“Her dad was there fixing the plumbing or something,” Thorne said, “I didn't like that. He threatened to call the cops. Her sister always threatened to do that, too, but she never did. The old man might've actually done it, though. Had to lay low for a while.”

“You missed the opportunity to be questioned like this?” Gabe said. “I would've thought you'd be into that.”

Ruby's face remained stony, but she nudged Gabe with her foot. What did Gabe hope to accomplish by baiting Thorne like that?

“It's not the same as getting questioned by the FBI,” Thorne replied.

“You're right, it isn't,” Gabe said and he let the silence hang in the air while they waited for Thorne to say something else.

“You're like those guys on the Discovery Channel,” Thorne said, “the ones who go and pretend like they're in the wild, hunting a predator.”

“But you like the attention, don't you?” Gabe said. “You sure do love hearing about yourself.”

They both looked expectantly at him, waiting for a reply.

Thorne shrugged, but he didn't deny it. Ruby got the distinct impression that he still felt this was a part of his fake murder, a continuation to a part he was trying to play.

“If you're trying to act like Vallejo, you're failing, Brett,” Ruby said.

Thorne looked up sharply, this insult one that finally seemed to land. He considered her, as if trying to decide if she really did know anything about Vincent Vallejo. That was the one thing she had that Thorne didn’t.

“Where were you three nights ago?” Ruby asked.

Gabe smirked. He'd heard her shift the tone of her voice just a little.

“I was with April,” Thorne said. “We went to the movies.”

“April is your alibi?” Ruby asked, she glanced at Gabe. He made the slightly nod of confirmation. April must have said something similar.

“Yeah,” Thorne nodded, “you want to see our movie stubs? It was a double feature. We were there all night.”

“I'll check your alibi,” Ruby said, “but if you're lying, Thorne, I'm going to find out and I'm going to find you.”

Thorne smirked. He knew she didn't believe him and he liked that.

Ruby stood up, ready to leave.

“I will find out the truth.”

“For what?” Thorne asked innocently. “You don't have anything on me. You can't convict a man for having hobbies.”

Ruby turned her back on him, letting him have the last word for the time being.

*

Ruby nursed a coffee, back to staring at Thorne in the interrogation room while they waited to hear back from their analysts.

Gabe stood next to her, his arms crossed.

“I hate him, but I like him for it,” Gabe said. “Copycat.”

“I don't know,” Ruby said.

“Oh, come on. He role plays murders, Ruby. What more do you want?” Gabe said.

“He's sloppy,” Ruby argued.