“You’re trying to set me up,” Tilley said, holding up his hands, his gaze bouncing around.
“Mr. Tilley, when a K-9 hits on a scent that we’re looking for, it gives us the right to search your property. I’d appreciate it if you would cooperate and come with us,” Stella said.
His eyes darted from one of them to another, and fear consumed his face. “You’ve got me trapped. I’m outnumbered.”
“What are you afraid of?” Stella asked in a soothing tone, evidently trying to de-escalate the situation.
Tilley’s gaze raced around the light’s perimeter, as if searching for a way to escape. “Stay away. Don’t touch me.”
Stella exchanged a look with Brody, shaking her head slightly and sending the message to back off. But Tilley’s reaction led Mattie to believe he might be holding Sophie inside the house. All the more reason to get inside there and search.
“No one’s going to touch you, Mr. Tilley. We’re not here to hurt you or your animals. We’re looking for a little girl. We need to find her, and we need to explore all the leads that come our way. Walk with me now. Let’s go to your house,” Stella said.
Pressed to move forward, Mattie couldn’t understand why Stella was treating this suspect so gently. They had every right to search the premises, and if Tilley stood in the way, they could take him down and put him in cuffs.
Stella turned and began walking toward the house. Tilley watched her leave, swept Mattie and Brody with a frightened gaze, and evidently decided the detective represented the least threatening choice. He followed her. Brody, Mattie, and Robo fell in behind, staying close.
Sheriff McCoy’s Jeep had parked behind Cole’s truck, and Mattie could barely make out two silhouettes inside it. Not knowing what she’d find inside the house, her heart rose to her throat, and she wished Cole had stayed home, where he belonged.
“I want you to sit out here on the porch with Dodger,” Stella said to Tilley when they reached the house. “Deputy Brody will wait with you.”
“Don’t tear up my things.”
“We won’t. Wait here.” Stella gave Mattie a look as she opened the door, standing at the threshold.
Mattie moved forward, Robo at heel, and entered the house. The front door led into the kitchen, and she paused to take in her surroundings: slate-gray linoleum floor with a white fleck, aluminum table from a past decade with a Formica top and chairs upholstered in red plastic, immaculate light-gray laminate countertops, dishes drying in a rack.
She leaned over and patted Robo’s side, ruffling up his fur and chattering about finding Sophie. Taking the scent article from a pouch on her belt, she gave him a whiff and then asked him to search. He rounded the kitchen and went through the door into the living room, another room filled with dated and worn furniture but clean and tidy.
She looked at the windows to determine what had caused the light to be filtered in such a weird way. Stella came up behind her, and Mattie waved her hand toward the large picture window. “Check this out.”
The windows were painted black.
Stella nodded, and Mattie realized she’d already noticed the strange window dressing. She directed Robo to continue his search, moving from the living room toward the back of the house, where there were two more rooms, one set up as a bedroom with a double bed covered by a plain blue comforter that was pulled up and tucked neatly under two pillows.
The other room seemed to be a catchall for storage, boxes stacked neatly against one wall, several old pieces of furniture in the middle as well as some odds and ends that looked like antiques—an old butter churn, an icebox, a bank safe with the door hanging open. The windows in both rooms were painted black like the ones in the living room. Mattie told Robo to search closets, and she looked for cracks that could indicate a trapdoor.
Coming up with nothing, she went back to the hallway and spotted Stella in the bathroom, searching through the medicine cabinet above the sink. She held some prescription bottles in one hand, and she glanced at Mattie as she moved to the linen closet next to the tub. Stella opened its door and began searching inside.
“Have you noticed that our suspect demonstrates odd behavior, Mattie?” Stella continued rifling through the things in the linen closet.
“He acts like he’s hiding something.”
“He thinks someone’s hurting his animals, he was afraid we weren’t who we said we were, he thinks someone’s out to get him. Paranoid behavior. And I might have found part of the reason.” She’d finished her search of the linen closet and closed the door. She extended the hand that held the prescription bottles. “If I’m not mistaken, these medications are prescribed for a serious mental illness, and they’re empty. I haven’t been able to find bottles that have been refilled. It wouldn’t be good to go off these meds cold turkey.”
Impatience made Mattie edgy. “I don’t care about that. I think this guy took Sophie.”
“Maybe.” Stella eyed her. “Stay objective, Deputy. Did Robo find scent here in the house?”
“No, but he did in the truck.”
“The inside of the truck has dog hair consistent with Dodger’s on the seat, but otherwise, it’s clean. No sign of a struggle. The tires aren’t even the same brand as those that laid the track at the Walker place, and the tread is very different.”
Her words hit Mattie hard, and she searched for an explanation for the discrepancy. “Maybe we were wrong about the vehicle that turned around at the Walker property. Maybe it wasn’t the vehicle used to take Sophie.”
“That’s possible, but I think Robo told us it was. And the bloodhound, Banjo, he seemed to indicate the same thing. That track beside the highway certainly looks like it matches the one on Walker’s property. I think when we find the vehicle that has the tires that match those tracks, we’ll have found our kidnapper. And Candace’s killer.”
Mattie still didn’t believe the man was innocent. “How do you explain Sophie’s scent being inside Tilley’s truck?”
“I don’t have an explanation for that, Mattie, but that truck was at Dr. Walker’s clinic yesterday, and maybe Sophie decided to explore it while the adults were inside. Children do that kind of thing. I need to ask Dr. Walker about it. And Mr. Tilley.” She paused, studying Mattie’s face. “I’m not going to dismiss the possibility of Tilley’s involvement yet, but I’m telling you, the evidence isn’t stacking up the way we expected it would, and you need to not jump to conclusions.”
“He acts suspicious as hell. Why would he have painted over his windows? Because he wants to hide something, that’s why.” Mattie paused and took a breath. “Robo and I are going to search this entire property.”
Stella scrutinized her. “It’s not a bad idea, and I wouldn’t tell you not to. All I’m asking is for you to remain neutral. Be the savvy investigator I know you to be. Are you too close to this one, Mattie?”
“I can do the job.”
“Good, because we need you.” Stella headed for the kitchen, carrying the medicine bottles with her. “Let’s talk to Tilley, and then you and Robo can finish your search.”
Stella’s inference that Mattie might not be able to do her work effectively irritated the hell out of her. Struggling to keep her temper under control, she followed Stella out to the porch. Tilley sat on its edge, his face tight with tension, cuddling Dodger and stroking his head. The image of man and dog reminded her so much of how she sought consolation from Robo during dark times that it threw her a curve ball. Stella’s warning to keep an open mind sifted through her irritation, and she settled herself, ready to listen. Brody stood by about ten feet away, as if giving the man space.
Stella joined Tilley on the edge of the porch, sitting near him. “Mr. Tilley, we need to talk. Could I ask you a few questions?”