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“We’re playing it cool.” David stepped out of the car and walked around to meet her at the hood. “I just want to talk to him. Get a sense of who he is. Maybe he’ll make this easy and run for it.”
“How’s that easy?” Cassie looked down at her footwear. She was still wearing her Chucks, but they weren’t exactly sprinting shoes. The driveway was loose gravel, and she could already feel the way her ankle would roll if she attempted to chase down a perp. “I’m not built for speed.”
David hoisted up his pants, which were a tight fit around his midsection these days. “Me neither, but at least we’d know he’s guilty.”
“Guilty of something, at least. Remember, not everyone loves the cops like I do. Some people run because they’re scared.”
David grumbled something under his breath but didn’t make any further comment. Instead, he headed for the front door. A small office was situated inside, and a woman sat behind a plexiglass window. She looked straight out of the 1950s with cat-eye glasses, a small beehive hairdo, and a string of pearls around her neck. She didn’t look up when they entered.
“Help you?”
“Hi there. Do you have a Mr. Carl Graham working for you today?”
“And who’s inquirin’?” She looked up now, but her hands never stopped typing on her keyboard.
David flashed his badge. “Detective David Klein. Savannah PD.”
She paused. “Is he in some sort of trouble?”
“Would that be a surprise to you, ma’am?”
The woman shrugged and resumed her typing. “Carl’s a good worker. Here every day. Never causes trouble. He’s got a record, but I try not to judge. Everyone’s got a past. Some people just need a chance at a future.”
“Wise words, ma’am.” David laid it on thick, but the woman behind the plexiglass didn’t seem to mind. “Is he in?”
“I’ll call him to the front, just give me a minute.”
“Ah, if you could not tell him—”
“Not tell him you’re cops. I know the drill, honey. You can sit over there.”
Cassie looked over her shoulder to a small waiting area. It comprised two chairs, a tiny table, and a single magazine. When she sat down next to David and picked up the magazine, she realized it was a catalog of the company’s products.
“Thrilling literature,” David said.
Cassie opened it anyway. “Good enough for me.”
But she didn’t have to wait long for Graham to show up. Before she knew it, a man stood in front of them with a weary look on his face. Hi
s features were gaunt and haggard, like he’d lived a life twice as long as his age indicated. He had a scruffy beard, dark eyes, and his clothes appeared to be a size too big.
“You lookin’ for me?”
“Mr. Graham?”
“Yeah. What’s this about?”
“Mind if we step outside?”
Whatever suspicions Graham had of them must’ve been confirmed because he looked like he’d do anything just to get back to work. But instead of putting up a fight, he nodded curtly and turned to the woman at the front desk.
“If Harry comes lookin’ for me—”
“I got you covered, sweetie, don’t worry. I’ll send Lawrence over to your station. He’s not doin’ much of anything today, anyway.”
“Thanks, Miss Mary.”
“Anytime, hon.”
