Page 72 of All You Want
“He wasn’t in his room, but he didn’t check out. Everyone thinks it’s Bigfoot. He left his mask, and he’s big and strong enough to beat up Viola.”
I feel like strangling the idiot. “Your job is to gather evidence, not make suppositions. What else do you have?” I pace back and forth to keep my boiling blood from erupting. I can’t be everywhere at all times. After leaving Tami, I went to the Sixty Miners and questioned Paul. He was not helpful, saying that there was almost a riot from people ripping black tablecloths from his tables and starting a black ghost fad.
“Don’t worry, Sheriff,” Shane drones on. “Lots of people uploaded photos thinking it was part of an act. I’ll have them sorted by timestamp, and we can go over it with a fine-tooth comb. The earlier ones are less likely to be disturbed, but the only real evidence we have is Tami’s description of the man who pushed her.”
“How many guys had black sheets for their costume?”
“Too many to count,” Shane replies. “I told you Paul’s black tablecloths were stolen, and too many women were witches.”
“I need you to go over every interview again and see if you can find something we overlooked. What I want to know is why Viola went to the dumpster if not to meet someone. She wasn’t seeing anyone as far as I know, but she was doing research on old mining claims and property deeds. Why was she looking into them?”
“Curiosity? She was a librarian.” Shane’s back in his mocking tone again. “I’d say of all the women at the party, she was the least likely to be murdered.”
“Au contraire.” I narrow my eyes and prepare to teach Shane a thing or two. “It’s the quiet ones that you have to watch out for. I’m betting she looked into something she shouldn’t have found. I’m wondering if she isn’t above a spot of blackmail. Suppose she discovered a secret the killer didn’t want exposed.”
“Enough to kill her? Bash her face in so brutally?”
“Quick and dirty job. Poison is unpredictable. A gunshot too loud and leaves ballistic evidence. Same with a sharp knife. There’s the type of knife, the angle of the cut giving away right- and left-handedness, height, strength. But a baseball bat is common.”
“He had to have brought it with him,” Shane points out. “Did anyone dress as a ballplayer?”
“No, but it’s not hard to hide it underneath a robe.” I’m trying to remember when I last saw someone with a bat, but our summer softball league is already over. “Or maybe it was left in the basement.”
“I sent it out to be analyzed.”
“Good.” I finish up my coffee and collect the paperwork. “I’m going to do some investigating on Viola’s background.”
“I’ll keep an APB out for Evan Graves. Should we bring Molly in for questioning?”
“She’ll only lie.” I tap the desktop. “Why don’t you keep a tail on her? Find out where she goes and who she talks to. She and Evan are persons of interest.”
“They sure messed up the crime scene with that invitation to meet a ghost.” Shane slaps the crime scene photos on the desk with disgust. “Footsteps everywhere. Fingerprints all over the bat. Victim’s body moved, poked and prodded to see if it’s real or not. Fucking brilliant.”
“Yep. I want an update on the deputies stationed at the hotel. Tami’s determined that the show must go on, and so far, most of the guests are staying put. A few left, and more are checking in. There’s nothing like a murder to gander up people’s curiosity around here.”
“Unlike SF. No one cares over there.” Shane yawns. “Okay, boss. I still think we should track down Larissa and that Bad Boy for Hire: Bigfoot. Ask if they saw anything. I’d like to see if Furball has blood on his costume.”
“I’ll follow up on them.”
“Are you also going to follow up on Tami?” He winks slyly. “She is officially a person of interest.”
“She’s a witness, and the killer might be afraid she can identify him.”
“So she says.” He snickers and gives me a superior look. “Nine times out of ten, the person who finds the body is a suspect. Add to that, she claims she got blood all over her because a mysterious unseen person pushes her. You have no evidence that masked marauder was even there. Don’t you think her story is overly dramatic?”
I have to keep myself from punching the douchebag. He’s full of implications and acts so superior like us small-town cops are bumbling fools.
“Tami is traumatized, but don’t you worry. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Especially since the cameras don’t show anyone coming and going into the area.”
“How about when Viola exited the hotel?”
“She hurried out from the service entrance, but no one else was captured entering or exiting until Tami appeared. Too bad, the dumpster area isn’t covered by the video, but it’s not looking good for Tami.”
“Tami’s not a murderer. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“I must admit it’s not her style.” Shane makes a stirring motion over his coffee cup and stares at the dark liquid as if there are tea leaves with the answer.
