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“Sure, he talked about some exes,” Gillette replied with a frown. “How crazy they were, and how they didn’t appreciate him. That sort of shit. We had a lot of free time inside, and we talked about a lot of stuff. Most of it just went in one ear and out the other because it wasn’t important at all. Just us guys blowing off steam.”
Poor Kevin. He didn’t feel appreciated. Asshole.
“Did he ever mention a woman named Mia?”
There it was. The big question. Grant had already warned her he was going to ask it, if he thought he might get an answer. Clearly, however, Gillette didn’t recognize her. She wasn’t even sure if Kevin was able to have photos in his cell, but she was sure there had been no spark of recognition when this man had looked her over.
“Shit, I dunno. We talked about a lot of women. The name sounds slightly familiar, but I can’t say for sure.”
“Let’s take a different track here,” Grant said. “Did Fuller ever say what he wanted to do when he got out? People he wanted to see? People he definitely did not want to see? Or anyone he wanted revenge on?”
“We all talked about what we were going to do when we got out,” Gillette replied. “He talked about that a lot. He and his girlfriend and kid are going to move to Vermont. He said he had family up there. He said he was getting tired of the heat and humidity.”
“Did you ask him what he was going to do in Vermont?”
“He said something about dairy cows and cheese. I don’t think he even knew what he was talking about. Vermont? Shit, do you know how cold it gets up there? And how much snow? He didn’t even like when the temperature outside went below seventy. He’d be back down here within weeks.”
“But he had family there?”
“A cousin or something. He said that they were willing to help him get back on his feet. I don’t know why he was so pressed about it all. He had a girlfriend who had a decent job. She could pay the bills.”
Maybe Gala doesn’t want to be treated like an ATM.
“Is there anything else?” Gillette held up the bill that Grant had given him. “I think you’re almost out of money. If you want more…”
“We’re done,” Grant said, levering up from the chair. “Except for one more question. Have you had any contact with Fuller since you were released?”
“No, and I don’t expect to, either. We weren’t friends. We shared a cell. That’s it.”
“Thank you for your time.”
Mia had never sat down in the first place, so she only had to take two steps to be at the door.
“Can I ask you a question?” Gillette asked. “Why do you even care about Kevin Fuller? He’s not that interesting. The only reason I talked to him was because I couldn’t get away from him. I will say that he thinks quite a bit of himself. A big ego if you ask me.”
Now that sounded like Kevin. In his eyes, he was always the smartest guy in the room.
“We were looking into whether Fuller might have some people on the outside doing him favors.”
“And you think I might be doing something for him? I didn’t like him that much. Although if he paid me, that might be different. But he’s never offered me money.”
Grant thanked Gillette again, and they walked back out to the car. He didn’t say anything until they’d pulled away from the curb and were headed back to the hotel.
“I think he was telling the truth. Mostly, anyway.”
“Mostly?” Mia echoed.
“Let’s just say that I believe him when he said that he’d help Fuller for money, and that he was never offered money. I also believe that he didn’t remember the name Mia specifically, but I’m guessing that he remembers more of those conversations than he’s letting on. Did Kevin have any cousins in Vermont? Because that sounded shady.”
“Not that I know of. He never mentioned Vermont to me. He wasn’t close to his family, and the few that he did talk to you didn’t seem to like him all that much. They knew how he was long before I did.”
“I doubt the Vermont story,” Grant said. “Or maybe he said something like he would go somewhere far away like Vermont when he got out, but I doubt the whole cousin and cheese story. Gillette was shifting around on the couch when he was saying that as if he was uncomfortable with his own narrative.”
Grant’s phone buzzed, and Mia answered it for him, putting it on speaker. It was from Trey who had graciously offered to stay at her home and keep an eye out while they were up here.
“Hey, brother. Mia. I think you guys are going to want to come home right away. The shit has really hit the fan down here.”
“I’m listening,” Grant replied sharply. “What’s going on?”
