After Dark💀

~Suspects~

Following leads can be very tedious, especially without certainty whether they are real. However, the detectives are encouraged by the fact that there is even a lead to follow. Currently, they are outside the address the old man scribbled on an old piece of paper, waiting for a response.  A few minutes into the waiting, hinges creak and the door flies open, revealing a very well-dressed man. Both Xavier and Mark squint their eyes, uncertain they have the right suspect.
“Creekville police department.” Mark says pulling out his badge, before asking; “Can we speak to Jeremy?”
“I am Jeremy. How can I help you officers?” he asks, his voice calm, his entire aura very composed.
“Can we come inside? We would like to ask you a few questions.” Xavier emphasizes. After a few seconds of hesitance, he opens the door wider and steps aside, gesturing the men to feel comfortable.
His house is neat, and clean, and yet he seems to be living alone. There is no indication of a second party having been in the house recently. “Live alone?” Mark asks, looking around. There are no paintings on the walls.
“Yes.” Jeremy says as he walks to the fridge and opens it. “Can I offer you anything?” he asks as he pulls out a beer, which seems to be the only thing stocked in addition to a half-eaten hotdog.
“No thank you. Still on the clock.” Xavier responds with a smile, eyes still on the fridge. Jeremy notices this and clears his throat. He shuts the door and subconsciously straightens his pants.
“My..uhm…wife. She uh…she left me and took the kids so…” he explains, opens the beer and joins the officers who are nodding in understanding. Well that explains a lot. Mark thinks out loud, once again running his eyes through the room.
“So, what is this about?” he asks, getting comfortable on a stool. He seems to be on edge. But then again who wouldn’t with two police detectives in their house?
“Where were you last Tuesday night? Between 7 and 10 pm?” Xavier asks and watches for any reaction.
“Here, alone. Why?”
“We have collected your address and phone number from a car dealership outside town, did you rent this vehicle sir?” he asks further.
He seems genuinely surprised as he looks at the phone and shakes his head.  “I was home all day. I have recently lost my job and have gotten into a bad habit.” He says, raising his bottle for further explanation.
“So how did your information get there?” Mark asks. “Did anyone rent a car in your name?”
“I would know don’t you think?” he asks and takes a sip before continuing; “What is this about?”
‘This vehicle is linked to three four murders. And the link has led us straight to you.” Mark explains.
“Me?! “ he asks and gets on his feet. “You think I am thee serial killer?” there is a smile on his face, probably from the amusement that comes with thinking the police must be crazy. “Four people!? C’mon.” he says and saunters back to the fridge.
“Can anyone confirm that you were home all day?” Xavier asks, partly because he also wants to believe this man cannot possibly kill four women and manage to leave the crime scenes completely free of evidence.
“That.” He says, pointing at a surveillance system. He explains further; “We had a house manager, and my wife had trust issues.”
Xavier catches himself chuckling. He really cannot be the killer, he thinks.