BEFORE HE NEEDS by Blake Pierce

Author:Blake Pierce [Pierce, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-05-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Mackenzie decided that because it was only 8:05, they’d be okay to pay Chino Castillo a visit. As it turned out, his home was directly on the way back to the precinct, about a thirty-minute drive from Tidal Hills. The city was nearly overtaken by the darkness of night when they reached his street. It was not a rundown section of town but it was far from the luxurious accommodations they’d seen at the Carlsons’ and the Springses’ homes.

When she parked in front of the address Samuel had given them, they spotted a man perched by the side of the house. He was hunkered down in front of a push lawnmower, scraping at the underside beyond the blade. He was working by the aid of the porch light which had collected a swarm of gnats and other bugs.

Mackenzie approached him slowly with Ellington behind her. The man looked up to them with a slightly concerned face.

“Are you Chino Castillo?” Mackenzie asked.

“Yeah, that’s me. Who are you?”

Mackenzie went through her introductory act, giving their names and flashing her ID. “Your name was provided by someone we’ve spoken to concerning a case we’re working on. We were hoping you had some time to speak with us.”

“Sure,” he said, although it was clear he was uneasy with the idea. He put the mower back down on its wheels and peeled off the gloves he had been using to scrape out the underside. “What’s going on?”

“Well, we’re looking for a suspect that has been involved with Tidal Hills as well as a private club known as DCM. We have it on good authority that you have had dealings with at least one of those places.”

“That’s right. Tidal Hills.”

He went quiet then, as if waiting for them to tell him why that mattered. Mackenzie could tell that he was frightened. And while that was not necessarily an indication of guilt, it usually meant there was something in his life worth hiding.

“We understand that there were some issues,” Mackenzie continued. “Have you been pestering the man who calls himself the guru?”

Chino scoffed at this as he led Mackenzie and Ellington up onto his porch. “Is that what this is about? Did that prick complain about me?”

“He did complain about you,” Mackenzie said. “But that was not the point of our visit. We were questioning him about the same case we are asking you about. During our questioning, your name came up.”

“What a joke,” Chino said.

“Well, that’s what we’re hoping,” Mackenzie said. “But just to clear up the stories, could you tell us what happened?”

Chino looked at the boards of his porch as he plopped down in a rickety old lawn chair. “Yeah, but it’s embarrassing in hindsight. See, I had this friend that had heard about what they do at Tidal Hills. Some sort of spiritual junk, but really it’s about sex. Some excuse to have orgies or partner-swapping. And I had been going through a dry spell…had a bad run with getting almost addicted to porn.

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