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He tried again.
If she wasn’t home, they’d have to resort to a phone call. But that was never as effective as a face-to-face chat. Body language was—
The lock clicked, and a woman who fit the age profile opened the door.
“Ms. Blake?”
“Yes.”
Marc pulled out his creds and displayed them. “County Detective Tucker and I would like to speak with you for a few minutes.”
She frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Did you rent a black Chevy Cruze?”
“Yes. What’s going on?”
“Is the vehicle on the premises?”
“No.”
“Where is it?”
“A friend is using it. I rented it for him. Why? Is he in trouble?”
Jack joined the conversation. “Ms. Blake, we need yourassistance with an urgent investigation. May we come in for a few minutes?”
Impatient as he was for answers, Marc couldn’t fault the other man’s technique. Marcia was clearly rattled, and hammering her with questions on her front porch wasn’t ideal interview protocol.
But every minute they spent trying to put her at ease was a minute less to work with if the clock was ticking for Bri.
“I guess so.” She backed up, opened the door, and motioned to her left. “We can sit in the living room.”
At least Jack didn’t waste time once they claimed seats.
“If you could tell us the name of the friend who’s using the car, that would be helpful.” He pulled out his notebook.
“Is he in trouble?”
“Are you aware of any reason he should be?”
“No.”
Jack waited.
Smart man.
After a few moments, she tucked her hair behind her ear. “I mean, I don’t know him all that well, so I can’t say for certain. And I don’t know what he does while I’m at work. He’s in town on vacation, and I offered him a place to stay. We met years ago, and we’ve kept in touch on and off, but it’s not like he’s told me much about his life.”
Translation? She wasn’t 100 percent certain about the character of her houseguest and wanted to cover her butt.
“Why did you rent a car for him?”
“He had engine trouble during the trip here and didn’t want to risk driving his car around town until he has a mechanic look it over.”
“Why did you rent the car instead of him?”
“He said he was transitioning out of his old credit card and his new one hadn’t arrived yet. But it’s not like I’m paying for it or anything. He gave me cash for it.”
