Page 29 of Roughing
I nodded and cleared my throat, attempting to dislodge the lump before speaking. “I, uh, I’m good friends with the bartender who was working the night Pria disappeared.”
Carla consulted her notebook. She was old school. Technology was not her friend. “Aspen Bedford?”
“Yes. And there’s more. My abusive ex was coming on to Pria that night, and she shut him down. They both left around the same time that night.”
“Ah, yes, Portland PD’s person of interest, Gordon Clarmont, but he has an alibi.”
“Regardless, I’ve been suspicious of him for a long time.”
“Tell me everything you know.” Carla settled into her chair, shoving some papers out of the way on her desk to make room for a writing pad. Her pen was poised and ready. She bombarded me with questions as though I were being interrogated. I filled her in on my rocky on-again, off-again relationship with Gordon until it was finally off for good, my restraining order, and his uncanny and creepy ability to find me no matter where I was.
Carla sat back and rubbed her chin. “So Gordon is your stalker, and now we have a case where he’s one of the last people to see Pria before she disappeared.”
“It’s a small world, isn’t it?” I spoke wryly without an ounce of humor.
“Have you been interviewed by the Portland police?”
“Once, but they didn’t show much interest in what I had to say.”
“You may know more than you think you do. I can put you in touch with the lead detective on the case. Pria’s family is desperate to find out what happened, and I’m determined to get to the bottom of her disappearance. I’ll need every bit of computer sleuthing skills that you have.”
“I’d be glad to help. I didn’t know her, but we had mutual friends, and everyone spoke highly of her.” I’d always been good at ferreting out information on the internet. I wasn’t a geek who had the skills to hack into private or government systems, but I had my methods backed up by my persistence in discovering the truth.
“All right, then, let’s get to work.”
Later that evening, I pulled into the parking garage at the same time Briggs did. No matter how hard I tried to avoid this man, fate continued to throw us together.
He fell into step beside me. “You look pensive.”
I stopped and stared at him. I didn’t want to go home just yet. Heidi wasn’t there, and being alone didn’t appeal to me. “How about a drink?”
Confusion crossed his handsome features. “Is this part of that friend thing we now have going?”
“It is. So do you want to get a drink?”
“Sure.”
“Portland Puck?”
“Sounds good.”
“Let’s walk. It’s not raining, and I could use the fresh air.”
“What about Heidi?”
“She’s working there tonight. I wanted to check on her anyway.”
Briggs nodded, and together we walked the several blocks to the Puck in companionable silence. Usually, I kept a conversation going but not tonight. For once, I didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with idle chatter. I usually did whenever I was with friends, but tonight I was in a more introspective mood.
The bar was slow, even for a Monday night. We had our pick of tables. I waved at Leila. She hustled over with a smile on her face.
“Michella. Briggs.” Leila regarded us both with a smile bathed in sunshine.
Briggs grunted a hello while my greeting was friendlier. “Great to see you. Where’s Heidi?”
“She’s in the back restocking the shelves before the rush.”
“How’s she doing?” I lowered my voice, not wanting Heidi to hear.
