Page 36 of Just Hide

At any rate, this time, it was enough to lure their suspect out. She heard footsteps, and her spine prickled with apprehension. He was coming. If he had realized why his Wi-Fi had suddenly stopped working, he'd be mad as hell. If he hadn't realized yet, then he had a surprise in store.

She braced herself, ready for anything as the door swung open.

There was Jack, standing and staring at them—a short man, with a pugnacious expression on his broad, puffy face. Slitted eyes, with undoubted intelligence behind them but also aggression, surveyed them.

"What is this?" he asked. "What do you guys want?"

Cami didn't miss the way Connor edged his foot forward, ready to stop Jack if he tried to slam the door in their faces.

"FBI," Connor said. "Are you Jack Charter? We need to ask you some questions."

Jack looked startled. His mouth fell open in surprise. Quickly, he closed it again. "Me?" he said. "What do you want with me?"

"It's in connection with multiple murders."

She watched as understanding, and then fear, dawned on his face. He knew exactly what they were talking about.

Then Cami looked beyond him into the hallway. It was more of a collection hub, she saw. Knives, swords, and other weapons were arranged neatly in racks and on shelves. This man was most definitely obsessed with bladed weapons. Had he used them in his kills?

"I know nothing about any murders," he insisted.

"Maybe not," Connor said, his voice calm and steady, "but we need to talk."

"I'm not talking to you, and you can't come in," he said, now switching from fear to aggression. "Go get a warrant. Then I will cooperate and not before."

"Maybe you should think about it," Cami said, deciding it was time for her to show her hand. After all, they needed information, and these delaying tactics could compromise the case.

"I've thought." He gave her a tight, unfriendly smile. "And the answer's still no. Sorry if it delays you or ruins your day."

"I don't know if you have thought hard enough, because for a start, you don't have your Wi-Fi password any longer. I do. It's just been changed," Cami said smugly. "That might delay you or ruin your day."

Now, his eyes widened.

"I couldn't help having a quick look at what you were doing online," Cami continued, aware of the satisfaction practically emanating from Connor as she spoke. He was proud of her, she realized. "You seemed to be sending out a lot of code to a rival company."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his voice shaking. Cami could tell that he was lying. "I am a computer programmer, sure, but I'm not working on anything for anyone else."

His eyes darted around as if he was looking for an escape route.

"We've been asked to report in full to Maria at HR," Cami said. "She wanted to know exactly what we were doing and who we were speaking to. I wonder what she'd think of all this coding getting sent through in your spare time. Do you have a restraint of trade contract in place? Or are you working on an alternative income stream on the side?"

This was enough to make him pause. He clearly had no answer to this and was now looking very uncomfortable.

"I think, if you're smart," Cami said, "you'll cooperate with us. What do you think?"

Jack's shoulders slumped and he nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'll cooperate. What do you need to know?"

"Can we talk inside?" Connor asked. "The alternative is that we go to the police department. But for now, to save time, I'm happy with inside."

Jack turned and led the way through his sword and knife filled hallway and into the living room of his home. It was a bright, airy room that didn't look to be very well used. The leather couches were pristine. Cami guessed he spent most of his time coding in a darkened study, and she was sure now that he had side projects on the go that he didn't want his work to know about.

A guy like him would be too smart to sell off the company code to a competitor, but as for creating different software, she had the feeling that was what he was doing.

Luckily, he was now scared enough that he was willing to talk.

"You know about the serial murders?" Connor asked.

Jack nodded. "Yes, I do."

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