They’d had their ups and downs over the past year, but they were definitely in an up part of the cycle at the moment. Wedding plans were being discussed, her twin Jayne was in a good facility, and their damned kitchen remodel had finished only five weeks over schedule.

“Well, Detective Callahan, you’ve managed to surprise me. I didn’t realize men had late-night heart-to-heart talks about relationships.” She grinned.

“I thought you knew Ray Lusco.”

Her eyes lit up. “You’ve got me there. Ray is definitely different. His wife is a good friend.”

Mason had noticed she didn’t wear a wedding ring. A lot of married cops didn’t. They didn’t want the scum they encountered to have any insight about their personal lives. He didn’t ask if she was married; it was none of his business.

“You lied to the other guys because you didn’t want to share what Denny had told you in confidence.”

“I omitted one of our topics. We did discuss fish and his cabin.”

“Did you know much about his ex?”

“No. I’ve heard about Cindy a bit here and there. Denny didn’t bitch about her the way some guys do about their exes.” He paused, realizing how little he knew of Cindy’s temperament. Was she capable of murder? “He didn’t tell me how she reacted when he refused to give their relationship another shot. Has someone contacted her?”

“Not yet. I’ll go notify her in person.” She made a note on her pad. “Do you know of any bad blood between Denny and his coworkers? I haven’t been there long enough to hear any gossip.”

Do you think any of the men from the cabin could have done this?

Mason had already picked apart this question. He’d done it first thing after finding Denny and again as Dr. Ruiz did his quick exam. “Between the four of us that are here, no. Absolutely not.”

“And back at the office?”

“He’s pissed off a few people over the years. Who wouldn’t in his position? Enough for one of them to drive to the coast and slit his throat? No.”

“Not that you’re aware of.”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Mason agreed. Everyone hid their true feelings. Especially cops. “I could be completely in the dark about a situation.”

“Does the Pinhead mask mean anything to you? Was Denny a fan? Had you previously seen the mask in the cabin?”

“I’m stumped about the mask,” answered Mason. “If Denny was a horror fan, I didn’t know about it. And I definitely didn’t see anything like that in the cabin.” He strongly suspected the killer had brought it with him.

“Who knew the five of you were coming up here? Did anyone back at the office know? I knew because Denny had asked me to cover some of the schedule.”

“Everyone knew. Getting the schedule arranged was a bitch.”

She made a notation and then met his gaze, giving a small smile that signaled the end of the interview. “Thank you, Detective. Even though the circumstances suck, it was nice to talk to you more in depth than we have back at the office. And I’ll say the standard line about letting me know if anything else occurs to you.”

“You couldn’t stop me.”

Her phone rang and she glanced at it. Mason couldn’t help himself and noticed DUNCAN FBI pop up on the screen.

Ava’s ASAC Ben Duncan?

Mason decided to stay in the vehicle a few more minutes.

4

Ava tapped her foot in the elevator. She’d arrived at the Portland FBI office near the airport with a full tank of gas and three texts from ASAC Duncan stating he needed to see her in his office the minute she arrived. Her instinct told her the FBI had finally been brought into the murder at the coast, but what could have changed within an hour?

She stepped off the elevator and dashed down the hall to Ben’s office, not even stopping at her desk. His door was open. Inside, Special Agent Zander Wells and a female agent she faintly recognized were looking over Ben’s shoulder at his computer screen. They straightened as she entered and she felt as if she’d stepped into a cloud of tension.

“What happened? Is it Mason?” she blurted.

“No, no!” Zander held up his hands. “Nothing like that. Relax.”

Ben and the other agent echoed Zander’s words. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “There’s enough tension in here to make even my sister wonder what’s wrong.” The joke was weak, and sympathy flashed in Zander’s gaze. He knew Jayne’s narcissistic personality.

“Do you know Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick?” Ben Duncan asked. “She’s from Domestic Terrorism.”

Ava shook the agent’s hand, realizing she’d seen her briefly in the hallways. “What’s happened?” she repeated. Introductions were nice, but she needed to know why Ben had texted her three times.

“Ben was giving me a heads-up on the OSP captain’s death at the coast when a little more information came in.” Zander exchanged a look with Ben. “The victim was found with a Pinhead mask over his face.”

Ava nodded, processing the odd detail. Images of a pale movie character with pins arranged in a grid across his face floated through her mind. “That’s a new one.”

“When I heard that I immediately thought of Vance Weldon,” continued Zander.

“Our agent who committed suicide last week?” Ava asked. “I didn’t know him. I only knew the name.”