His voice cracked and Ryder said, “I understand what you mean.” He glanced at Michael, and Michael nodded that his interjections were appropriate and to jump in when he saw fit.
“I knew Garrett dated older women, and I’m not talking like thirty to his twenty. I ran into him after he graduated and he was with someone old enough to be his mom. We just didn’t share the same values, you know?”
Ryder said, “He put you down as a reference for a job at a resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Did you provide him with a good recommendation?”
“Yeah, probably. I don’t remember specifics, but a couple times people called me for a personal reference and I always said he was a nice guy, we’d been roommates, and he was super smart. Never late on the rent, things like that. All true. Just not... emotional or sensitive to people. I didn’t say that to anyone, of course, because seriously, I wouldn’t have graduated without his help. People can be good and bad, you know?”
“When was the last time you saw him?” Michael pressed.
“Well, I ran into him at the Odyssey about six months after his graduation. I was working there as waiter when I saw him with a woman.”
“The Odyssey?”
“It’s a real nice restaurant in the hills in San Fernando, north of LA. I usually only worked weekend events—they do a lot of wedding receptions and parties—but sometimes if I was free and someone called out, I’d go in and wait tables. Good tips. I was doing that the last time I saw him.”
“And he was with an older woman. Do you know her name?”
“He pretended he didn’t know me, and I was fine with that because it was weird. And then—get this—he was flirting with another woman while on a date with someone else. Total sleazeball move.”
“Another older woman?”
“No—someone closer to his age. She was pretty, would have been a knockout except over–made up. Not like a hooker or anything, just too much stuff,” he finished lamely.
“You wouldn’t by chance know who she was?”
“No, but the bartender did. He said she came in a couple times a month, usually with a rich guy. I don’t know anything about her, though I don’t think I ever saw her again after that night. Again, I didn’t work there much other than for events.”
“Could you describe her?” Michael asked.
“Not really. Twenties, thirty tops, pretty, blonde—though I don’t think it was natural. Tall with long, long legs. Dressed classy. That’s really all I remember.”
Ryder was writing everything down when Michael asked, “Who was your manager then?”
“Um, the event manager was Leo Tanaka—I worked for him. The general manager was Jim or John or Jess or something like that—I didn’t really know him.”
“This is helpful, thank you,” Michael said.
Ryder spoke up, “One more question, Mr. Maddox. Do you know Becca McCarthy?”
“Becca? Well, sure.”
“How?”
“She was Garrett’s girl in high school, and she visited him a couple times in college, though she went to Point Loma. But they split up... I don’t remember exactly what happened. I mean, they had broken it off after high school, but they still kinda saw each other. Then they like had a fight or something, because she stopped coming by.”
“Was it her decision or his?” Ryder asked.
“I don’t know. Mutual? Maybe? He didn’t talk about his personal life at all. Hell, I didn’t even know he had two brothers until he graduated. He didn’t talk about his familyat all. And like the day after he told us he and Becca were through—and the only reason he told us was because she was supposed to visit and we’d promised to get lost for a couple hours, you know—he was fine. Told us Becca left, wasn’t coming back, and never mentioned it again. But... I think he really loved her. Just a few things he said, like comparing other girls to Becca. No one was good enough, no one as pretty, or as funny, or as smart, stuff like that. Even after they split, he was so matter-of-fact and talked about her as if she were perfect and no other girl could live up to her.”
“Do you know how to reach Becca?” Ryder asked.
“No, I haven’t seen her since. Sorry.”
Michael thanked him for his time and ended the call. “I screwed up.”
“No, how?” Ryder asked.
“I didn’t even think to ask about the girlfriend.”
