While his presence at the scene didn’t make him a murderer, it did put him in the hot seat to explain why he’d been there the night Mavis died.

Considering his history, it wasn’t a stretch to assume he’d been up to no good.

Nate closed his notebook, slipped it back in his pocket, and slid out of the car. Showing up at a suspect’s place of business wasn’t always his modus operandi, but sometimes the strategy worked to his advantage. It made people uncomfortable, and nervous subjects often let important information slip.

Assuming Holmes’s boss hadn’t alerted him the cops were en route—and the man had promised to keep that information to himself—the element of surprise could also work in his favor.

The owner met him as he entered the building and introduced himself. “I’ve been watching for you. Tyler’s out back, loading bags of feed with two other guys. You’re welcome to use my office if you’d like to talk with him in private.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

The man’s forehead wrinkled. “He’s not in trouble, is he? I run a straight-arrow business here, and my customers trust me. I don’t want anything to jeopardize that.”

“At the moment, I just want to ask him a few questions in connection with an investigation. He’s not being charged with a crime.”

“Glad to hear it.” But the indentations on the man’s brow didn’t diminish much. “You want to walk outside with me, or shall I send him in?”

“I’ll walk out with you.” Holmes’s expression when he realized the sheriff had come to see him could be telling.

Nate followed the owner out to the loading dock, where three young men in T-shirts were hefting large sacks from a pallet and depositing them into two different trucks backed up to the dock.

“Tyler!”

At the summons from his boss, a lanky guy with well-developed biceps turned.

As the uniform registered, his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. Then he frowned and set down the bag of feed he was holding.

He was surprised—and worried.

The owner motioned him over, and Holmes wiped his palms on his jeans as he approached.

“Tyler, this is Sheriff Cox. He wants to talk to you for a few minutes. I told him he could use my office.”

“Mr. Holmes.” Nate held out his hand.

The man swiped his palm again and gave him a lackluster shake. “What about the loading? The customer’s waiting.” He aimed the question at the owner.

“I won’t keep you long.” Nate motioned toward the door.

Left with no choice, the man preceded him, spine rigid, shoulders stiff.

Being surprised and a bit nervous about a visit from law enforcement wasn’t all that unusual, but based on the subtle behavioral signs Nate had learned to read in the military, this guy was transmitting powerful distress signals.

However, any number of factors could make people anxious. While body language was a helpful indicator of a person’s emotional state, in his experience it was most useful in determining which questions provoked discomfort—and thus merited further investigation.