“It was night. I remember that. I don’t remember the day. It was before the kid disappeared obviously.”

Rob sighed.

Gibbs said, “How the hell should I remember what day it was? It was twenty years ago.”

“It wasn’t twenty years ago. It was seventeen years ago,” Rob said. “And if you don’t come up with some compelling information pretty fast, I’m walking out that door.”

Adam gave him a long, level look.

And Rob gave him a long, level look right back because this was a complete waste of their time whether Adam realized it or not.

“I heard them before I saw anything,” Gibbs said. “I didn’t want to see because from the sounds, I was afraid it was a pair of faggots doing their thing. But then the big man got up. His back was to me and it was dark in the trees, but there was moonlight shining through and I could see that he was holding a big knife.”

Gibbs held his hands apart.

“Can you describe the knife?” Adam asked.

“Bloody. I could see the blade was black with blood. The blood dripped right off it. I won’t forget that.”

“What type of knife?” Rob asked with what he felt was great restraint.

“One of those KA-BAR knives, I think. He was breathing real heavy. I was afraid to move. I thought my heart was going to explode. He bent down and wiped the knife in the grass, and then he shoved it in his belt.”

“You could see he was wearing a belt, but you never saw his face?”

“I didn’t see his belt. I just knew that’s what he was doing. What else would he be doing? For a while he was just kneeling there breathing real hard, like I said, and then he got up and pushed and dragged the body until he could throw it into the gully. And then he threw the kid’s backpack in too. Maybe there was a sleeping bag or something. I don’t remember now.”

“Go on,” Adam said.

“He was still standing there looking down into the gully, and I thought it would be a good idea to bug out. So I started backing up real quiet and real slow. But he must of heard something because he spun around and he was looking right at me. And I was looking right at him.”

“But you couldn’t see his face?”

“He was standing in the shadows. But I know he saw me. And he knew I saw him because he turned and ran.”

Rob said, “But you didn’t see him. Not really.”

“I saw enough.”

“Why didn’t you come forward?” Adam asked. “Why didn’t you report what you saw?”

Gibbs laughed unpleasantly. “You think anybody would have believed me? Hell no. They’d have said I killed him and that I was trying to cover it up.”

“Sounds like a workable theory to me,” Rob said.

“See!” Gibbs pointed at Rob. “That’s what I mean.”

“But if you believed this man recognized you, you must have realized your life was in danger?”

“Not that much danger,” Rob said. “Because he’s still here seventeen years later.”

“He’s tried to kill me,” Gibbs said. “But he has to make it look like an accident. And I’m smart. And I’m careful.”

“Yeah, you’re a genius,” Rob said.

“Deputy Haskell,” Adam said.

“Agent Darling,” Rob retorted. “Explain to me why this giant knife-wielding killer didn’t slaughter Mr. Gibbs on the spot? He was armed and he sure as hell had motive. But he turns and runs. Why?”

“He didn’t know if I was armed or not. I was armed and I was fumbling for my rifle.”

Rob turned to Adam. Adam said, “Is there anything else you’d like to add, Mr. Gibbs?”

“I want to make a deal. I won’t sue you and Deputy Hassle over there if you drop all the charges against me.”

Rob laughed. “Fat chance.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,” Adam said. “Firstly, multiple agencies were involved in yesterday’s shooting, and the kind of deal you’re asking for would require every single one of them to sign off. That’s unlikely to happen. In fact, I can assure you right now, it won’t happen. Secondly, regardless of your motives, you opened fire on civilians and law enforcement alike which gave Deputy Haskell and me reasonable grounds for searching your property—whereupon we discovered a number of illegal weapons, including a grenade launcher.”

“I made that myself!”

“And thirdly,” Rob interrupted, “your story is total bullshit.”

“The hell it is! I’m telling you exactly the way it was. Bert Berkle killed that hiker, and he killed the Indian woman, and he killed that green-haired bitch and he’s been trying to kill me. And I’ll tell you something else. A man has a right to protect his property. And people around here understand that. And they also don’t like the federal government butting in where it isn’t wanted. So think about that before you try taking me to court, Haskell.”

* * * * *

“That was a waste of time,” Rob said. They had returned Gibbs—loudly protesting the violation to his civil rights—to his cell, and were reporting back to Frankie. Or would have reported, had Frankie not been on the phone to Doc Cooper.

“I’m not so sure,” Adam said. “I believed his story. Well, not all of it. The part about where he came across his neighbor throwing Gaura’s body in the ravine—that sounded genuine.”

“That’s because you don’t know Berkle. Or the history between those two.”

“I understand that there’s a dispute over property lines.”

“Dispute is not the word. Feud is the word. Blood feud would be more accurate.”

“Which doesn’t change the fact—”

“No, it doesn’t change the fact, because there are no facts. There’s an accusation from someone in deep legal shit who has a score to settle. I’ll tell you another thing. That whole bit about thinking he’d stumbled upon faggots doing their thing in the woods. That was aimed at me. And maybe at you too. It sure as hell wouldn’t be aimed at Berkle.”

Adam frowned. “Gibbs’s hostility is irrelevant.”

“I don’t see how you can say it’s irrelevant. It’s the driving force in his life. But okay. I know we’ve got to talk to Berkle. So let’s go get his side of the story.”

“Don’t go anywhere just yet,” Frankie called.

Rob stepped into her office. “News?”

“We’ve got the autopsy report on Azure.”

Rob was glad Zeke was not in the office for this. “And?”

“She wasn’s sexually assaulted. Doc believes it’s the same assailant. Left-handed, using a—”

“Left-handed?” Rob interrupted. “Cynthia’s killer was left-handed? You didn’t mention that before.”

“Didn’t I?” Frankie asked innocently. “Well, maybe I thought it might be a good idea to keep certain facts quiet.”

“From your own investigators?” Frankie had her own way of doing things, but this seemed eccentric.

“One of my investigators is left-handed,” Frankie observed.

It took Rob a disbelieving moment to find his tongue. “Zeke? You think Zeke—” He looked at Adam, and was shocked to see an expression of something like approval on his face.

“Shhh!” Frankie said sharply. “No need to blast it into the atmosphere. The thing is, Doc says Azure put up a real fight. He retrieved what he called a ‘significant amount’ of DNA evidence from beneath her fingernails.”

Adam said, “It’s going to take time to get the lab results.”

“We may not need lab results,” Frankie said. “Doc is pretty sure that whoever killed Azure is going to be wearing an ugly set of scratches for a few days. So I think maybe we’re going to hold a local beauty contest and invite the gentlemen of Nearby to take part.”

“And what if a gentleman doesn’t want to take part?” Rob asked.

Frankie’s smile was cold. “I would find that very suspicious, wouldn’t you?”

“Have you seen my partner?” Adam asked as they were leaving the office to drive to Berkle’s place.

“Don’t tell me you lost this one too,” Rob said.

“Agent Russell drove down to Medford,” Aggie volunteered.

Adam checked his cell. “He didn’t leave me a message. Did he say why?”