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I winced at the high-pitched squeak of the cell door as it opened.
“I’m not supposed to talk to anyone,” he said. “I’m supposed to call my attorney if someone tries to talk to me again.”
“You can certainly do that,” Jack said. “It’s your right. But we can get you out of here much quicker if you tell us what you know. We just came from Alex Denaro’s house. He was just trying to help you out with the attorney because he believes in you. All you have to do is tell us the truth.”
Darnell let out a shaky breath. He was still in his street clothes—old jeans and a hoodie—and he got slowly to his feet. “All right. Do you think you can let me out if I tell you everything? I don’t think I can spend the night here. I’ve never been in jail before.”
“That’s a good rule to live by,” Jack said. “Let’s hear what you have to say, and then we’ll go from there. If you didn’t do anything wrong then you’ve got nothing to hide.”
Darnell nodded and we followed him out of the holding area and into an interview room. I wouldn’t exactly call it more comfortable than the holding cell, but at least there wasn’t a mattress and a toilet in sight. He sat in the single metal chair behind the metal table, and Jack and I took the two seats across from him.
Jack steepled his fingers together in front of him on the table. “When you and J.D. told us about Bobby last night, did you just suspect that he’d been the drive-by shooter or did you know for sure?”
“I just suspected,” he said, shrugging. “Bobby was one of us. He was my friend. But I knew he had some dark places in him. Mr. Denaro said what he did in the war messed him up a little, so we’re supposed to give him a break if he loses his temper or goes off by himself for a while. We kind of get used to it around here. Mr. Denaro likes hiring veterans. Says he feels like it makes amends for some of the stuff his family did.”
“What stuff?” Jack asked.
“Mob stuff,” Darnell said. “Mr. Denaro is really open about his past. He said we’re all one big family here and families share the hard stuff. He’s a really good boss.”
“Uh-huh,” Jack said.
“How many veterans does he have working for him?” I asked.
Darnell looked at me and I could see the wheels turning as he counted in his head. “I’m not sure, really. I mean, Bobby, and Kristina and Juan and Eddie—he works in the kitchen—and J.D. and Steven. There might be more, but I don’t know all the servers real well.”
“You mean J.D. and Steven the other valets?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Darnell said, but then he paled slightly. “But don’t go thinking bad of my boys. J.D. and I were hauling tail parking cars last night like we told you, and Steven was with his lady. That’s why it was so weird when Bobby didn’t show up. He was a nice guy. Always thinking about other people. Protective, you know? We thought he’d been shot, otherwise he would’ve been checking to make sure we were okay.” He looked off to the side. “But he didn’t.”
Jack leaned back in his chair and I could tell something was starting to form in his mind. He had that look in his eye he got whenever something started to make sense. I didn’t get that look in my eye. I was usually a step or two behind Jack.
“When did Bobby contact you?” Jack asked.
“After we left the restaurant last night,” Darnell said. “I got back to my apartment after midnight, and then he called around one. Told me he had some important stuff to tell me, and he just had to get away last night after all the gunfire. I just figured it was some PTSD stuff, so I didn’t think about it. I tried to ask him where he was during the shooting but he wouldn’t let me talk. He said it was important I just listen. Then he told me to meet him at Heart Attack Burger and to come alone. The last place I wanted to drive was all the way across the county. Gas is expensive and I’m not real flush with cash right now.”
“But you went anyway?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. “Bobby is…was a good guy. I wanted to help if I could. Whatever was going on with him.”
“He didn’t ask you to bring him anything?” Jack asked.
“Yeah,” Darnell said, the question seemingly jogging his memory. “He asked if he could borrow my car for the day and a hundred bucks. He told me he’d bring the car back to my apartment before I had to go to work again.”
“That’s all he asked for?” Jack asked.
“Yeah,” Darnell said. “I was just helping a guy out. No big deal. I mean, obviously Bobby wasn’t the one who killed that guy at the restaurant. Bobby’s dead now too.”
“We appreciate your cooperation, Darnell,” Jack said. “You can sit here and we’ll get the paperwork started for your release. You can go home tonight.”
“Really?” Darnell asked.
“Really,” Jack said. “You’re a good kid. Keep doing the right thing.”
* * *
“What do you think?” I asked as we headed back home.
“About what specifically?” Jack asked.
