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“We could still find something to link us to the mystery guy though.” She picked up the novel with the receipt and cracked the spine. “Look at this.” She held the book spread open for Trent to see the stamp on the first page that read Most Loved Bookshop, Gainesville.
Trent picked up the others. “These too. But Gainesville? Is it a coincidence her body was found not far north of there? Maybe that’s where Lynnette lived before moving in with Barry?”
“Also where she returned? Except there isn’t an address in Gainesville on file for her.” She flipped to the page with the receipt. It was from the East End Pirate, showing two as the number at the table, and listed several drinks. No note of debit or credit, so it must have been settled in cash. The date stamp showed it was from a month and a half ago. Amanda pointed this out to Trent.
“According to Barry, Lynnette and the shooter were a couple then,” he said. “He could have been the second person at that table.”
“That’s what I thought.” It was a shot in the dark, but sometimes shooting blind paid off.
FIFTY-EIGHT
Amanda and Trent popped by Central to drop off the box of Lynnette Johnson’s things. Malone stopped them before they had the chance to leave again.
“Hold up. Where have you two been? Holden is holding.” He shook his head as if disgusted by his turn of phrase. “He’s in an interrogation room. What are you waiting for?”
“He’s good to sit for a minute,” she said. “We came across another lead we need to follow.”
“Not before you talk to me, you don’t.” He turned, and it was implied they were to follow him.
Malone led them to his office where neither Amanda nor Trent sat down. It just showed her partner was eager to get moving too.
“All right, bring me up to speed.” Malone rubbed his hands together.
“Investigators are processing Holden’s place to see if they can find any trace of Katherine,” she offered. Blair and Donnelly had arrived before she and Trent had left. “Though I doubt they will. Holden confirmed that Lynnette Johnson had been living with him, but he kicked her out a few weeks ago.”
“This sounds like you’re releasing Holden from suspicion.” Malone flushed and raised his eyebrows, as if unimpressed by all the manpower that went into bringing the man in if that were the case.
She mustered the courage to say, “We have yet to connect him to Katherine, or theorize a reason he’d hold a vendetta against her. The strongest thing that implies any involvement at all are those plates put on Katherine’s Mercedes.”
“And Lynnette Johnson, don’t forget. You should know motive doesn’t always get tied up in a neat bow. What we had was strong enough to secure the warrants, why Holden is here now. You were both convinced of Holden’s involvement the last time you were in my office, or am I wrong?”
So manpower and time were the basis for his foul mood, as she had guessed. “We followed the evidence we had before us. Due to that, there is something else we’d like to explore before speaking with Holden again.”
Malone put his hands on his hips and angled his head. “Hit me.”
“He identified the shooter as Lynnette’s boyfriend.” They weren’t completely without water to douse the flames of his anger.
Malone slumped back in his chair and pointed at them. “You should have led with that. Where can we find him? The guy’s name?”
“We don’t know either. Yet,” Trent added.
“Well, get the answers.”
“Which is what we plan to do.” She told him about the receipt and their suspicion about the second person at that table.
“I want to be supportive, but let me get this straight. You plan to go to the East End Pirate and see if they can give you the name of a male, brown-eyed, brown-haired Caucasian?” He tucked his chin to his chest and looked up at her, his brow full of wrinkles, his eyes drenched in skepticism.
“Remember the snake tattoo on his left wrist,” Trent put in. “We can show them a picture of that.”
Malone held up his hands. “Then that should make all the difference.”
Amanda laughed.
“I’m missing what’s funny about any of this,” Malone said.
“Just letting off some stress, Sarge. We have to try this place. We’ve gotten further with less before. Let us explore this angle to see where it takes us before we talk with Holden.” If the mild-mannered appeal didn’t work, their long history should have sway.
“Fine.” He swept a hand toward his door, and Amanda and Trent wasted no time leaving.
