“Good enough for me.Let’s see if we can find a reason.”
She smiled at him.“You know, you’re a pretty good partner sometimes.”
He grinned.“Thank you.I try on rare occasions.”
***
Hancock Village—the major population center (loosely speaking) of Hancock Town—was a disorganized cluster of homes on one side and a somewhat better organized cluster of public buildings and businesses on the other side.The Martinex home was a modest single-story colonial, quaint and cozy, a perfect representation of a rapidly fading middle class.
Michael knocked softly on the door.A few seconds later, it opened.
Penny Martinez wasn’t the youthful stunner that Anna Winters was.She looked every bit her age of fifty-four years, and the plain nightgown she wore coupled with the lack of makeup and puffy eyes made her wear those years hard.
Faith’s heart went out to her.She’d just lost the love of her life.It was no surprise she looked to be at her worst.That’s exactly where she was at.
“You can come inside,” she said, her voice trembling.“You can bring your dog too.Paul loves dogs.”
The interior of the home was tastefully decorated with soft beiges and browns dominating the furniture and décor.Faith guessed that was Penny’s influence.The one concession to Paul’s manhood was a pair of elk antlers above the fireplace.Faith counted sixteen points.The elk who once wore this crown must have been a rare specimen.
Penny noticed her stare and chuckled.“I kept telling him to take the damned thing down.Biggest eyesore I’ve ever seen.You can sit on the couch if you like.I’ll make you some coffee.”
“Don’t trouble yourself, Mrs.Martinez,” Faith said.“We don’t want to impose on your hospitality any more than we need to.”
“Call me Penny.And I’m making coffee whether you want some or not.I find keeping busy helps.”
“It does,” Michael agreed.“We’re sorry for your loss.”
Penny took a shaky breath and managed a smile.“Thank you.”
Faith took a closer look around the place as Penny made the coffee.The more she looked, the more she saw subtle signs of Penny’s dead husband.A coaster advertising a brand of beer, an easy chair with a depression in the seat caused by someone substantially heavier than the petite Penny, a pair of slippers too large for her feet sitting in the foyer.It was amazing how much people left behind when they died.All of the little things that you took for granted until their disappearance gouged a hole they had once filled.
Penny set the coffee in front of the two of them.The brew was rich and strong, and Faith was grateful that Penny had insisted on making it.She sipped and savored the richness for a moment before getting down to brass tacks.“Can you tell me what happened the night your husband died?”
Penny shook her head.“I don’t know.That’s the worst part of everything.I just don’t know.”
“Did your husband come home at all two nights ago?”Michael asked.
“No, but that wasn’t unusual.Paul’s recently retired, and I think he’s having some trouble adjusting to it.He would often visit with friends of his from the service.They’d get to drinking and reminiscing, and he’d forget to call me sometimes.I don’t mind if he drinks, but he knows I can’t stand drunk driving.He’d pass out on a buddy’s sofa and then come home in the morning once he’d sobered up.”
Faith’s heart broke for Penny anew when she heard her switch between past and present tense without realizing it.Just like a phantom limb would ache long after it was cut off, the ghost of a spouse would linger in one’s mind.
“Do you have a name and address for this friend?”Michael asked.
Penny frowned.“I do, but I can’t believe Stan would hurt Paul.The two of them were closer than brothers.”
“We’re just trying to learn as much as we can about Paul,” Faith explained.“It helps to have a full understanding of our victim.”
She left unsaid the fact that nearly all murders were committed either by family or close friends.To that end, she asked the other unpleasant question she had to ask.
“What did you do when Paul didn’t come home two nights ago?”
“I went next door to Tanya’s house.”She chuckled a little.“I guess we get drunk together too.Only we watch game shows and gossip.Just a couple of girls.”Her smile disappeared.“I just can’t believe he’s gone.I just talked to him that day.I don’t understand how he can be gone.”
Turk laid his head on her lap, a favorite move of his when he saw that someone needed comfort.Penny stroked his fur and stared listlessly at a spot on the couch in between the two agents.
“When was the last time you saw him?”Faith asked.
"At two o'clock.He comes home for lunch because I make roast beef sandwiches the way he likes them.We talk about our day.It's a thing we decided to do when he retired.He loved me, and he just loved spending time with me.I know he'd go to Stan's house a lot, but he still tried so hard to spend time with me."She brought her hand to her face, and her lower lip trembled."He left at two-thirty to go to work.He texted me at seven to say he was going to Stan's house.He said he loved me, and he'd try to text before bed, but he'd be home for breakfast either way.That was the last I heard from him."
