“So,” Tripple said, “if you know where he is, and you want what’s best for him, you’ll help us run down that little pup.”
“He’s not here,” I said. “You want to find him? Help yourself. Look around. He’s not anywhere in this house.”
“I’ll do that,” Tripple said. “You two have fun playing kiss-and-tickle.”
Bobby’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything. Tripple laughed to himself as he sauntered out of the kitchen. As the door swung shut behind him, he started to whistle—a jauntily off-key tune that I couldn’t recognize.
“What in the blankity-blank is wrong with him?” I asked.
Several long seconds passed before Bobby answered in what must have been his attempt at a normal voice. “Believe it or not, this is Tripple in a good mood. He finally put in his retirement papers, thank God.” More quietly, he asked, “Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you think Keme had anything to do with this.”
“I don’t. I told you I don’t think that. And the sheriff knows I don’t. Why do you think she’s got me paired up with Tripple on this bogus errand? She sidelined me as soon as she realized Keme was a person of interest. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t put me on a desk until it’s over.”
I hadn’t thought about that. In the shock that had followed Bobby’s arrival, I hadn’t really thought about anything. But now that he said it, I could see what he meant—Bobby wasn’t usually partnered with Tripple (for obvious reasons), and he was the best deputy Sheriff Acosta had. (That’s not just my personal preference speaking—everyone knew Bobby was the best.) There was no way Sheriff Acosta would waste him on pickup duty unless she was worried Bobby’s friendship with Keme would compromise him in the investigation.
So, I said the perfect thing to repair my social-emotional blunder: “Oh.”
A hint of a smile showed in the crinkle of Bobby’s eyes. He pulled me into a hug. It felt good to touch him again; it wasn’t like we’d been separated for all that long, but there was something so reassuring, so comforting about the physicalcontact. Also, he smelled like french fries, and my stomach rumbled.
Bobby laughed.
“It’s not my fault,” I said. “You smell delicious. Why do you smell delicious?”
“Because Tripple treats his patrol car like his personal trash can. When he goes off shift, you wouldn’t believe how much trading and haggling and complaining the deputies on the next shift do to avoid getting his unit.” He ran his hand over the back of my head and threaded his fingers through my hair. “It’s going to be okay.”
I shook my head. Then I stepped back, and Bobby let his arms drop. My face felt hot, and I put my hands to my cheeks as I asked, “That’s all? Keme had a fight with this guy, and he ended up dead?”
“Pretty much. His wife found him this morning. I guess they’re in the process of separating. That’s kind of an understatement, actually. They had a huge fight last night. Someone called in a domestic disturbance, and a deputy had to go out there. Tripple said it was pretty bad.”
“Hold on, this guy, JT, had a fight with his wife, and a few hours later he’s dead. And even though the spouse is always the most likely suspect, for some reason, we’re looking at Keme?”
“Well, the wife—Channelle—has a pretty solid alibi.”
“What? She was having dinner with the sheriff?”
The corner of Bobby’s mouth twitched. “Not far off. After Tripple separated them, he got her checked in at the Bay Bridge Suites, and she spent the night there. She went back to the RV park the next morning, and that’s when she found him. There’s security camera footage of the motel parking lot. She didn’t leave.”
“That doesn’t prove anything. She could have snuck out the back—”
“There’s no way out back.”
“She could have disabled the cameras. She could have fabricated the footage from last night, like on, um,Speed. She could have gone from her room to another, prearranged room, put on a wig and a fake mustache, and left through the front door.”
“What were you doing today? Brainstorming?”
“Bobby, she obviously killed him!”
Bobby looked up at the ceiling and the faint sound of Tripple’s footsteps above them.
In a quieter voice, I asked, “What about a murder weapon?”
“It looks like it was a blunt object. We haven’t found it yet.”
“What did Tripple mean, Keme got physical with JT last night?”
“Have you ever been to the RV park?”
