A Cold Day for Murder by Leigh Mayberry

Author:Leigh Mayberry [Mayberry, Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

The Suburban sat catty-corner to the restaurant. Meghan could have parked closer, but she intended to use the disabled vehicle conversation as a subterfuge. She climbed into the driver’s seat, closed the door with the window down to talk to Brian.

He finished the second cigarette, snuffed it out in the gravel under the toe of the work boot. He hadn’t worn a jacket outside; flannel shirt sleeves rolled up on his forearm revealed a tattoo on the inside of his arm just above the wrist. It was muted from age, a somber American flag with a silhouette of soldiers marching.

“Were you in the army?” Meghan asked. She sat in the truck because she was alone with Brian and had to talk to him about something potentially volatile and since Oliver was asleep at home because it was daytime, Lester was busy with a domestic violence call that came in that morning, and Meghan was on her own when it came to interviewing suspects.

“Coast Guard reserves,” he said, lifting his arm to show off the tattoo more. He had to raise the folded sleeve to show the coast guard logo above the rest of the symbol. When he dropped his arm again, staring at Meghan through the window of the truck, he breathed through his teeth. “There’s nothing wrong with your truck is there?”

“Well, it’s old, got a million miles on it, and I have no idea when it had an oil change last, but no, it starts up after a while.”

He looked at his boots. A few people walked by the truck, gave a friendly wave to the chief. She obliged a wave back. Then she spoke to Brian in a low tone. “I found your fingerprints on the nightstand in Nancy’s bedroom.” It was enough to make his shoulders sag. “Can you tell me where you were on Friday night?”

“I was here.” It came out in a flat, hard burst. Realizing what he sounded like, Brian took a few breaths. He reached for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket and lit another one. This time he breathed smoke toward the driver’s side door, in Meghan’s face. “I closed up around eight or nine.”

“Was Nancy with you?”

“She sometimes helps, so yeah.”

“After you closed the diner, did you go right home?”

“I took Nancy back to her apartment.”

“Did you go inside?”

He puffed angrily on the cigarette and then rolled it between his fingers looking at the embers.

“Look, you and I both know where this is going. I can tell by your attitude that Cheryl has no idea about you having an affair with Nancy.” It was out in the breezy Wednesday air and didn’t hang around like the stale cigarette smoke. “I want to tell you to your face, Brian, that I’m moderately certain you didn’t kill your sister-in-law.”

There was shimmering under his eyes. Brian sniffled and rubbed his wrist against his eye. The end of the cigarette dropped ashes that fell like gray snowflakes.

“What happened Friday night after you took Nancy home?”

“I went upstairs with her.

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