Lawson was bright red with anger, but when he spoke, his voice was controlled. “I will be confirming with my lawyer that you have probable cause to be here.”

“That’s fine,” Michael said, stepping inside and holstering his weapon. Faith and Detective Cuthbert followed suit.

“Would you like to answer our questions, Dr. Lawson?” Faith asked.

“For the moment, yes, but I reserve the right to stop speaking at any time.”

“Of course,” Cuthbert said, offering the scientist a sharklike grin. “Your rights are very important to us.”

Turk trotted to the back door leading to the animal sanctuary, but when Dr. Lawson tried to stand in front of him, Turk bared his teeth and barked. Dr. Lawson backed away and stared at Turk in terror.

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