AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay, Hazel. Thanks for talking to us,” Newman said.
Hazel hurried away to wait on other tables. When she was out of earshot, Kaitlin said, “I thought Hazel lied better than that.”
“She usually does,” Livingston said.
“Does she lie a lot?” I asked.
They both nodded. “She can put on a great act as a waitress. She can pretend to be sweet as honey while she’s trying for a bigger tip,” Kaitlin said.
“She’s a good waitress,” Livingston said, “but she’s lied to Pamela about why she’s late to work. Lied so well that Pamela believed her more than once, only to find out weeks or in one case months later that it wasn’t true.”
“She was hiding something,” Newman said.
“And hiding it badly,” I said.
“You say she is normally a very accomplished liar?” Olaf said.
“She can smile to a customer’s face so that they request her to wait on them next time, but behind the scenes she’s bitching about them the whole time. I’ve seen it. She’s not just a good liar. She’s good at hiding how she feels.”
“So why was she nervous and making mistakes today?” I asked.
“She was pretending,” Olaf said.
“Why pretend to be nervous?” Kaitlin asked.
“Lying to your boss about why you’re late to work is one thing,” Newman said. “Lying about a murder investigation is different.”
“You think she’s in over her head?” I asked.
“When I questioned Carmichael, he seemed genuinely torn up about Ray’s death and Bobby being under a death sentence,” Newman said.
“So what does his girlfriend have to hide?” I asked.
“I’ve seen true remorse in murderers before,” Livingston said.
“I don’t think Carmichael killed Ray,” Newman said.
“Did you get the feeling he was hiding anything?” I asked.
Newman shook his head. “No.”
I looked across the table at Livingston. “Is Carmichael a good liar?”
“I don’t know him as well as I know Hazel, but he’s always seemed pretty straightforward.”
“Honest, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“What is he doing with that woman?” Olaf asked.
“She’s twenty years younger than him,” Livingston said.
“So, he’s sixty-something?” I asked.
“No, fifty-something.”
“Okay, I give—how old is she?”
