A Long December by Donald Harstad

Author:Donald Harstad
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780007402038
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2003-09-15T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2001 15:30

BY THE TIME EVERYBODY GOT SORTED OUT AND SQUARED AWAY, we ended up sitting down with Bligh in my office at 3:30 in the afternoon. He brought Dr. McWhirter along with him.

“So, you two were the lucky ones,” Bligh said.

“Yep. You have our preliminary reports yet?”

“Attached to the main case file already. Good reports. What else can you tell us about this Gonzales?”

I figured what the hell. “Gonzales was the best friend of a man who was murdered, execution-style, the day before we found him, Gonzales, in his room. Dead guy’s name was Rudy Cueva. Both claimed to be either U.S. or Mexican citizens, but as far as we know, Cueva, the guy who was shot, was from Colombia, and we think Gonzales was, too. Both seem to be illegals.”

Bligh and McWhirter just stared.

“Both were employed at the meat-processing plant. Both are suspected of some sort of narcotics involvement, past or present, but we can’t confirm that. We have reason to think both of these men were murdered, but we’re having one hell of a time getting any hard evidence for Gonzales.”

Bligh cleared his throat. “You’re saying that ricin was deliberately…applied… to Gonzales?”

“It begins to look that way,” said Hester. “The only problem is, that’s not the way drug-related killings go down. Not poison, at least not delayed action. They’re usually really violent: knives or guns, like this Cueva murder. Instant gratification.”

Bligh leaned forward in his chair. “Let me get this: Cueva was killed on…?”

“Tuesday,” I said.

“And your investigation led you to Gonzales.”

“Only as a witness, and one before the fact. Gonzales wasn’t an eyewitness, as far as we know. He was Cueva’s best friend.”

“Right. And who sent you to Gonzales? Who thought it was a murder?”

“Nobody,” said Hester. “The county needed a response to an unattended death. Carl and I were together working Cueva’s murder. We were all that was available,” she said. “The Battenberg officer called us for assistance in a simple unattended death, and that’s what we thought it was at first.”

There was a scratching sound at the door. I thought it was somebody playing a joke, and said, “Not now. We’re busy.”

It persisted. I got up and opened the door. Big Ears, who had been standing on his hind legs to scratch, tumbled through the door, spotted Hester, and galloped over to her outstretched hand.

“That’s Big Ears,” I said, smiling. “Named after Gonzales. It was his dog, and now there’s nobody but Hester who wants him.”

I got a questioning look from Bligh.

“Uh, okay, Gonzales was called Orejas, that means ‘big ears,’ or so we’re told. The dog was under his bed.”

Dr. McWhirter spoke up. “The dog was in the room with the dead man?”

“Yep. Been checked by the vet. He’s just fine.”

“So,” said Bligh, getting us all back on track. “You think Cueva and Gonzales were murdered.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’m afraid it sure looks like it.”

“Because of some drug involvement?”

“It’s the only thing that even begins to fit,” said Hester, lifting Big Ears up to her lap.

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