Play It Down by Gregory Payette

Author:Gregory Payette [Gregory Payette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 8 Flags Publishing, Inc
Published: 2023-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Bart leaned his crutches against the glass table on the patio in his backyard and sat down, the umbrella overhead, across from Joe. “Can you please explain to me why the hell you’d go see Nick Juliano?” Bart shifted in the chair, using both hands to move the position of his bandaged leg.

“I was just hoping to talk to him,” Joe said, “see what he’d have to say.”

“You really think you’d just walk in his office, he’d start answering all your questions?” Bart reached for his bottle of beer. “And the problem you have now is that he knows who you are.”

“He doesn’t know my name.”

Bart rolled his eyes. “But he saw your car.”

Joe said, “Well, the thing is, I guess I hadn’t really planned it out. I just wanted to see who this guy was, maybe get a feeling about the whole thing, see if I could figure a few things out. And, sure enough…”

“Sure enough what? Just because the woman from Human Resources didn’t tell you anything about Craig Peters doesn’t mean the company has something to hide.”

“You don’t think the fact he wasn’t terminated for stealing from the company says something?” Joe leaned forward on the table. “On top of that, they never contacted the police about it?”

Bart sipped his beer, shaking his head. “You’re basing this all off something Dickie told you,” he said. “He has no proof of any of it, and no idea whether or not Craig Peters was even involved in some so-called scheme. Juliano may know nothing about it, if it even happened.” He looked down at his bottle, picking at the label on the side. “I’m still not sure I understand why you’re going through all this trouble. You ask me, the only one I want to see behind bars—or six feet underground—is Craig Peters. But I’m smart enough to know I don’t need to let my emotions get in the way. Woody and half the force are out looking for him.” He held up his bottle. “I’ve decided I’m going to start to enjoy my retirement. Be grateful I’ve still got two legs.”

“But they still believe Craig killed his wife,” Joe said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Are you serious?” Bart laughed, resting his beer on the chair’s armrest. “He knows you were tapping his wife. I’d say that’s enough of a motive he showed up trying to kill you. And you’re going to believe whatever kind of BS he was feeding you?”

Joe leaned back in the chair and looked around Bart’s backyard, beyond the fence, toward the neighbor’s house. “I want to talk to the kid across from Suzanne’s apartment.”

“What kid?”

“The one who claims he saw Craig leaving the apartment.”

Bart put the bottle on the table and rubbed both hands over his face. “Jesus, Joe. You’re so goddamn thickheaded. I don’t understand you sometimes.”

Joe stared back at him without an answer, shrugged, and finally sipped the beer sitting on the table in front of him. “I saw the kid across the hall when I was there, the first time I met Suzanne.

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