One Last Step by Sarah Sutton (free e books to read TXT) 📗

Tara knew that a list that long could easily waste precious hours.

Warren peered over her shoulder.

“She’s right. We need to narrow it down,” he said as Tara placed the list back onto the desk.

Sheriff Brady shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s the best we can do.”

Tara’s frustration boiled. “There must be some other way to narrow down this list,” she insisted.

Sheriff Brady looked startled. “Agent Mills, like I said…”

But Tara quickly interrupted her. “Did you check for police records? Any illegal or concerning behavior?”

“We did and unfortunately we didn’t find anything too concerning,” she snapped back.

Tara took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s just interviewing over twenty people could waste very precious time.” She paused and let a silence fall around them as she gained composure. “You said nothing too concerning?” Tara questioned with a steady voice.

Sheriff Brady spoke a bit softer too. “Well…there’s just one member who was arrested for hunting illegally, and he had some sort of altercation with some hikers.” She looked directly at Tara and rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think it raised any red flags for murder though,” she added pointedly.

Warren interrupted. “What kind of altercation?”

“Just a few hikers approached him when he was hunting one day. They tried to tell him why it was morally wrong. A fight broke out, we got a call.” She rolled her eyes again. “It was while he was volunteering actually. He was supposed to be grooming the trail.”

“Who were the hikers he got in the fight with?” Warren asked.

“Just a group of friends. I think they were two sets of couples.”

“What age?”

She took a deep breath, growing frustrated at the incessant questioning. “I don’t know, early twenties maybe.”

The same age range as the victims. Warren let out a frustrated grunt.

“You didn’t think that was something to tell us about?” he asked, but he didn’t let her answer before he threw another question at her. “Has he volunteered recently?”

The sheriff let out a long sigh. “Listen, like I said, I didn’t think that all made him sound like a murderer. But no. He spent a night in jail and had a hefty fine, but after that, I was told he was given another chance but he never came back to volunteer.” She shrugged.

Tara and Warren quickly glanced at each other and then back at the sheriff.

“How long ago did all this happen?” Tara asked.

The sheriff pondered for a moment. “I’d say about two weeks ago.”

He was sounding increasingly like a suspect.

“Can we get his name and address?” Tara asked.

Sheriff Brady rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she said. “But, just warning you, it might waste precious time.”

It was a direct hit at Tara. Tara was younger than this woman and Tara got the sense that she didn’t like Tara acting as if she knew more than her.

“His name’s Kenny McNamara,” she said as she wrote his address down. “He lives a couple miles from here.”

She handed Tara the note and in a matter of time, they were both out the door.

Chapter Seventeen

Tara and Warren stood on the doorstep of Kenny McNamara’s mobile home. The sun had just begun to lower itself into midafternoon, causing it to directly hit the aluminum siding. Tara knocked and upon contact, she could feel the intense heat.

They waited a moment, and soon the door opened to reveal a tall, muscular man wearing a tank top that was most likely once white, but now was a few shades off.

“Can I help you?” he asked over the hum of the air conditioner.

“Kenny McNamara?” Tara asked.

He nodded his head hesitantly.

“We just wanted to ask you a couple questions.” Tara held up her badge. “Can we come in?”

He thought for a moment as his expression fell into worry.

“Can I ask what this is about?” he asked as he looked from Tara to Warren. “I don’t quite see why you need to come in. Anything you ask me inside, you can certainly ask here.”

Tara’s suspicion heightened. “Well, I suppose so,” she acknowledged, as she tried to sneakily peek in between the doorframe and where he stood holding the door ajar.

She could see his living room, dimly lit, and given the lack of furniture, it looked larger than she knew it actually was. All she could immediately see was a couch and side table. She assumed the TV and air conditioner, both emanating sound, were on the other side of the wall, blocked by his presence.

“Excuse me!” he snarled as he caught Tara’s gaze into his home.

He stepped closer to the doorframe, pulling the door with him and closing the gap. She immediately shot her eyes back toward him.

“My apologies, sir,” she replied. “We were informed that you used to volunteer for the Mid-Atlantic trail crew, is that correct?”

His face turned a shade of red as he nodded his head.

“And is there a reason why you stopped volunteering?” she asked, already partially knowing the answer.

He was quiet and opened his mouth to speak but hesitated before closing it again.

Tara continued. “We already know you’ve been caught hunting illegally, and of the altercation on the trail. We are just wondering why you stopped volunteering.”

His eyes widened at the mention as if surprised by the forwardness.

“We heard that the group was going to give you another chance, but you declined to volunteer again?”

He stepped a bit away from the door frame again and leaned onto the door, too preoccupied with his own worry and thoughts to notice his guard being let down.

“I…uh…I just didn’t want to go back,” he answered as he looked down to his feet.

Tara gazed into the home as he spoke, careful not to raise his suspicion and checked back once or twice while he was speaking to make sure he didn’t notice.

“I guess I was a bit embarrassed,” he added.

Tara could see deeper into the mobile home and just through the dimly lit living room. The kitchen was flooded with fluorescent lighting. On the white floor, she spotted splashes of a darker