Page 11 of Breathe Me In

“Hi.” I shook his hand to ease his nerves. “I’m Detective Stone, and this is our consultant, Ms. Jaminson. I know you gave a statement before at the hospital, but given what’s come to light, I was hoping you could walk me through your night and any interaction with the second victim, Maggie Deloitte.”

“Nice to meet you both.” He pulled out a barstool and sat next to us. “I work the weekends—it’s the busiest time of the week. I got bumped pretty quickly to bar manager because of my BA in hospitality management.”

“How well did your quick promotion sit with your fellow workers?” Bree cut in.

He shrugged. “I didn’t get much time to make friends before they gave me the position. Probably for the best.” He paused. “If you think one of my staff members did this, you’re wrong.”

“Everyone’s a person of interest,” I reminded him. “Keep going.”

“My shift was like every other night. Nothing stood out. All the regulars were there. I wasn’t working the night the first girl, Shelly something, was killed.”

Bree opened the file she was holding and scanned staff photos. “Shelly White?” She made sure to confirm the name. “All right, so where was Maggie when you took her drink order?”

“Right there. She was standing close to that jar of olives.” He pointed at a large olive jar that sat on the bar top. “I’d just finished serving a guy who ordered five Stellas for his table.” He pointed at a table.

I noted that he used a lot of detail. “That’s a good memory.” His face twisted, and I could see I’d hit a nerve there. Interesting.

“Here’s the thing.” Bree perched on the stool next to him. “The first forty-eight hours are the most crucial when it comes to a case like this. The detectives only have a small window to collect the evidence. They have a bit more time to form relationships with the witnesses to help paint a picture. We’re now on the start of day three.” Her face flinched. “They’ve ruled out some of the more obvious people that Maggie knew. So, now we’re here following a new lead. Thanks to your coming forward.” His shoulders lowered as he nodded.

“Look.” He opened his hands. “I served the man, then her. I had to read her lips—it’s noisy in here when we’re busy. Then I repeated her drink order back to her.”

“Which was?” I asked.

“Lemon martini.” His eyes rolled up as he thought. “I turned away to make her drink, so I had my back to her, then when I turned to hand it to her, she immediately took a quick sip. I remember she didn’t really look at me. She kind of scanned the room.”

“Like she was watching for someone?”

“Maybe.” He shrugged, and the fatigue of the last two days was evident by the way his shoulders sagged forward. “Anyway, since she didn’t go for her purse right away, I took the person’s order next to her. When I looked at her to wait for her to pay, I noticed her eyes were watering, like she’d just stopped a sneeze. I didn’t think anything of it, just slid a napkin over in case she needed it. She paid, took her drink, and left without her card. I figured she’d come back for it.

“It was more than a minute or so later that I felt funny. I went downhill fast, and I ended up at the hospital. The doctor said I must have gotten drugged or something, but they had no idea what it was. After what happened, I feel lucky to be alive.” Bree gave me a small glance when he lowered his head. “Am I in trouble here?”

“Did you kill anyone?” I asked.

“No.”

“Then you shouldn’t be in any trouble.”

“No, we just want justice for the girls’ families, and with what you provided, it gets us partway there.” Bree’s soft voice seemed to soothe his tension again. She pulled out a card. “If you think of anything else, give me a call.”

“Okay, yeah.” He stood, and we joined him. “I will, thank you.” He gave me a look, and I stepped back to dismiss him.

“You know you’re a big man, right?” Bree’s odd comment threw me, and I moved my attention to her now that the bartender was gone. “You’re six foot, what, three?” She put her hands on her hips.

“Your point?”

“Brad, you’re built like an NHL defenseman. You have a resting brooding face, and look at the size of your hands.” She pointed at one. “You’re intimidating. Tone down the whole I’m a detective, therefore I have knowledge on how I can hide a dead body thing.”

“It’s Bradley or Detective Stone,” I said, and she rolled her eyes. I grabbed my notebook while Bree hooked her purse over her shoulder, and we moved to a table. I waved at Longboard to join us.

Longboard lowered his phone a minute or so later, then joined us at the table. “Everything okay with my bartender?”

“Yes, we just need a few more minutes, then we’ll be on our way.” As he spoke to Bree, I took a moment to study the place. The room was all dark wood with vinyl black-studded chairs around high tables. More standing tables were scattered about. The ceiling held bars of strobe lights above the dance floor. The hallway that led to the restrooms was across from the bar. I noted where the entrance was in relation to the rest of the room. Satisfied, I looked at Bree.

“So, how about that dinner?” Longboard pressed again.

“How about you take my card, and if you think of anything else, you give me a call?” Bree handed it to him, then joined my side as Longboard scurried away.

“Jerk,” I muttered.