Rigged by D. P. Lyle

Author:D. P. Lyle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Published: 2020-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 30

JUST AS THE Shady Lane Trailer Park had neither shade nor a lane, the Cedar Oaks Apartments had neither cedars nor oaks. Made Pancake wonder if whoever named them had even bothered to visit. Seemed if they had they’d have come up with other names. But marketing is marketing.

Three tired buildings of eight units, stacked four up, four down, embraced a central courtyard. Mangy grass and scruffy shrubs. A couple of kid’s swing sets. No pool. The units were dingy white with faded and chipped brown trim.

Brett Collins’ unit was the lower corner unit nearest the road. Pancake rapped a knuckle on the door. Collins answered in boxers, a wife-beater tee shirt, hair disheveled, a half-empty bottle of beer in his hand. Looked like he had slept off one drunk and was beginning another.

“Brett Collins?” Pancake asked. He already knew it was. Giving the guy a chance to lie if he was so inclined.

“Who wants to know?”

Pancake introduced himself and Ray, told him they were investigators looking into the murder of his brother.

“Yeah, I heard about that. Our cousin called.”

His concern seemed nonexistent.

“We have a few questions about Jason,” Ray said. “Mind if we come in?”

Collins hesitated as if deciding what to do. Maybe he was feeling helpful, or maybe it was Pancake’s size thirteen shoe already across the threshold, blocking the door, that proved the deciding factor, but finally, he said, “Sure.” He stepped back. “Want a beer?”

“We’re good,” Pancake said.

“Have a seat.” He raised the beer. “I need a refill.” He headed into the open kitchen, dropped the bottle in the sink where the glass-on-glass clank suggested it wouldn’t be lonely. He yanked open the fridge, twisted the cap from another beer.

Despite the fact that Collins looked like he needed a shower and maybe a good night’s sleep, the place was fairly clean. Cheap furniture but in good repair. TV tuned to the local news, sound off. A police officer being interviewed in front of a convenience store that according to the crawl banner had been robbed. Pancake and Ray took the sofa, Collins a chair, facing them.

“We’re sorry about your brother,” Ray said.

“Yeah, well, he and I never really got along. Not even when we were kids.” He took a slug of beer. “He’s four years younger so even in school we ran in different circles.”

“When did you last speak with him?” Pancake asked.

“Couple of years. Maybe three. I can’t remember.”

“So you didn’t know the girl that he was dating? The one that got killed at the same time?”

“Sure didn’t.”

“What can you tell us about Jason?” Ray asked.

“Like what?”

“Anything. What was he like?”

Another sip of beer. “You might say he was the good one.” He shrugged. “I was the wild one.”

“How so?”

“Just that. Mom and Dad always liked him best. He took school seriously. Went to church with them. Played some sports. All that righteous stuff I didn’t do.”

“How’d you feel about that?” Ray asked. “The parents seeming to favor him?”

“You a shrink or something?”

“Just curious.”

“Be curious about something else.

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