Page 31 of So Deranged

“And everyone knew about this?”

“I mean, yeah.We were all talking about it at work.That’s why he didn’t head out with us to the bar.”

“Where did he go?”

“Home, I assume.The rest of us didn’t think anything of it.We just went out and had a good time.We usually only go out once a week.This trip was spur of the moment.We figured maybe he had other plans.”

“Which bar was this?”

“Tin Can.It’s on Garrity and Underwood.”

“How long were you there?”

“Until the bar closed.Two o’clock.”

“All of you were there until two o’clock?”

“Yeah.Hey, you don’t think one ofusdid this, do you?”

Faith would check with the bar to be sure, but it was a long shot that an employee at an auto repair shop in Danbury, Connecticut would drive all the way to Hancock, New York to kill Paul Martinez, so she felt comfortable replying, “No, but I have to cover my bases.”

“Who do you think did this?”

“We’re looking at different leads right now,” she answered.Which was the official way to say they didn’t have a damned clue.“When Kevin left the shop, did he drive or walk?”

“He drove.He had an old Toyota pickup, a T100.Kept it in good shape.Not that you need to do much to Toyotas.They run on a song and a prayer if that’s all you have to give ‘em.”

“What color was it?”

“Red.”

Faith wrote downRed T100 pickupand asked, “Do you have an address for him?”

“Sure.One second.”

He gave her the address a moment later.Faith thanked him and let him go, then looked the address up with the Motor Vehicle Department to get the truck’s license plate.Once she had that, she looked through impound records to see if the truck had been picked up at some point during the night.

Bingo.At ten p.m., someone called in an abandoned Toyota pickup near the junction of Highways 53 and 107 in Redding, a small town near the state park.Faith called the Redding police department and was directed to Blue Star Towing.

The manager of Blue Star, Pedro Alcantara, knew what Faith was talking about immediately.“Yeah, the T100.Beautiful truck.Couldn’t believe someone left it sitting there.Probably a title issue, right?”

“No, the title is fine,” Faith replied.“The owner, unfortunately, was murdered last night.”

A brief pause, then, “Holy shit.Fuck, that’s why he didn’t call back when we told him we recovered his truck.”

“Hard to call back when you’re dead,” Faith agreed.“What time did you receive the call?”

“Three in the morning.Dead even,” Pedro said.

“You guys are always open overnight?”

“Yeah, we’re contracted with AAA to provide twenty-four-hour roadside assistance.We rotate who has to work night shifts, and last night was me and Julio.He was the driver, and I was the dispatcher.”

“Do you remember anything about the person who called?”

“Some trucker.He was on his route and called 911 to say there was a truck abandoned.PD called us, and we came and got it.”

Faith made a note to follow up with PD on the trucker.“Okay, so you get to the truck by what time?”

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