Page 72 of Night Moves
“I was thinking it was his buddy. Odell called the guy Ziggy. Don’t know his real name. He showed up at her trial, all angry and blowing smoke at Laura to try to get her to recant her story. But the detective said he had an alibi for her time of death, and he had zero connection to the other victims.”
“Do you know the name Kirk Gentry?” Drake asked.
Zimmer tilted his head then shook it. “Don’t believe I do. Why? He a suspect?”
“A lead we’re developing.” Drake had to downplay the lead. The last thing they needed was for this guy to go off on his own looking for Gentry or put a PI on it and get them both killed. “Is there anything else you could share that might help us find out who killed Laura?”
He shook his head. “I hired a PI to work the investigation. He followed up on all of this, on Ziggy and the other leads the police ruled out. Didn’t find a thing. And nothing about this Gentry guy you mentioned. Maybe I should have my PI dig into him.”
“I wouldn’t do that, sir,” Drake said. “My firm is working on it, and you can be assured we won’t miss a thing.”
“How can I be sure of that when I’ve never heard of you?”
“They’re top-notch,” Natalie said. “Five brothers. All former law enforcement. They office out of the Veritas Center in Portland.”
“Now them I’ve heard of.” Zimmer studied Drake. “Any affiliation?”
“My sister is the trace evidence expert.”
He gave a sharp nod and stood. “Then if you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you get back to finding this killer.”
He didn’t wait for them to accept his pronounced end to the interview but headed for the door at a fast clip. Drake gestured for Natalie to go ahead of him and followed them both to the door.
On the stoop, Drake turned and offered his hand. “Thanks for talking to us, Mr. Zimmer. I know it’s difficult.”
“You don’t know the half of it until you lose someone.” He shook Natalie’s hand, and a connection passed between them. A horrible connection to have with anyone.
Natalie rarely visited prisons. If her adult client was incarcerated in prison, she couldn’t help them. They’d already been sentenced and would be serving their time. She saw some in jail where they awaited trial. She did sometimes visit prisons to talk with family members of her clients, something she might have to do when Kirk was incarcerated if she wanted to arrange adoptions for the children.
Sitting across a table from Gentry and holding a civilized conversation. Imagine that? No. she couldn’t. He’d be locked up, likely for the rest of his life, but he wouldn’t change. Despite being incarcerated, that smug, superior look would still be etched on his face. He would somehow make every conversation all about him.
She shuddered and followed Drake and the deputy down a damp concrete hallway. A combination of body odor and whatever meal they’d eaten that day filled the air. Not pleasant, and she had to resist plugging her nose.
He pulled open a door labeledVisitorsand stood back. “Have a seat while I get Odell.”
She settled on one of the metal stools affixed to the concrete floor.
Drake sat on a stool next to her, his long leg brushing hers. “Place is clean, but man it stinks.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one who can smell it.” She wrinkled her nose. “Not that I’m glad you get to suffer too, but glad that I’m not imagining it.”
“Let’s just hope Odell isn’t the inmate who’s stinking the place up.”
“Agreed.”
They fell silent. Not a comfortable silence. Seemed neither one of them knew what to say to each other in the strange surroundings. A prison definitely wasn’t the place to have a personal conversation. Besides, as their interest in one another was growing, she was avoiding those talks at all costs. She focused her thoughts on the background report Eric had pulled together on Odell so she was ready for the interview.
Thankfully, footsteps sounded in the hallway, and the deputy led in a tall, lanky guy with a thick head of curly blond hair and a freckled face. He moved awkwardly, but was a good-looking guy. If he had any kind of game with women, Natalie could see how he could get them to fall for him.
He dropped onto a stool and glared. “Didn’t ask to see you, whoever the heck you are.”
The deputy chained Odell’s cuffs to the table and glared at him for a long moment before turning his attention to Natalie and Drake. “I’ll be right outside.”
The door closed, and Natalie didn’t waste any time. “I’m social worker Natalie Dunn.” She hoped a title of any kind might gain her some standing with this guy. “And this is Drake Byrd of Nighthawk Security.”
Odell tried to cross his arms, but his chain wasn’t long enough, and he lowered his arms. “What do you want?”
“To talk to you about the reason you’re in here,” Natalie said.
