Page 16 of Just Hide

Roger seemed to get the message. He shifted on his chair again, then looked up. "I was scared, yes," he said, "but not of the police. I was scared of what would happen to me if I was found guilty for unfair reasons. I've been watching an expose online of where people have been wrongly accused and never had the chance to fight back."

"But there must have been some guilt in your mind? Something you'd done?" Connor pushed.

Roger bowed his head. "There were things I'd done," he admitted. "Things I'm not proud of. I mean, we all have those scenarios rush through our head when the police arrive, don't we? But I'm an innocent man."

There was a short silence in the room.

"Scenarios? What scenarios would these be?" Connor was like a dog with a bone now.

Roger exhaled deeply. "I guess—look, I'm under stress at work. I regret it when I do these things. But a couple of times, I have bullied people online. Men and women. On dating apps, on social media. I've felt bad about it after the fact, and I've often gone and deleted the comments. But I guess I have guilt about it, and I exaggerated the scenario in my own mind, about what might happen if someone reported me or said I'd been out of line, or that I’d actually made threats that got me in trouble."

His eyes were very wide and unblinking, and Cami wondered if that might have been a smooth excuse, the type of story an intelligent man could spin. Connor clearly felt the same because he said, "Do you even know what the crime is?"

"I guessed it was something to do with online activities," Roger mumbled.

"It's a serial murder. Antoinette Carr and Rosalind Asher. Must we show you photos?"

Now, Roger looked aghast. “Murder! Antoinette?”

Connor nodded, his face stern.

"Antoinette? No!" Roger looked absolutely floored. "I can't say I remember Rosalind; I look at a lot of profiles online, but Antoinette I remember. I tried to message her. I wasn't that nice to her. I got angry about being ignored. She took the high ground and behaved like an adult. I was just like a stupid kid."

"You were very threatening toward her."

Now, Roger buried his face in his hands. "I was terrible. I acted like a spoiled brat. Way out of line. I would have deleted the messages but when I went back, she'd already read them. I am so, so sorry this happened, but it wasn't me."

Cami was now overcoming her suspicion and deciding that there was a note of truth in his voice. He didn't seem like a liar, she thought. Not that she knew much after a handful of cases, said the critical voice in her mind that seemed to speak in her father's tone.

"Your movements earlier today?"

With the murder having taken place this morning, his alibi earlier would clear him or not. Cami waited on the edge of her seat to hear what he'd say.

"I was at work," he said, without a trace of hesitation. "All morning. I was in a meeting with my boss and the management team from eight until about ten-fifteen, when Ihad to leave in a hurry to get to this other meeting. I've just got back from there. I signed in at the other company at eleven. They're a half-hour drive away, but there was traffic along the way."

It was a fair distance from Antoinette's house. If all his meetings aligned in terms of timing, then he wouldn't have had a chance to do this.

"I need proof from you. Do you have it on your phone?" Connor asked.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Connor took his phone from the tray and handed it to him, and Roger scrolled through. A minute later, he showed Connor various screens. Looking closely, Connor gave a nod, and Cami knew that Roger was cleared.

"Thanks for cooperating, but next time, do it when you’re approached," Connor warned. "We're not pressing charges for failure to obey, but we could. Don't risk it happening again."

"I won't," Roger said meekly. “I’ve learned my lesson.”

They stood up, and Connor went with Roger to process his release. That left Cami alone. Standing in the corridor, she felt worried, and her mind was racing.

That had been their first and only suspect. She hadn't found anyone else in common between the two women. There had to be another way to take this forward.

Facial recognition. That would have to be the key, but how had it been used? And where?

A light went on in Cami's brain. If both these women had been high profile and living in Boston, they might have attended the same events or functions. And at those, facial recognition could have been deployed to keep unwanted guests out.

That was going to be her next direction.

She was going to explore the places they were at and see whether a killer had been waiting and watching there.

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