Page 42 of Let Her Live

Samuel leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "I don't know what to say," he said. "I would never kill someone. It goes against everything I believe in. Even Frank Barber... I wouldn't kill him. I lost my temper with him before, which I'm not proud of, but he’s lost his temper with me too.”

“Lost his temper how?” Jake asked.

“He’s been violent more than once,” Samuel said.“Just because I didn’t report it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Some battles you just want to ignore until they blow away. Even last week—Frank showed up on my property, seeming even more unhinged than usual. He tried to attack me, but I was able to run inside. I didn’t want to get charged again, and the courts had taken his side before.”

Fiona felt a twinge of sympathy for Samuel. It seemed like he was genuinely trying to protect his land and his freedom but he was being met with violent opposition. She wondered if there was a way to help him.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" she asked. "Anything that might be helpful in the investigation?"

Samuel thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. "There's one thing," he said finally. "I've been hearing strange noises at night, coming from out in the woods. I thought it might just be animals, but it's been happening more frequently lately."

"Strange noises?" Jake asked, intrigued. "What kind of noises?"

Samuel shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's hard to describe. Almost like... chanting, or singing.It sounded like maybe Frank messing with me again. Something has been... wrong with him lately. He has always been strange, but when he attacked me last, he seemed almost like he was on drugs."

Fiona's mind raced as she considered Samuel's words. If Frank was on drugs, it could explain his erratic and violent behavior.

Jake leaned forward. "Can you give us any evidence to support your claims, Mr. Stone?"

Samuel nodded. "I have a security camera set up on the perimeter of my property. I've been recording everything that's been happening. Frank is trying to use his very limited knowledge of my people to frame me—he wants you to think I'm doing this. But if Frank knew the first thing about my people's lore, he would know that associating death with the cypress tree is considered the ultimate sin."

Fiona felt a surge of hope. This was the break they needed. "Can you show us the footage?" she asked.

Samuel stood up and gestured for them to follow him to a small room at the back of the cottage. He sat down in front of a computer and pulled up the footage. Fiona and Jake watched as Frank Barber sneaked onto Samuel's property in the middle of the night, then threw what appeared to be a dead squirrel onto his driveway.

“Do you have any footage of the assault?” Jake asked.

Samuel’s lips pursed.“Well… no, I don’t. That happened at the end of my driveway.”

As much as Fiona wanted to believe Samuel, she had to admit, there was still a chance he could be a suspect. Then again, this evidence of none other than Frank Barber showing clear signs of aggression was enough to convince her that Samuel was telling the truth.

If Frank Barber truly was the killer, then were they wrong about the dead animal connection? Perhaps it was just a coincidence that the victims had accidentally killed animals, as Frank Barber clearly didn't have any issue with doing it. But Samuel's theory made sense; if Frank wanted it to look like Samuel was committing these crimes, then it would be clever of him to hide subtle symbolism from Samuel's tribe. It was inevitable that it would lead to him.

Fiona's mind raced as she watched the footage. This was the evidence they needed to close the case and prove Samuel's innocence. She looked at Jake, who nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for showing us this, Mr. Stone," Jake said. "We'll need to take this footage with us and start an investigation into Frank Barber."

Samuel nodded. "I understand. Thank you. I've had my share of problems with the authorities in the past, and I didn't want to be accused of anything again."

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen," she said, smiling at Samuel. "And thank you for your cooperation. This will help us solve the case and bring the person responsible to justice."

Samuel nodded. "I just hope this puts an end to all of this. It's been a nightmare living with Frankalways harassing me."

"Why didn't you show this to the police sooner?" Jake said. "You have a strong case of harassment here, at the very least."

"I knew it wouldn't end, and drawing attention to it would only make things worse," Samuel said. "I thought if I ignored him, he would eventually give up. The courts already ruled in my favor. I have footage of him placing dead animals on my lawn, but at most, I could go after him for trespassing and harassment, and he would get a slap on the wrist and be out of jail with more of a vendetta against me. I was trying to be the bigger person after my slip-up, when I got violent. I'm still ashamed of it."

Fiona felt a pang of sympathy for Samuel. She could imagine how difficult it must have been to live with someone as vindictive as Frank Barber.

Fiona could see the pain in Samuel's eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "You did the right thing by showing us this. It's not your fault that Frank Barber was so determined to ruin your life. You're not responsible for his actions."

Samuel nodded, but Fiona could tell he was still struggling with his guilt. She resolved to make sure that Frank Barber was brought to justice, not just for the brutal murders but for his ongoing harassment of Samuel Stone.

Fiona and Jake exchanged a glance. This wasn't their first rodeo with domestic disputes that escalated into violence. It seemed that they had stumbled upon something much bigger than they thought.

"Have you considered getting a restraining order?" Fiona asked.

"I haven't yet, no. I've been trying to reason with Frank, but he's too blinded by his anger and ego. He's convinced that he's in the right and that I'm the one who's wronged him."

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