“We’re still interviewing people. We also confiscated their phones and have downloaded all digital imagery taken at the scene.”
“And?”
“So far nothing.”
“That’s weird. Someone must have seen something.”
“There were dozens of people present, Mr. Roulston,” said Odelia. “It’ll take us a little time to talk to all of them, and cross-reference the witness reports.”
There was a knock at the door, and four more people entered, three men and one woman.“I want to introduce you to my team,” said Roulston, getting up. “Team, this is Detective Chase Kingsley—in charge of the investigation—and Odelia Poole. She’s like the Rick Castle addition to the Hampton Cove Police Department if you will.”
“Only I’m not a writer,” Odelia quipped.
“Too bad. You could have worn one of those bulletproof vests with the word WRITER written across the front and back,” said Roulston. “I want you to meet Luca Elrott, Toby Mulvaney, Jason Nugent and Regan Lightbody. They were all part of the close protection team this morning. I had more people out there, but they were in charge of crowd control.”
Odelia and Chase turned their chairs around, while the foursome took a seat in the small salon. They looked downcast, which was a big difference to the hard-partying star they were all hired to protect. These people clearly cared about the man who had died.
“So what can you tell us about what happened this morning?” asked Chase.
Regan Lightbody shrugged. She was small but wiry and looked more impacted than her colleagues.“Ray was a great guy. He didn’t deserve this.” She glanced up, her amber eyes finding Odelia’s. “You’re going to find out anyway, so it’s better you hear this from me. Ray and I were an item. We’d been dating on and off ever since we began working for Charlie.” She darted a quick look at one of the other guards, who looked away.
Now Odelia understood why Regan seemed so crushed.“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said softly.
Regan nodded and wiped at her eyes.“He was a goof, no doubt about it, but the moment we were out there he got into the zone and was the consummate professional.”
“He was,” Roulston confirmed. “One of the best guys I ever worked with.”
There were murmurs of agreement from the others.“Yeah, Ray was a super guy. Fun to hang out with, and he always had your back,” said Toby, a red-haired guy with a ready smile. “We’re going to miss him.”
“Did any of you catch a glimpse of the killer?” asked Chase. When they all shook their heads, he added, “Anything unusual happen? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“The shot came completely out of the blue,” said Jason Nugent, a tough-looking guy with a busted nose and a sliced eyebrow. “The moment it happened we just bundled Charlie into the car and took off. I was in the car with him, so I didn’t see a thing.” He turned to Regan. “You stayed behind. Did you see anything?”
“Nothing. It’s almost as if this guy is a ghost. All I could see were those same teens that come out every time Charlie steps out—nothing that set off any alarm bells.”
“I didn’t see nothing, either,” said Luca in somber tones. “The thing is, when you enter this field you know that one day something like this might happen. You prepare for it, mentally and physically. But when it actually happens, like it did today? You realize nothing can prepare you.” His face hardened. “We lost a friend today—a comrade. So promise me one thing, all right? You catch this bastard. You catch the bastard that did this, you hear me?”
“We hear you loud and clear, Luca,” said Chase, nodding.
“We promise,” said Odelia, greatly touched. “We’ll find your friend’s killer.”
“Ray gave his life for the Dieber. The man’s a hero. He deserves to get justice.”
Chapter 12
The arrival of Diego and Harriet on the scene had dampened my initial excitement about seeing Clarice and really digging into this latest murder mystery. I’d been so eager to talk to Dieber’s cat menagerie but Diego had spoiled the fun for me. It almost appeared as if he was the kryptonite to my Superman. The mere sight of him simply deflated me and robbed me of any desire to get out there and figure out who might have it in for the Dieber.
So when Odelia stepped onto the deck and gave me a nod of the head, indicating it was time to go, I was actually glad. At least I’d asked Clarice to snoop around, to which she graciously agreed. If I couldn’t play Sherlock Holmes, I had a proxy who would do the honors.
On the ride back to the house, Chase’s car looked more like an animal control van, minus the partition and the atmosphere of fear. There was a lot of loathing, though.
“You’re a liar, Diego,” Brutus was saying. “A big, fat liar and now we know.”
“I wasn’t lying,” said Diego. “Merely easing you into a reality you’ll soon be facing. Odelia is sick and tired of you sticking to her like glue, Max. So you better be prepared.”
“No, she’s not,” I said. “Odelia told me so herself. She’ll never get rid of us. Never.”