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Brogan took advantage of the stall tactic, ignored the diss, and continued to press, “Did you ever meet the young girl who was found dead?”
“What? Uh, no, I don’t think so.”
“Where were you the night of Saturday, August 12th?”
“I don’t know. How would I remember something like that? It’s been four decades and then some.”
“Try to remember, Mr. Marshall. It’s important. Think back to that August night. Did you have a date?”
“I’m telling you, I don’t remember. Hell, if you want the truth, I was probably screwing Tazzie.”
Brogan winced at the man’s crudeness. “Do you still surf?”
Dennis stood up straighter and tapped his stomach. “Hard as a rock. As you can tell, I’m in great shape for a guy my age. I work out several times a week in my home gym.”
“Good for you. New marriage to a younger woman tends to do that.”
His smile faded. “You’ve been talking to Tazzie. That old bitty is a pain in my ass to this day.”
“I’m not here to listen to your marital woes about the ex-wife. I asked if you still surf, Mr. Marshall.”
Dennis let out an annoyed sigh. “Sure. Every day I’m not playing golf. Avid surfer here who switched to playing eighteen holes every day. Why? The best business deals are cut on the golf course, not in the water. Everybody knows that.”
“You’re a developer.”
“Commercial real estate,” Dennis corrected. “Got lucky in the game some years back. Right place, right time. I’ve had tremendous success buying cheap land and building office buildings on that land.”
“I didn’t realize cheap land existed in California,” Brogan cracked.
“All in who you know. So what if I traded a few favors now and then? That’s part of doing business. And I’m rolling in dough now. Leaving Tazzie was the best decision I ever made. Pelican Pointe was a hellhole even back in 1978. Santa Cruz is where I rebuilt my life. No regrets there.”
“Which brings me to something I’ve wondered about since Tazzie first mentioned you. Of all the places you could’ve surfed, why did you pick Pelican Pointe when you were a teenager? Why travel forty-some odd miles up the coast when Santa Cruz has the same great waves, the same surf?”
“You’re kidding, right? The chicks there were much easier than in Santa Cruz. A small town where nothing much went on versus a chill city with snobby college girls. No contest. Any guy worth his salt knew where to go looking to score. Every chick I met wanted to get out of Pelican Pointe. They wanted to screw their way into a better life. That was Tazzie. She put out.”
“Was that how all your buddies felt back then, or just you?”
“How the hell should I know that?”
“Do you think any of the guys you hung out with, the ones I mentioned before, could kill a young girl back in 1978?”
“How would I know that?” Dennis repeated. “I went there for the babes. That was back when I had a thing for Tazzie. That was a long time ago. I’m in thenowzone. I’ve got two pre-teens who need me living in thenow, not in the past. I don’t dwell on anything that ever happened in Pelican Pointe. That includes my ex-wife. Trust me. I’ve moved on from that time in my life. I refuse to spend a second thinking about those days.”
“You never think about the girl that lost her life that August?”
“No. Why should I? Some loser runaway looking to hook a guy like me? Why would I think twice about her?”
“A guy like you?”
“My dad had a few bucks. Sue me.”
“I see. How did you know this girl was a runaway?”
“I know the type. Look, I’m a busy man. I don’t have time for this nonsense that happened so long ago.”
“You must’ve frequented the arcade back then.”
“Sure. So what? We all hung out there for hours, sometimes whole days, listening to the likes of Indigo. Your dad was a helluva vocalist. I got lucky numerous times throughout my twenties, banging away to Rory’s awesome voice. He made some great music.”
