Page 123 of One Vote for Murder
His cheek twitched. “Heisa good man.”
“You two are close?”
He gave a curt nod. “I’ve known Liam a long time. We were in the Marines together.”
“Really?”
“That’s right.” He stared up at the flickering fluorescent light.
“So, you were close even then?”
He nodded. “Yep. We were eighteen years old and cocky as fuck. We thought the world should bow before us.”
Don’t you still think that?
“I guess you kept in touch after you got out of the Marines?”
“Obviously.” He smirked. “Were you ever in the military?”
“No.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He chuffed. “‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ was still a thing back then, right? I guess you wouldn’t have been considered fit to serve your country.”
I clenched my jaw. “I’d have served if I wanted to. I’ve just never been interested.”
“Sure. I get it.”
I laughed gruffly at his insulting tone. “We’re not here to discuss my choices in life. We’re here to talk about your relationship with Liam James.”
“I’m still holding out hope he’ll show up alive and well.”
“Are you?” I studied his rigid features. He was lying. There was just something about his face that made me think he knew Liam was dead. “You must know the odds are slim.”
“Whatever. Until I hear for sure it’s Liam in that car, I’m hoping for a miracle.”
“Are you a religious man?”
He laughed. “Hell no.”
“But you’re hoping for a miracle?”
“Sure. Why not?”
I scribbled some notes about his demeanor on the pad. “Thursday evening is when Liam seemed to disappear. Would you mind telling me where you were Thursday evening?”
“Let’s see, I had dinner with my lovely wife around 6:00 p.m., and then I went to the Rotary Club slideshow around 7:00 p.m.”
“And Angela can substantiate that?”
His lip curled. “Of course.”
“So you left your home and went directly to the Rotary hall?”
“Yep.” He popped hisp.
“I’ll ask around to be sure you didn’t slip out.”
A muscle jerked in his ruddy cheek. “You do that. I never left the hall. Ask anyone. I stayed for the whole, painfully boring slideshow.”
