Page 90 of Rage

He starts to get to his feet, but my words seem to stop him. He opens his mouth to say something, but then sinks back into the chair without comment. “Wow. She’s dead? That’s awful. What the hell happened to her?”

“We’re looking into it.” I hedge, keeping it vague. “We believe there was foul play involved.”

“She was murdered?”

“We’re waiting to hear back from the coroner,” I tell him. “Right now, I’m gathering as much information about her as possible.”

“Sure.” Another quick glance at his watch.

“You forgot to mention the altercation between you and Samuel Yutzy here at the brewery.”

“I don’t recall any such thing,” he tells me.

“Let me refresh your memory. Yutzy and Borntrager were together that night. Here at the brewery. I have a witness who saw you punch Yutzy in the face.”

He stares at me, his expression flat, nostrils flaring. Color climbs up his throat and spreads to his cheeks. Temper, I think. Because he got caught in a lie? Or because he has something to hide?

The phone on his desk rings again; he ignores it this time. “That’s bullshit,” he says. “I didn’t punch Yutzy.”

I hold his gaze. “You think the witness is mistaken?”

“I think someone is feeding you lies and, evidently, you’re swallowing them hook, line, and sinker.”

I nod, unperturbed. “How did you meet Wilma Borntrager?”

He shrugs, but his shoulders are so tight he can barely manage. “Most of the people we hire here fill out an application online. If we’re interested in hiring them, we call or email or text and ask them to come in for an interview.”

“Did you interview her?”

“Either I interviewed her or my lead server did. I honestly don’t recall.”

“Did Samuel Yutzy recommend her for a job?” I ask.

“I suppose it’s possible.” He shrugs. “Maybe he mentioned her in the course of a conversation and I pulled her application out of the pile as a favor to him. I don’t recall.”

“Could you take a look at her personnel file maybe?”

Impatience flares in his eyes. “I use a payroll service. I can give them a call in the morning.”

“Thank you,” I say agreeably. “The sooner we can get to the bottom of all this, the better.”

He sends another pointed glance to his watch. “Anything else, Chief Burkholder? I’ve got a sick server to cover for and a party of sixteen arriving in ten minutes.”

“One more quick question.” I smile. “Are you aware that Wilma Borntrager and Samuel Yutzy were involved?”

He blinks at me. “How would I know that?”

“That’s quite a coincidence, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at and my patience is running thin.”

“They both worked for you and now both of them are dead,” I say. “What are the odds?”

He stares at me, the flush at his throat deepening. “Are you accusing me of something, Chief Burkholder?”

“I’m trying to put a few connections together.”

His face goes taut. “Well, I don’t like it. I sure as fuck don’t appreciate you coming in here and making a bunch of vague accusations when I’m trying to run my damn business.”