Page 41 of Jina

Jina helped herself. “Mmm. These are great.”

“Thanks,” Ian said with a smile. “That’s a hot appetizer here. Sometimes we run out on busy nights.”

“I can see why.” She popped another nugget-sized deep-friend cheese ball into her mouth. “Did you ever notice Brad looking at the female patrons here?”

“Yeah, he looked,” Ian admitted. “But so do a lot of guys, right?” He smiled at her. “Pretty women like you get lots of attention.”

Jina narrowed her gaze, clearly warning him to back off. “I’m not looking for attention or compliments. I’m asking if Brad watched women in a lecherous way. As if he wanted something he knew he couldn’t have. Or maybe in a way that made any of them feel uncomfortable. If he had, I’d think the woman in question would have complained.”

Ian looked thoughtful for a minute. “Yes. There was one time a pretty girl came in with her parents. Brad must have been watching her much the way you described because her father went over to tell him to back off. At the time, Brad just shrugged and slinked back to the kitchen. But now that you mention it, he’d been intense.”

Cole had to give Jina credit for coming up with this line of questioning. “That’s good to know. Did he bother anyone else that you noticed? Female employees maybe?” He found himself hoping there were more suspects he could talk to.

“Nah. But I didn’t pay that much attention. One of us had to work,” Ian added. “And it wasn’t going to be him.”

“Did Brad give you any indication he was about to leave town?” Cole asked.

“No, the cops asked me that years ago. I honestly didn’t think much of it when he didn’t show up for work. As I said, he was always late. It wasn’t until he’d missed the entire shift that me and his dad noticed he was gone.”

Cole found that interesting too. Henry Crow wasn’t coming across as being a concerned father. More like he was annoyed by his son and maybe glad that he’d taken off. “Anything else stick in your mind about the guy? Anything that could help us find him?”

“Not offhand. I’m surprised you’re still looking for him after all this time.” Someone waved, and Ian nodded to indicate he’d be right there. “Excuse me.”

“I wonder if we could find that dad and his daughter,” Jina murmured once Ian had moved down to refill drink orders. “Maybe Brad tried something there after they left the bar, and the dad reacted in kind.”

“We can try, but if Ian doesn’t remember their names, I’m not sure how we’d track them down all these years later.” He hated to admit the trip to Peabody’s Pub hadn’t been very helpful. Other than to convince him that Ian Muller probably hadn’t killed the guy. Mostly because there was no motive. As Henry had mentioned, Ian wouldn’t be threatened by Brad’s desire to take over his job. Not when it was clear there was no chance of that happening.

He sampled the cheese nuggets and had to agree they were delicious. They were like mini mozzarella sticks. When Ian finished with the other patrons, he returned to check on them. “Another ginger ale?”

“No thanks. Do you remember the name of the father who told Brad off?”

Ian frowned. “No. I don’t think they were locals. I don’t recall seeing them after that.” The pub owner shrugged. “Could be he came back at some point without the family, but if so, I don’t remember.”

“Okay, thanks.” He tried to think of another question but was coming up blank. Lack of sleep and seemingly nonstop adrenaline had fried his brain.

Or maybe it was Jina’s kiss that had done that. His heart rate still hadn’t quite returned to normal after their brief and electric embrace. One that shouldn’t have happened, despite how much he’d wanted it.

Either way, he decided it was time to end the interview. He pulled out a business card and slid it across the table. “I’d appreciate it if you’d call me if you remember anything else.”

“Yeah, sure.” Ian Muller took the card. “I hope you find him.”

He hesitated, then decided the news would get out sooner or later. After all, Brad’s parents knew the truth. “We found his dead body. That’s why I’m here asking questions.”

Ian didn’t look surprised by the news. “I always figured he’d gotten into trouble and had either been arrested or killed.” He shook his head somberly. “I’m sorry for his parents. They’re decent people.”

That sparked another thought. “Did you ever see Henry fight with his son? Arguments that got loud or physical?”

“They argued, but it was never physical.” Ian shrugged. “And most of the fights were about Brad not working hard, being late, or not working at all.”

“Do you think it’s possible Henry lost his temper and hit Brad?”

Ian grimaced. “I’ve never seen Henry lose his temper like that, but if you ask me, he didn’t hold his son in high regard. Could he have lost it at home and slugged him? Yeah, sure. I’m just saying I’ve never seen it.”

“Okay, that’s helpful. Thanks.” He added another ten-dollar bill to the cash on the table. “Again, if you think of anything else, please let me know.”

Ian pocketed the cash, then made his way down the bar to interact with the other patrons.

He took another cheese nugget, smiling when he noticed Jina had eaten more than half of them.

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