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“We don’t live in San Diego,” Garrett added. “I live in Seattle, Dave’s in Portland, and Pete lives in LA. We get together a few times a year, either here or in Vegas. It’s guy time.”
Kit thought about the luxury car Kent Crawford had driven. The car that one or more of his friends had given him. The car that was still missing, probably in a chop shop by now. “This is an expensive resort. Do each of you pay your own way?”
She knew that they’d paid for Kent, but she wanted to hear them say it.
“Of course,” Dave said, a bit smugly. “We can all afford it.”
Pete shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “Well, maybe not this level of accommodation. Dave, Garrett, and Kent do a good bit better than I do as an accountant, but I usually use my credit card points for upgrades. What exactly are you asking, Detective?”
Kent Crawford made more money than his accountant friend? That didn’t seem possible, because Mrs. Crawford had disclosed her husband’s salary. And what about the friends paying Kent’s way? “I’m asking how Mr. Crawford was able to afford this kind of trip a few times a year on his salary as the head of security at a retirement center.”
The three men looked at one another with puzzled frowns. “Retirement center?” Dave asked. “That’s not right. Kent worked for Delta Technologies. They’re a defense contractor hired by Coronado. Kent made as much money as I do.” The man faltered as he searched Kit and Connor’s faces. “Didn’t he?”
Connor cleared his throat. “No, sir. He did not.”
“Holy shit,” Dave whispered. “He lied to us?”
Oh boy. Did he ever.
Garrett laughed bitterly. “He lied to Denise about his affairs. Why are we so surprised that he’d lie to us, too?”
“What about his BMW?” Kit asked. “His wife is under the impression that you gave it to him.”
All three men gaped at her.
Pete opened his mouth and closed it before managing to speak. “He said what?”
“He told his wife that the BMW was a gift from one of you.”
“It wasn’t,” Garrett insisted. “He bought it himself.”
Dave was shaking his head. “If he didn’t work for Delta Tech, where did he get the cash that he threw around when we had our golf trips? Where did he get the money for that car?”
“That’s a good question, sir,” Kit said. “If you have any answers, we’d be happy to hear them. Somebody killed your friend. Knowing that he was spending well above his means opens up an entirely new avenue of investigation.”
All three shook their heads. “I don’t know,” Pete said. “But he had a black AmEx card and he flashed it around plenty. Paid for things we never asked him to cover. Greens fees, cart rentals…He was the big man, carrying around a wad of cash.” He took the chair next to Garrett, his expression one of stunned despair. “Why? Why did he lie about that?”
Connor smoothed his tie, a gesture that Kit had learned meant that he was processing. Kit didn’t blame him, because this was so very different than what they’d been expecting. “Did he mention his affair to you?” Connor asked. “Maybe not a name, but anything that could help us find this woman?”
“Or man,” Kit added.
“Not a man,” Dave insisted. “I’m gay and Kent never had any problem with me, but he was straight as an arrow. I’ve known him for twenty years and he always went for the ladies.”
“He liked them…experienced,” Garrett offered.
“Like sex workers?” Kit asked.
Garrett winced. “Not that I knew of, but he liked when a woman picked him up in the bar. The last time we met up in Vegas, he left with a different woman every night.”
Dave’s eyes widened. “He did? How did I not know this?”
“Because you were out clubbing,” Garrett shot back. “You came back with a different man every night.”
“I’m not married,” Dave said defensively. “Stop slut-shaming me.”
Kit waved her hand. “Gentlemen. Let’s focus. Did you know that Mr. Crawford told his wife that he was meeting you for a four-day weekend? The day before you arrived here, he checked into the motel where he was found.”
Once again, Garrett looked uncomfortable. “I knew. I was his alibi. If Denise called me asking for him, I agreed to tell her that he was in the bathroom or otherwise busy. He usually tacked on an extra day either before or after our trips for some alone time. I never asked with whom.”
