Page 39 of Whispers Left Behind

“Yeah, allegedly.” Joe shifted in his chair. “A customer mentioned something in front of our finance people, but she misunderstood the deal that I made with the customer. One thing led to another, and she had more clout than I did at the place. I was let go. I harbor no hard feelings, though.”

“Is that right?” Alex kept ahold of his coffee cup as he studied Joe. The guy wasn’t too bright. “So, can you sit there and honestly tell me you make just as much from that dingy car dealership as the one in Fallbrook?”

“Well, not quite,” Joe admitted, but he was back to flashing the smile he used to deceive customers. “But the perks of the job make up for it.”

“Let’s walk this conversation back to when you claimed you hadn’t killed anyone. Who exactly were you talking about?”

“It was nothing. Really. I—”

“Joe, you can’t just blurt out to a detective that you didn’t kill a woman. You did refer to the person in question as aher, correct?”

“Look, I saw on the news that Rachel Hanson was killed in some barn last week.” Joe visibly swallowed and laced his fingers together on the table. “Considering she was the one who got me fired, I assumed you thought that maybe I had something to do with it. I didn’t. You should know that upfront. Are we being recorded?”

“You didn’t want revenge? You mentioned kickbacks. Just how much money are we talking about?”

Joe was beginning to catch on, and he cracked his knuckles to ease his anxiety. If he answered the question, he was all but giving a signed confession. If he didn’t answer, no doubt he thought it make him appear guilty to the police.

“There is no proof that I was taking kickbacks during my employment in Fallbrook.”

“The truth of the matter, Joe, is that I’m not here because of some kickback.” Alex set his coffee down far enough away so he could lean forward on the table with his forearms. “I’m here because I do believe you harbored resentment against Rachel Hanson. Did you kill her?”

Joe jerked back in his chair.

“I think you saw an opportunity to make Rachel pay for getting you fired,” Alex pressed, never once breaking his stare with Joe. “You followed Rachel on her way back to Fallbrook. Waited for the perfect time to force her car off the road. You then hunted her down through the woods to an isolated barn in the middle of nowhere. Did you plan to kill her? Or did you just snap? When did you realize that you could stage it like the murders committed by Calvin Gantz?”

“I didn’t—”

“Just admit it, Joe. You pulled out a knife, and you slit her throat.”

By the time Alex had finished painting a vivid picture, Joe had lost all color in his face. His forthcoming denial was vehement, and the desperate plea seemed genuine.

“You have to believe me! I didn’t chase her, I didn’t hunt her, and I sure as hell didn’t kill her. I didn’t. I swear on my mother’s grave,” Joe yelled as he banged on the table. The handcuffs rattled as he pressed the bases of his palms against his eyes. He drew in a ragged breath before composing himself. By the time he lowered his arms, Alex recognized the situation for what it was—he had pressed too hard. “I want a lawyer.”

“I’ll see to it that you have access to a phone.” Alex pushed back from the table, picking up his coffee all in one motion. He would toss a hook out before exiting the room, though there was no indication he would get a bite. “You give your lawyer an alibi, Joe. Once I’m given the details, I’ll be able to confirm or deny your story.”

Alex made it two steps before Joe took the bait.

“An alibi? I have an—”

“You already lawyered up, Joe. Too late.” Alex shrugged, implying that it wasn’t his problem to deal with now. “Come to think of it, I haven’t had a need for a lawyer myself in a very long time. What is the going rate for a good defense attorney these days? Got to be at least three hundred dollars an hour, right?”

“I don’t need a lawyer. I take it back,” Joe blurted out, the pitch of his voice filled with eagerness. “I have an alibi. You can check it out for yourself.”

Alex made it seem as if he was mulling over the offer.

“Look, I heard on the news that Rachel was killed last Wednesday night. Is that right?” Joe spread his hands out as far as the cuffs would allow. “I was with a woman the whole time. Sandy. Cindy. Wait…Mindy! Her name was Mindy.”

“Mindy…” Alex drew out the woman’s name, hoping that Joe would provide her surname. Unfortunately, he couldn’t supply the information. “You slept with a woman named Mindy, but you don’t know her last name? Where did you meet her?”

Joe closed his hands until his fingers were tight against his palms. It didn’t take long for Alex to get a whiff of the direction this discussion was headed.

“Are you telling me that you sold her a car?”

“Her name is in our database,” Joe fessed up as he sat a little straighter. “She bought the car the following day. Take me back to the dealership, and I’ll get her name and number for you. She’ll—”

Alex tossed the rest of his coffee in the tall garbage can by the door. He reached for the handle, not surprised when Cider talked so fast that it was as if his words were strung together as one.

“Joe, you aren’t going anywhere.”

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