The mood darkened at the reminder.
“You two going over to Coy’s parents’ house?” Kirby asked.
“We’ll be there.”
They talked a little longer, and then Kirby and the men began to disperse. The rest of the crowd started wandering away. As they walked back toward Josh’s truck, a group of marines from out of town were being stopped on the way to their vehicles by a couple of men in dark suits—police detectives, Josh figured. There were now two murders to solve.
“What’s going on?” Tory asked.
“I’m guessing they’re cops or feds. They’re talking to the guys from out of town.”
Just then a black-haired, olive-skinned man in a navy blue suit walked up to him. “You Joshua Cain?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m Detective Rafe Dominguez, Gainesville PD. I’d like to talk to you about your friend.”
Josh nodded. “All right.” He stepped over to the side, out of the way, eased Tory along with him. “What do you want to know?” He didn’t introduce her. She had enough trouble without adding more.
But the detective was determined to do his job, which in a way was a plus.
Dominguez arched a black eyebrow. “And you are?”
“Victoria Bradford. I didn’t know Coy Whitmore. I’m just here with Josh.”
Dominguez nodded. “When’s the last time you spoke to Coy?” he asked Josh.
“We talked at Pete Saldana’s funeral. You know about Pete?”
“We know.”
“But the police just think both of them being shot in the head is a coincidence.”
“Be easier to think that. Starting to look like it might be something else.”
“Yeah, like what?” Josh asked.
“Both men knew each other, both came out of Marine Corp Special Operations. Different teams, I gather, but both in Afghanistan at the same time. Pete’s been back in the States longer than Coy. But they stayed in touch.”
Maybe this guy had a brain. “So where’s that information take you?”
“Killer could have been a friend, someone they both knew. Someone they both pissed off. Could be woman trouble. Looks like Whitmore was quite the stud here in Gainesville. Big on one-night stands. Saldana was a family man but there’s always a chance he was playing around. They were friends. Maybe they shared a woman and someone didn’t like it.”
“Not Pete.”
“Whitmore liked to gamble. Played poker. Lost too much on occasion. Saldana liked to play the horses. We’re working that angle.”
“Could be a lot of things,” Josh said. “Whatever’s going on, I don’t think it’s coincidence.”
“Maybe not. We’re just getting started. You got anything to add that might point us in the right direction?”
He couldn’t think of a thing. Coy had always been a rounder, a little too wild for his own good. He’d been wounded, had to leave the marines, but he’d never really settled down. Pete wasn’t like that. When his wife found out she had breast cancer, Pete had left the military to help with his kids.
“I wish I had something,” Josh said.
The detective handed him a card. “You think of anything, call me.”
He just nodded. The whole mess had his stomach tied in knots. He set a hand at Tory’s waist, urging her back toward the pickup parked along the curb.
