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“Hi there. May we join you?” Gibson was already getting comfortable in a well-worn chair opposite him.
“Sure.” AJ gave a half-hearted shrug, glanced over at Scottie and continued drinking his coffee.
With the sandwiches and lattes on order, she lingered at the counter and questioned the owner. Did he know Jason? From the maintenance shed. The supervisor. Was he a frequent customer? No. The owner recognized his regulars—Jason wasn’t one of them. The owner’s wife stirred beside him, nodding in agreement. Scottie moved to the table and grabbed a chair next to AJ.
“We were hoping to catch up with you,” Gibson said.
“Oh,” AJ replied. His muscles went rigid.
“So the crew was at the safety meeting, I understand. Anyone pop out? To the washroom? Grab a cigarette?”
“Maybe.” AJ scratched the back of his neck and snorted an uneasy laugh. He cast down his eyes.
“What about you?” Gibson studied him.
“Well, I took off for a smoke.”
“When?”
“Five-fifty. Or thereabouts.” He pulled at his lips.
Scottie made notations in her journal as AJ spoke.
“See anybody?”
“A homeless guy was rooting through the garbage bin. That happens most mornings.”
“What’s his name?”
He lifted his shoulders.
“What was he wearing?”
“Homeless clothes, I guess.” AJ stopped, realizing what he had just said. So derogatory. “His boots looked new, come to think of it.”
“Did you see his face?”
“No. He had on a hoodie.”
Gibson let that info drift into the ‘may be important later’ file. He had something significant that needed to be cleared up.
“Did you notice anything else while you were hanging around outside?” A sardonic grin flitted across Gibson’s mouth. “Did you do anything besides have a puff, AJ?” He stared at him with narrowed eyes.
AJ swallowed, the lump prominent as it rolled down. He peered down at his boots. When he looked up, Gibson was scowling.
“There was a bat.”
Gibson shot a candid glimpse at Scottie, then shifted back to AJ.
“And?”
“I picked it up. That’s all.”
“Why didn’t you report this before?” Gibson demanded.
“Nobody asked. It slipped my mind. How would I know you cared?” Spots of colour appeared on his cheeks.
“That explains your prints.” Gibson raised his eyebrows, thinking that was three different reasons.
“I just told you I picked the bat up. I didn’t kill the guy. Jeez.” AJ jerked back in his seat.
Gibson tried to rattle him more.
“Did Tony step out of the meeting at all?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see him.”
“Tony wasn’t in charge?” Gibson asked in disbelief. He shifted in his seat.
“No. Keith. You know, the assistant supervisor.”
Gibson turned toward Scottie. Did someone in the meeting commit the crime? He opened his mouth but didn’t speak. No. It was an outside chance only. He didn’t think there would have been enough time. But they could have seen something. He studied AJ’s bruised face.
“What happened to you?” He pointed at the blue creeping out from under the bandage.
“Nothing.”
Gibson steeled his grey gaze.
“I got hit over the head.”
“What? You got into a fight?”
“No. I got hit on the head from behind. Coming back to the shop. I went out for a smoke.”
“Somebody ambushed you?”
“Yeah.” He touched the plaster on his cheek.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Gibson threw up his hands.
The welder just pulled his usual shrug.
“Any idea why someone would do that? Did you see something?”
“Not that I know.” AJ twisted his mouth sideways.
Gibson shot another quick glance at Scottie. She was clicking her fingers against the tabletop.
“Anything else you would like to add?” Gibson was in a bad mood now with things going on and nobody talking. His thoughts wandered over the possibilities. Was it the murderer who had tried to harm AJ? Why? Was AJ unwittingly a witness? Maybe the homeless guy wasn’t a homeless guy but the killer. It seemed likely that AJ had seen something he either forgot or thought meant nothing. Or he didn’t want to tell. His mind spun.
He was about to ask another question when AJ dropped a bomb—someone’s dirty little secret.
“Did you know Tim is Tony’s nephew?”
“That’s interesting,” Gibson said. His thoughts were racing again. If Tony did step outside for something…Did Tony smoke? Did he see somebody? Tim? That would be sweet.
AJ looked around the room and remained quiet. He was somewhat flustered.
“If you think of anything else, call me,” Gibson said. He pulled out a card and handed it to AJ. “Anything, whether it seems important or not.”
AJ took it and shoved it into his shirt pocket.
Gibson thrust his chair aside and headed out. Scottie followed suit. The wind howled around the building and hooked the door as he pulled it open. It crashed into the wall twice before he could secure the catch. They dropped their heads against the squall and sprinted to the truck.
“Well, he sure had us running in circles,” Scottie said. “Do you think there is a connection?”
“There is.” Gibson barked back, his temper getting the better of him.
Scottie buttoned up.
“Why don’t you go over to Best Of Coffee?” Gibson offered, toning down his rhetoric.
“I’ve had ample coffee thanks.”
“Find out if Jason was there on Monday. I’m going over to have a chat with Andrew.”
Scottie looked at him but didn’t challenge his motives. She leaped out and grabbed her coat from the rear cab.
“Meet you at the shed in an hour.”
