“Did I? Stepped up as a good citizen and did my duty. Told the cops what I’d seen, which was fuck all.”
“The only reason you came forward was that a witness identified you.”
Margrave took another bite of the sandwich and chewed. “Well, I had to have been near the library if my name was mentioned. Which means I saw the girl then.”
“Nope. You weren’t named for being near the library; the other witness claimed you had an inappropriate interest in JulieRogers.” I waited to see which route Margrave chose. Fury or denial. Instead, he leaned back and studied me.
“Elaborate on inappropriate interest.”
“Following Julie, making sexual comments that weren’t welcomed, sending gifts she didn’t want.” I refrained from calling him a stalker.
A smile crossed Margrave’s lips, and his eyes bored into mine. “Look around you. All these young things wearing short skirts, showing ass cheeks or tits. Legs that go on forever and silken skin. They want to be stared at, touched, admired. When it happens, they bitch and wail. The little bitches tempt men and then cry rape. The girl was no different from any of the others.”
“Got what she deserved, did she?” I inquired, keeping my voice steady. It was taking everything inside me not to reach out and grab this motherfucker by the throat.
“Can’t say if she did or didn’t, I don’t know anything.” Margrave smiled, and it sent chills down my spine.
“Julie left the library, and you saw her walking away?”
“If my statement says so, and I ain’t going over it again.”
“The library was shut for refurbishment. How could you have seen Julie leave?” I played my trump card.
Margrave stilled as he judged as he gazed at me. “Probably got my days mixed up.”
“Even though you described what Julie was wearing that day as proof you’d noticed her?”
“Maybe I got the place wrong? Who knows? It was a long time ago.”
“Only six months ago, Margrave.”
“Long enough. The girl likely ran off with one of those fancy boys she was always hanging around with. Anyway, you sat at my table, intruded on my space, and never introduced yourself. You’re not a cop, so I’m guessing you’re a PI. Tell Julie’s daddyto stop looking and wasting money. That little girl is probably having the time of her life somewhere.”
Margrave stood, dropped ten bucks and, without another word, walked away.
“Asshole stiffed me again,” the waitress muttered as she approached.
“On your tip?”
“No, on the meal. Ten bucks isn’t enough.”
“I’ll cover the shortfall,” I said and got up, handing her a twenty. “Keep the rest for a tip.”
“Hey, whatever you want with Margrave, be careful. The man’s meaner than a rattler and as sneaky as fuck. Nobody around here likes him, and everyone avoids him as best we can,” the waitress warned.
I nodded. Somehow, I’d already guessed that, but even so, it was sound advice. I headed back to my truck. Margrave has just catapulted himself to the top of the suspect list.
April
I stared at the envelope and gritted my teeth. This time, there was no doubting who it was from. Stone had signed it. It was a voucher for an FLGS (friendly local game store) worth two hundred dollars. Stone had found my weakness. I loved playing D&D, and a girl could always use more dice and cards. Damn, Stone, how dare he remember I was a dedicated player?!
The urge to crumple the voucher up or shred it and send it back was overwhelming, but I couldn’t do it. My fingers twitched. The shop had just got a rare set of dice that I badly wanted. Special ones with dragon eyes in amber. I growled, which made Clara laugh.
I turned and saw her heading towards the cosy lounge, her steps slow and methodical.
“What’s wrong, darling?” she called as Rose hovered around her.
“Stone sent me a voucher for two hundred bucks for my D&D gaming,” I replied as I followed Clara through.
