Seventeen
It was hard to know who was following the strongest lead—Jack and Brandon or him and Paige. Then again, maybe both trails would take them to the same person. But Zach found it hard to believe the killer had delivered West’s and Sullivan’s heads personally. Even if the unsub had wanted to feast on people’s reactions, it could be done through the media, with far less risk of getting caught. As far as Zach figured, the driving service Stella Bridges used factored in somehow. Whether it led them to another suspect or not remained to be seen.
Zach and Paige stepped inside the office of Checker Limousine, and it smelled of motor oil and rubber. No one was at the front desk.
Zach led the way through the office until they found themselves in a service bay. A Crown Vic and a Chrysler 300 were being serviced. There wasn’t a stretch limo in sight.
“Can I help you?” A rotund man came toward them wearing stained coveralls and holding a rag.
Zach and Paige showed him their credentials and introduced themselves.
“Well, I’m Dwayne Spencer, the owner here.” Dwayne rested his hands on his hips, the rag dangling from one of his hands.
“We’d like to speak to your driver Dominick,” Zach said.
“Whatcha want with Dom?”
“Is there someplace private we could talk?” Zach’s gaze went to a set of metal stairs leading to an office space that overlooked the garage.
“There’s nothing much you can say that will shock me, and I hide nothing from my guys.” He jerked a head backward, and one of the mechanics who had his head under a hood looked over as if on cue.
“We’d like to ask him about his shift last night,” Paige interjected.
Dwayne looked at Paige. “What about it?”
Apparently, they’d have to give the man something to pry him open. “We’re investigating a case he might be able to help us with.”
Dwayne wrung the rag in his hands. “That’s not good news.”
Zach regarded the man, unsure what he meant by that. “Why’s that?”
Dwayne stuffed the rag into one of the pockets of his coveralls. “Well, I tried to reach him this morning. Left him a message. I figured he was sleeping in, but…” Dwayne’s brows scrunched up. “Is Dom all right?”
Good question. Now Zach wasn’t so sure. “We don’t know yet. Why were you trying to reach him?”
“Just wanted to ask him if he was up for overtime next week.”
Zach nodded. “You said you figured he was probably sleeping in this morning? Does he normally work nights?”
“Uh-huh, that’s right.”
“Did he return the car after his shift last night?” Paige asked.
Dwayne looked at her. “He must have because it was in the lot when I got in this morning.”
Zach frowned. “So he worked his entire shift?” It didn’t make sense given what Stella had told them.
“Yeah, as far as I know.”
“Who would know for sure?” Paige asked.
“Larry!” Dwayne bellowed over his shoulder.
The mechanic Zach had noted earlier trudged over. He was gangly, and his face was black with grease. “What’s up, boss?”
“Did anyone fill in for Dom at any point last night?” Dwayne asked.
Larry’s bottom lip came up over the top one, and he shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of.” Larry shifted his gaze to Zach.
“Did you see Dominick when he returned his car from his shift last night?” Zach asked Larry.
“No. I was upstairs with Cindy figuring out a booking error.”
Dwayne looked questioningly at Larry. “Is it all figured out?”
“Yes.” Larry looked peaked. “But it wasn’t so much a booking error…”
Dwayne’s face flared red. “Explain.”
“And it involved Dom,” Larry said sheepishly.
“What happened?” Dwayne growled.
“Call came in about two thirty this morning to go out to Stella Bridges’s place, but Dom didn’t confirm pickup or drop-off.”
Dwayne threw his hands in the air. “You sent another driver, I hope. The last thing we need is her pissed off at us.”
Larry looked down at the concrete floor and scuffed the tip of his boot against it. “It wasn’t caught until about three this morning—”
“Around the time Dom would have returned his car,” Dwayne interrupted. “So you could have questioned him in person.”
Dwayne was busy staring down his employee while the hairs were rising on the back of Zach’s neck. Someone, whom Larry hadn’t requested, had filled in for Dominick and didn’t know to confirm pickup and drop-off? Or didn’t want to? “How does confirming pickup and drop-off work?” Zach asked.
“The driver just calls into the office,” Larry answered.
Paige glanced at Zach, then addressed Larry. “When was the last time Dominick did confirm a ride last night?”
“After he’d dropped Miss Bridges off at Magical Bar & Grill. It was nine thirty.”
Dwayne’s body stiffened. “You haven’t heard from Dom since nine thirty last night?”
Larry stepped back, putting more space between himself and his boss.
Dwayne mumbled something incoherent, then said to Larry, “We’ll talk later.”
“Is it normal for Dominick to miss calling in his pickups and drop-offs?” Paige asked.
“No, and I was going to talk to Dom about it today,” he added with a glance at Dwayne.
Zach had a bad feeling about this. Either Dominick was involved with Kelter’s disappearance and went off the grid, or his mysterious fill-in had done something to him. “Do you show a pickup at Magical Bar & Grill at about eleven last night?”
“Miss Bridges called but canceled,” Larry told them. “Said that one of our drivers was there already.”
“And do you know who that was?” Zach asked.
“I assumed it was Dominick. His vehicle’s GPS tracking system showed him there.”
Stella’s assumption it was Dominick’s car in the bar’s lot had been right.
“And he drives a…” Zach prompted, just to be sure.
“A white Chrysler 300,” Dwayne finished.
“Did the GPS also show his car at Miss Bridges’s for the two thirty call?” Paige asked.
Larry took a rag from his back pocket and wiped his forehead.
“Well?” Dwayne turned to look at him. “Did it?”
“I…don’t know.”
Dwayne pointed at the second-floor office. “Go find out. Now.”
Larry ran off to carry out his boss’s orders.
GPS might be able to put the car there, but it couldn’t prove that Dominick was behind the wheel. “Do you have any video surveillance that might show Dom dropping off the vehicle?”
“The cameras in the lot are dummies to discourage vandalism and theft,” Dwayne admitted.
Zach nodded, disappointed, but thankfully, they still had an avenue to explore with Bridges’s security company.
“What’s standard procedure when a car gets returned at the end of shift?” Paige asked.
Dwayne shrugged. “They just return it to the lot.”
“What happens to the keys?” Zach wanted to know.
“Each car in my fleet is assigned to two drivers, and they hold on to the keys. There are two shifts per vehicle. Dom’s is from seven in the evening until three in the morning. The other driver is Antonio Luna. He starts his shift at five in the morning and finishes at three thirty.”
Zach checked his watch. It was two o’clock. “We’re going to need you to call him back so we can talk to him and have the vehicle looked at.”
Dwayne slid his gaze to Paige and crossed his arms. “I’ve been real cooperative, but I’d like to know what’s going on now.”
“We’re still investigating, but it’s possible your vehicle was used in a crime last night,” Paige said.
Dwayne shook his head wildly. “No. No, there’s no way. There wasn’t any damage to it or I would have heard. Now, I can’t stop you from talking to Antonio, but if you want to search my vehicle, I’ll need to see that warrant. It’s bad enough that I’d need to pull it from service. The last thing I need is word getting out that one of my cars was used for something—” Dwayne rolled his hand “—sinister. My business will be ruined.”
Zach wasn’t going to point out that if the vehicle was used in a crime, it would probably boost business. Sadly, macabre sells.
Before he had a chance to respond, Larry hustled toward them, all flailing arms and legs. He was panting when he reached them.
Dwayne looked disgustedly at his employee. “What is it?”
“The GPS in Dom’s car went offline after last showing at Miss Bridges’s at about eleven thirty.”
“Dom disabled it?” Dwayne’s nostrils flared. “And no one noticed this until now?”
Zach ignored Dwayne’s last question and said, “Let me guess, he’s never done that before.”
Larry shook his head.
There was no doubt in Zach’s mind that this had something to do with the anonymous driver who had been at the bar at eleven last night. “We appreciate your help.” Zach let his gaze go to both men. “We’ll be back with a warrant to search the car. For now, call it back and make sure no one else touches it, including the two of you.”
Both men just nodded, and Zach and Paige headed back outside. When they reached the sidewalk, he turned to her. Her dire expression said what he’d been thinking: Dominick could very well be in danger.