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“Right. It was still in my hand when…”
Griff handed it to her and she stared at the dried mud spots. Isaac could only imagine what it must feel like to hold her phone in her hand again after what had happened the last time.
Other ideas churned in Isaac’s mind. “Is it possible that Brittany had more than one cell phone? Or social media account? I had a friend once who used to carry two phones. One for work and the other was her private. Same for her social media. There was the account she gave work people and her family and then her ghost account was for her real friends.”
“My guy is looking into it but nothing yet.” Griff double-timed the pen tapping. “Which doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Her office is cooperating fully and if she has one, there’s a good chance we’ll find it. The problem is time. The longer it takes me to figure out who this could be the farther away from Gunner he might get.”
Gina blew out a breath. “I wish I’d spoken to her in person. Maybe she would’ve confided in me.”
“You couldn’t have known.” Isaac leaned forward. “On the co-worker and their argument.”
Griff nodded.
“Have you ruled her out as the perp based on the M.O.? I would think strangling someone takes a lot of strength,” Isaac continued.”
“No one is completely cleared unless they have an iron-clad alibi. She’s low on the list right now.”
Isaac nodded. “It rained last night. Any footprints leading up to the cabin?”
“There are two sets. The rain also did a good job of making it difficult to measure them.” Spring rain in Texas could certainly do that.
“I keep wondering about the dog. Why bring him? Was she meeting up with the perp in the middle of the night? Did she go in the morning and take the dog as an excuse to leave her child at home? Or did she simply want company?”
“We’re trying to assess when she might’ve been last seen. As far as we can tell so far, her mother said she left to take the dog out after putting her son to bed.”
A knock interrupted the conversation.
“Come in.” Griff was already to his feet when the door opened.
Sherry stuck her head in. “Sir, a man is here claiming to be the father of Brittany’s child. Says his name is Logan Simmons.”
“Did you get a look at the color of his eyes?” Griff asked.
“They’re brown.”
Isaac’s gaze flew to Gina. The look of shock and vulnerability on her face brought out more of his protective instincts.
Gina covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. The man who’d abducted her and murdered Brittany could be standing on the other side of the wall.
“Close my door and take him to the interview room. Let me know when he’s there.” Griff’s gaze blazed over the room, landing steady on Gina. “I’d like you to come to the observation room. I’ll have him turn his head so you can see if his profile is a match. He’ll be in a locked room with no way to see you.”
She tried to stop her hand from trembling by sheer force of will as she lowered it onto her lap, nodding. Words escaped her as panic seized her chest. Reminding herself to breathe, Gina closed her fingers around Isaac’s hand even tighter.
“He can’t hurt you. I won’t let him.” Isaac’s voice came out a low rumble. An oath.
“I know.” Logic said a man who’d committed murder wouldn’t show up at law enforcement’s door. Somehow, she was certain crazier things had happened.
Griff’s cell buzzed. He checked the screen. “He’s secure.” Once again, he looked to Gina. “Ready?”
“As much as I can be.” She stood and followed Griff. Isaac splayed his hand on the hollow of her back. The warm reassurance of his touch kept her knees from buckling. The pain in her ankle had subsided, the icepack having done its job.
The observation room Griff had referred to was dark with a one-way mirror, barely bigger than a walk-in closet.
She studied the man sitting at the table. He would be tall if he was standing. His hands twisted together and he tapped his right heel against the white tile. “The mask covered the details of his face. The nose could be right. I can’t rule him out but I can’t say for certain that’s him, either.”
Logan Simmons would be considered attractive by most women’s standards with his light brown hair and eyes. His runner’s build was suited to the white dress shirt and khaki pants he had on. He had that professional look down pat with short, clean-cut hair and a serious expression.
The suspect twisted a wedding band around his third finger on his left hand. If she had to venture a guess, she’d say he was late thirties, and married with kids.
Griff asked a couple of routine-sounding questions. Gina listened to the sound of the suspect’s voice, wishing he’d said something to her so she could decide if he was the perp.
“What’s your occupation?” Griff asked.
“I work in sales for a tech company in Austin.” Nope. No recognition there at all.
“Does this job require travel?”
“Yes.” The ring twisting intensified.
“Are you married?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a family?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s your wife right now?”
“At home with our children. We have two kids ages four and six.” Tap. Tap. Tap. His heel worked against the floor.
“Does she know you’re here?”
The man’s brown eyes widened. He worked the band more. “No. I was hoping she wouldn’t have to be brought in.”
“Can you account for your whereabouts for the past twenty-four hours?” Griff stood.
“I’ve been on the road, working.”
“I’ll need a list of all the clients you’ve visited.” Griff asked the deputy standing next to him to retrieve a pad of paper and a pencil. He did, returning a moment later.
“What makes you think you’re the father of Brittany Darden’s child?”
Logan Simmons pressed his lips together into a thin line. “That was her claim. We had a physical relationship that matched up with the timing of her pregnancy. I never had a paternity test if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Do you mind if my deputy swabs the inside of your mouth?”
“No. I guess not.” The suspect’s gaze darted around the room. “Hold on a minute. I came here to figure out what will happen to her child—”
“Do you mean your child?” Griff was impressive in the interview room. His stance, with his legs apart, and his height made for an intimidating package. Meanwhile, the suspect was starting to resemble a caged animal, eyes darting around seeking an exit.
“I just came to ensure the child was given a good home. If my wife finds out….” He swiped his hands down his pant legs like he was wiping off sweat.
“About your affair? About how you didn’t mind getting someone pregnant and then leaving them alone to care for a child?”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”
“It seems to me like you just told me that you would and you did.”
“She wasn’t supposed to get pregnant.”
The look Griff shot could’ve defrosted a glacier in the middle of an Alaskan winter.
“I know how this must look—”
“Do you?”
“It wasn’t like that. I cared about Brittany. My wife and I were having problems. Then, she came home and said she wanted us to work it out. If she finds out about a child, it’s over. She’ll take the kids, walk out the door and never look back.”
“And then you’ll be all alone?” Griff’s physical size would be intimidating enough. His glare topped it off. “Like Brittany was?”
Using his index fingers and thumbs, Griff pushed the pad of paper with a pencil sitting on top across the table toward the suspect.
“I want to know everything about your relationship with Brittany.”
“But, I—”
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll start writing.”
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