After assuring the manager of The Burger Coop I was fine, I returned to my apartment to shower and change. On the way, I called Griggs. I was fuming when he answered.
“Not a good time, Leah,” he said.
“I want to press charges against Leon Hollins. He attacked me!”
“Are you hurt? Where are you?”
His voice was full of worry so I quickly explained. There was a long pause. I waited impatiently. When I heard a soft snort, I almost screamed.
“Don’t you dare laugh!”
“I’m not laughing,” he said. Although I heard the trace of humor in his voice, it was gone, and something cold had replaced it when he spoke again. “I’ll have a talk with Hollins. He won’t bother you again.”
It soothed the anger, and I relaxed a little. I was still furious with Leon, but I couldn’t tell how much of that was because of the milkshake or left over from the gun episode. There was a lot of anger still simmering from the gun episode.
“I still want to press charges,” I repeated.
Griggs sighed softly. “I guess you can, but he’s likely to claim self-defense. By your own admission, you were chasing him.”
“He shouldn’t even be out of jail. He threatened Aaron and Myra. Held them at gunpoint.”
“I know, Leah. It sucks. I agree. But he has a good lawyer and no criminal history. I’m not surprised the judge allowed bail.”
“I hate him!”
“He’ll get what’s coming to him. When his case goes to trial, he’ll serve time,” Griggs said. “In the meantime, you should stay away from him.”
“He needs to stay away from me,” I muttered.
“Tell me about the busboy. Do you know him?”
I frowned as I pulled into the parking space in front of my apartment. Why was Griggs asking about the busboy? Sometimes I admit I’m a little slow to recognize something. This time I had an excuse. From the minute Leon had walked into the restaurant, I had been fighting my emotions. Now that I could think back without the haze of anger, I saw what Griggs had seen from the start.
“You think he was selling?” I asked.
“You tell me.”
Leon went directly to a table covered with dirty dishes. All the other unoccupied tables had been clean. The table he chose was toward the back and in a corner. The dishes had been sitting there when I had walked in. It was the one table that hadn’t been attended to immediately. And why sit down at all before placing a to-go order?
“Probably. He moved the dishes the busboy picked up. He could have easily deposited a small package on or near one of the plates.”
“And the busboy scooped it up.”
“I didn’t see anything, but I’ll bet that’s exactly what happened.”
“Do you know the busboy?”
“No. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before. I don’t remember him working at The Burger Coop any other time I’ve been there. The manager didn’t have him clean the table, and they weren’t that busy. It was as if Leon was expected.”
“Not much we can do at this point. I’ll have my officers keep an eye on the place, but if Hollins and Ricky Cantono both saw you, they’ll change the drop.”
The car I had seen leaving had been driven by Ricky. It was more proof that the Cantonos were back in the drug business. I was sticky and uncomfortable. I was also getting tired. It wasn’t as bad as it had been the day before, but I needed to rest. I ended my call with Griggs and went to clean up.
The shower and clean clothes helped my mood. I hated that I tired so easily but reminded myself it had only been two days since I was in the hospital. It had taken me almost a week to feel normal the last time I had a concussion, and this one was worse so I took an hour-long nap and woke refreshed.
It was too early to eat dinner, especially since I had had a late lunch, but I decided a glass of wine at Bella’s was needed. If Marcus happened to be around, all the better. I wanted to talk to him about the vandalism again. See if I could get a few more details. If it was connected to Brandy’s murder, that might narrow down the suspects.
The wine bar at Bella’s was refined and elegant. It had subdued lighting and relaxed seating. There were several tables placed carefully around the room to maximize comfort. The bar itself was at the back of the room, and behind it, from floor to ceiling, were two large wine racks filled with bottles. They served hard liquor, but wine was their specialty.
When I walked in, I was surprised to see Megan Ross sitting alone at the bar. I settled on the stool next to her. She gave me a hasty look but immediately went back to nursing her drink. The bartender walked over. Most of the staff at Bella’s knew me. Although I didn’t come in often, when I did, it was usually to see Marcus so most of them quickly learned my name. I ordered a glass of chardonnay and asked if Marcus was working.
“No,” Kyle said. “I haven’t seen him today. I think Mike started his shift though.”
“If you see him, would you tell him I’d like to speak with him?”
“Who?” Kyle asked with a smile. “Marcus or Mike.”
I laughed. “Both. But Mike since he’s here.”
Kyle sat the wine in front of me, checked on another customer at the other end of the bar, and disappeared into the back. I took a sip and waited. I didn’t want to drink much. It wasn’t wise to mix alcohol with the painkillers. The wine was just an excuse to visit Bella’s.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly.
“No,” Megan replied.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I told Griggs about you and Marcus.”
She snorted. “I don’t blame you. I blame me. I should’ve come clean. I won’t be surprised if he fires me.”
The last part came out on a choke. Megan swallowed and took a drink from the glass in front of her. It wasn’t wine. It was something much stronger. Whiskey with two cubes of ice. She held it between both hands like a lifeline.
“He won’t fire you,” I said reassuringly and tried not to feel guilty.
“I was out of line. I should’ve told him.”
“Maybe, but he won’t fire you.”
She didn’t reply. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I couldn’t think of anything to say to reassure her. Mike came out from the door behind the bar and glanced over at me. He gave me a grin and walked around the bar.
“Hey, Leah,” Mike said as he slid onto the stool next to me.
“Hi, Mike. How’s it going?”
“Good. Kyle said you wanted to talk to me?”
I was unsure how to approach the subject with Mike. He and his brother had been close. I didn’t know if they still were, but they were family. If it had been Marcus, I would have just asked. In the end, that was all I could do anyway.
“Mike, do you know what’s going on with Ricky?”
“What do you mean?”
“I think he was following me the other day. I’ve heard he’s back selling.”
Mike’s face shut down. He looked away, but I saw the hurt in his eyes. When he turned back, his face was closed. “I don’t know nothing about that.”
He rose from the stool and quickly walked away without a backward glance. I didn’t try to stop him. Mike had to know that if Ricky was selling, his father was involved. Although Mike was turning his life around and appeared to respect his uncle, he was still Damian’s son.
“The Cantonos are selling again?” Megan asked, curiosity lining her voice.
“It looks that way,” I replied. I told her everything I had learned from Sean and Dee and what I saw at The Burger Coop. Her mouth twitched, but she refrained from laughing when I mentioned the milkshake.
“Great. And I’m on suspension.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t help,” I said softly.
She laughed humorlessly. “Griggs would have my ass if I got involved. He made it clear I needed to stay out of all police-related business until he caught the killer. I really screwed up. David’s out sick, and there’s no one else to take over a case that big. The chief has his hands full with the murder investigation.”
“Don’t you think they’re related?”
A frown appeared on her face. “What do you mean?”
“Damian hates Marcus. He’ll do anything to get out from under his control. Maybe even murder.”
Megan shook her head. “Damian has an alibi. He was with Autumn.”
“You don’t think Autumn would lie for him?”
“Of course,” Megan replied, “but at the time of Brandy’s death, there was a disturbance at a neighbor’s house. Damian was seen breaking up the fight. Witnesses said he came out of Autumn’s house. His car had been in the driveway all night, and it took over an hour for the neighbors to calm down. It’s possible he could have walked or stolen a car, but the timing doesn’t work.”
“Oh,” I said, a little deflated. I wanted it to be Damian. “He could’ve gotten someone else to do it.”
Megan nodded and took another drink. She motioned, and Kyle quietly refilled her glass. “He could have, but we have no proof. Besides Brandy’s murder—the whole setup. It’s too subtle for Damian.”
“Who else could it have been? Who else would’ve known Marcus’s door was going to be unlocked? Was that just luck?”
“Shit. I’m surprised the whole town didn’t know.”
“What?”
Megan blushed. It was an odd look on her face. She was a beautiful woman but tough. She projected a hard, professional persona. I had never seen her blush. She glanced around the bar and shrugged.
“Don’t know why I’m trying to be discreet. I told you that the night Brandy was killed I saw Marcus here.”
“When you came to pick up a to-go order.”
“Yes. Well, we talked. We hadn’t seen each other for over a week. I had the flu and didn’t want him around. The doctor had released me for work so Marcus thought that meant, well, you know.”
“Sure,” I said, trying hard to keep the humor out of my voice.
“He asked me to come over. We argued a little.” She took a drink. “It was playful. I didn’t think anything about it until he said he would leave the door unlocked for me. The place was busy. There was a party going on with a bunch of guys. It was loud. Marcus had to raise his voice to be heard. It was like a switch had been turned off at that exact moment, and everyone had stopped talking at the same time. The whole room heard him.”
“Who all was here?”
“Oh, I don’t know. A bunch of guys were celebrating Frank Garrison’s promotion.”
Frank Garrison worked for a high-tech company in Dallas. He was a local guy whose family still lived in Reed Hill. I didn’t know Frank, but I knew his mother. I had heard he’d been offered a position with the company that required a move to New York. Rosalie Garrison wasn’t happy about her son moving so far away, but that didn’t stop her from bragging about his success. She told me about it twice.
“Frank doesn’t live in town anymore. Why were they celebrating here?”
“The party was organized by a couple of his high school buddies, Warren Marsh and Curtis Wood. They invited a few guys from Frank’s company, but the other two were also local, Glen Davis and Alan York.”
I perked up a little. Warren Marsh had been one of the guys Brandy had recently dated. He had been all over her social media pages. Curtis Wood had appeared in her feed, but most of the time, he was with her and Warren. They were both on my list of people to contact.
“I’m surprised they had the party here and not at Antonio’s if Glen was involved.”
Megan motioned for another refill. Kyle topped off her glass and shot me a look. I had forgotten he was there, but he appeared to be hanging on every word. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought to talk to him. Bartenders hear everything. I raised my eyebrows. He smiled.
“Glen wasn’t involved in the organization,” Kyle said. “He and Warren never got along. Warren was always a little homophobic, and Glen has a chip on his shoulder. He wasn’t openly gay in high school, but most of us knew. He and Alan didn’t start dating until after high school. Frank, Warren, and Curtis had been good friends in school, but Frank was friends with Glen and Alan too. He kept in touch with all of them.”
“Marcus told me he worked that night because the bartender had to leave early because he was sick. That wasn’t you?”
Kyle shook his head. “No. That was Todd. He was supposed to work Frank’s party while I prepared drinks for the patrons in the restaurant. Normally one person handles the bar, but Kevin knew the guys would be drinking a lot and needing more attention.”
Kevin was the manager at Bella’s. Marcus relied on him to run the day-to-day operations while he oversaw the marketing and long-term planning.
“Was there anyone else here that night?” I asked.
“A few people coming in to pick up to-go orders. Warren had reserved the bar area. It was closed to other patrons.”
“Anyone picking up an order when Marcus opened his big mouth?” I asked.
Kyle laughed. Megan picked up her glass and drank half the contents. She slammed it back down on the bar. A little bit spilled out.
“Just that slut Autumn,” Megan said, slurring her words. “She was coming in when I was going out.”
“Autumn was here?” I asked. Megan didn’t reply so I looked at Kyle. “She heard Marcus?”
He nodded. “Probably. She was meeting Damian. His shift was supposed to end at eight. She’d planned to sit in the bar while waiting for him, but Marcus made her leave.”
Megan was right. The whole town probably knew about their relationship by now. I glanced at her. She was running her finger through the spilled whiskey from the glass which was empty again.
“Thanks, Kyle.” I tossed a ten on the bar and took a deep breath. “Come on, Megan. It’s time for you to go home.”