I said, “Did he ever have a long-term relationship—girlfriend, ex-wife?”
Briggs said, “Not since I knew him.”
“He never mentioned a bad situation?”
“Never. But Ricky wasn’t much to bitch. Didn’t talk about his love life, period, just sometimes he’d come home looking happy and I’d say, ‘A hot one, huh?’ And he’d smile and give the thumbs-up.”
“Friendly guy.”
“He liked everyone,” said Briggs. “Sometimes I wondered if that would get him into trouble.”
“In what way?”
“I mean, it’s okay to be okay with people, right? But not all people are good people, right? I mean sometimes it pays to be a little…not paranoid, just a little suspicious. Watch your back, right? I had an ex-wife, right after high school. She lied and told me she was pregnant then she cheated on me, then she got to keep my truck.”
He frowned, remembering.
I said, “You’re careful but Ricky wasn’t.”
“Ricky liked everyone,” Briggs repeated. “Now look what happened.”
Milo said, “You’re thinking he got friendly with the wrong person.”
“It’s possible, no?” Briggs recrossed his legs. “I guess what I’m saying is the guy had no walls around him and sometimes you need walls.”
His hands clasped on his knees and he rocked a couple of times. “He was my friend, I don’t want talk smack about him.”
“Of course not,” said Milo. “But if you know something that helps find his killer, you need to tell us.”
“Yeah…it’s just, all this me-too shit going around. You know?”
“Ricky didn’t always treat women right.”
“He’d say he did. Because they had fun, too.”
We waited.
Look,” said Briggs, “I’m not saying he ever roofied anyone. Did a Harvey or a Cosby, that kind of thing.”
Long arms folded across his bare chest.
I said, “But…”
“But he…oh, man, don’t take this the wrong way. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” said Briggs. “He didn’t need to be a perv, chicks liked him.”
As if that mattered. Milo and I waited.
Briggs said, “I’m just saying his way wouldn’t be mine.” His cheeks ballooned. He let the air out slowly. “He liked to get them a little…relaxed. Then, once they were in the mood…already doing it…he liked to stand them up. Sometimes in…both ways, you know?”
I said, “Anal sex by surprise.”
“That makes it sound twisted, he never really forced anyone, they were already in the groove.” Briggs unlaced his hands and waved them. “It was more like…he called it shifting gears.”
“How’d his dates react?”
