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Tate cradled a cup of coffee in his hands. His blond hair stuck up at odd angles, and his bloodshot blue eyes watered at he looked at Chad. Cleo’s dark hair was equally messy, but her eyes were more alert as she clutched onto her coffee.
“Did … did he suffer?” Tate asked.
Before Chad could reply, Josh leaned over the desk and spoke first. “Which one?”
Tate and Cleo exchanged a look. She tutted, and evil-eyed Josh across the table.
“Damian.” Tate spoke to his knees. “Justin was a regular, but IknewDamian.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Not that I wanted Justin to suffer, I just meant … I was closer to Damian. Was it … was it painless?”
Josh shot a glance Chad’s way.
“We believe chloroform was involved—”
“Chloroform?” Cleo rubbed her brow. “It makes you go to sleep. It doesn’t kill you.”
“A large enough dose will. Damian would have been unaware of what was happening,” Chad said.
Josh nodded. “He would’ve fallen unconscious first, and felt no pain, no panic. Just like falling asleep.”
“Small mercy.” Cleo snapped. She sipped the coffee in front of her before grimacing.
“We’d like to ask you some questions about Damian.” Chad said. “Starting with how long have you known him?”
“Years,” she replied. “I started at The Desperado at the same time as him. It’s a stressful job, but what makes it better is the people you work with.”
“Did Damian like the job?”
Tate nodded. He took a deep breath before looking at Chad. “It can be stressful when you’re busy, and sometimes we get a rude customer, but Damian enjoyed being there. I’ve only been working there eight months, but he was always so welcoming. He had a natural charm, got on with everyone, but he didn’t enjoy the pay.”
“Me and Damian were there years, but we still get minimum wage,” Cleo said. “That’s why he handed his notice in.”
Josh scribbled something down in his handwriting that Chad had no hopes of reading.
“Do either of you know why Damian was at The Desperado last night?”
They shared a glance, then both nodded.
“It was about pay,” Cleo said. “Damian handed his notice in and worked his notice. Four weeks.”
Tate nodded along. “But Pete argued he had to work for longer because although he handed his notice in four weeks before, Pete didn’t or wouldn’t open the email so in his words, it didn’t count. Damian refused to stay longer. Pete refused to pay him.”
“Damian came in at closing time, leaned over the bar, and grabbed a handful of cash out of the register,” Cleo said, “he shouted at Pete, and Pete shouted back. Damian threw a few glasses, then left.”
“Do you remember what either of them shouted?” Josh asked.
“Insults mainly.” Tate shook his head. “Then Damian left out the front door.”
Chad nodded. “Did Pete and Damian have any other disagreements during the time he worked there?”
“Nothing major.” Tate looked at Cleo, and she took over.
“The normal managerial arguments, about pay, holiday, and extra shifts, but nothing serious. Pete can be a real ass sometimes and he takes advantage of his staff outside of work.”
Josh frowned. “In what way?”
“I’m a trainee hairdresser and he’s always getting me to do his hair for free, and he takes advantage of Tate too.”
