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But he knew immediately to whom I was referring. “So their claims are unfounded?” I press.
He takes a step forward, gaining an inch toward me, and Rhys moves in as my shield. Kohen runs a hand through his floppy hair, a smile crooking his lips. “I might have led them on a couple of times,” he says. “They were good tippers.”
I read between the lines and take a chance. “They solicited you for sex,” I say outright.
His smile widens. “Well, really only one of them did.” He shrugs. “Times are hard. Got to make the rent. I looked at it more like we were doing each other a favor. I needed money, Vinnie needed someone to sleep with her old ass.”
Not a hint of shame in his voice. From what I’ve gathered so far, Kohen Hayes is a narcissist, with possible borderline sociopathic tendencies. But that doesn’t make him a killer. He would need motive to kill Joanna. That motive could be viewed as obscure and loose to most, but for him, it would be seen as deeply personal.
I decide to play to his ego. “Did Joanna ever come on to you? Proposition you with sex for drugs or money?”
He laughs. “What? Uh, no. I was never propositioned for sex by her,” he mocks.
I raise an eyebrow. “But you knew she had once had a drug addiction?”
He sighs long and hard. “It’s Florida. The bowels of hell. Who doesn’t?” Before I can ask further, he adds, “Jo was hot, all right? Sure she flirted with me, and I didn’t mind one bit. That’s how F&B is; everyone fucks with everyone. It eases the tension during a rush.” His gaze hardens on me. “Don’t read too much into that.”
“But maybe Joanna did,” I counter. “Maybe she took the flirting as more than just casual workplace banter.”
Kohen reaches behind to grab the doorknob, retreating. “I honestly didn’t know her that well, so I couldn’t tell you.”
“You ever show Jo images of your rope fetish?” Rhys does another quick shift. “Shibari, is it? Rope bondage?” We did some fast Googling on the terminology prior.
Kohen sneers. “I think this conversation is over.” His gaze slips to me, eyeing the band around my wrist. I tug my shirtsleeve down, and his lips tip into a knowing grin.
Rhys takes out a card and thrusts it toward him. “Thanks for your time. My direct line is on the back. Give me a call if anything else comes to mind.”
Hesitantly, Kohen accepts the card. “Yeah.” That blue gaze pegs me one last time. “You have a real nice day.” I can feel his lingering gaze as I leave.
Once we’re in the car, I look at Rhys. “That was abrupt. What is it?”
He cranks the engine and pulls onto the road. “What did you make of him?”
I buckle my seatbelt. “I think he’s narcissistic. But the fact that he cares for his mother long term means he may not be psychopathic. Which we know doesn’t equate to much in the way of motive to murder, but I couldn’t glean any motive from the conversation. You?”
“He said that everyone fucks with everyone in F&B. Torrance claimed Rixon fired Kohen because he was fraternizing with customers, maintaining that the beach bunnies were disturbed by his advances. But according to them, they didn’t mind the attention.”
I consider this a moment. “I picked up on the same vibe from the women. Claiming that a man—an unnerving man—is hitting on you is a guilt-free way to make yourself feel wanted.”
“The beach bunnies didn’t come across as modest to me,” he says.
I frown his way. “So they liked his attention. I agree that that wouldn’t warrant termination from the Tiki Hive, especially if flirtatious banter was acceptable. But Kohen claimed he was let go due to his hindered schedule.”
“Then why wouldn’t Torrance and Rixon just say that?” Rhys asks.
Good question. “I guess we need to ask them.”
A methodical perpetrator would point to a likely suspect without revealing his hand. By directing us toward the beach bunnies, knowing that they may reveal Kohen’s preference for bondage, the brothers created a likely suspect.
The fact that Mike didn’t mention him during the first investigation only adds to my belief that, if either brother were involved in Joanna’s murder, they felt safely removed from the investigation the first time around. Never offer information when not asked. Again, an intelligent person would know this.
At this point, Kohen may still be a suspect, but the brothers have not been removed from the list. If anything, by pointing to Kohen, Torrance made himself even more intrinsic to the case.
As we head toward the coast, I think on that further and take out my pad to make a note to ask the boyfriend another question. If Joanna was being pursued by either Mike or Torrance, to the point where either one became obsessive enough to fire Kohen because they regarded him as a distraction—or worse, an obstacle—then Joanna might have mentioned any wary feelings about work to Jamison.
Which, also, could put the boyfriend back on the list. Jealousy is one of the deadly murder trifecta.
The case is starting to get murky, but one thing is clear; Kohen is more perceptive than he chooses to appear. Whatever impulse control Kohen lacked in youth, he’s acquired now. My impulse was to write him off, but maybe the brothers aren’t the only ones using misdirection. We can’t clear anyone off the board yet.
