"I'll need to verify that information with your girlfriend.”
"Be my guest.”
"I'll need her contact information.”
His mouth tightened. Randy pulled out his phone and thumbed through the contact list. “What’s your phone number? I'll text you her information."
I dug into my pocket and handed him a card.
He sent the information. "I didn’t kill Brock Madison. I sure would have liked to. But you're barking up the wrong tree.”
“I bet you’ve got another vehicle besides this truck,” I said.
“Yeah, this is just a work vehicle.”
“Nice work vehicle. What’s your personal car?”
With a knitted brow, he snapped, “What does that matter?”
“I can look up the DMV records.”
After a frustrated exhale, he said, “A black Corova XT.”
It was a reliable econobox.
Deputies had canvased Palm Haven, looking for video footage of vehicles coming or going, but turned up nothing. We’d make another round and ask if anyone remembered seeing a black Corova XT in the neighborhood the night of the murder.
21
"Yes, I was with Randy last night," Amy said when I called. "What's this about?”
"How long were you with him?”
She took a breath. "I think we met up around 6:30 PM. We had dinner, then I was home by 9:00 PM.”
"So, you can’t verify his whereabouts after that?”
"No. I can’t. Is he in some kind of trouble?”
I ignored her question. "Any particular reason why the date was cut short?”
Amy hesitated. "We broke up.”
"I’m sorry to hear that. Had that been coming for a long time?”
She exhaled. "I just didn't feel like it was going where I wanted it to go. He's a really nice guy, but…”
“No spark?”
“There was at one time. I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
"Did Randy ever express any violent thoughts?”
"Are violent thoughts a crime now?”
I chuckled. "No. I'm just trying to get a sense of his personality. Was he ever violent with you?”
She was silent for a long moment. Too long. "One time. He’d been drinking. We got into a pretty heated argument. He hit me. I don't think he meant to. He would never have done it sober.” She was making excuses for him. At least she had gotten out of the relationship.
