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He stopped and stared, and Ranger stepped around me and pinned the man to the wall.
“Nice work,” Ranger said to me. “I like your weapon of choice.”
I straightened my T-shirt. “Might as well use ’em if you got ’em.”
The corners of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “We need to talk,” he said.
The guy pinned against the wall was shorter than Ranger. Maybe five foot ten. Slim. Brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. I would guess he was in his twenties. Looked like he was about to mess his pants.
Ranger took his hand off the man’s chest and stepped back. “It’s okay,” Ranger said. “I’m just going to ask you a few questions.”
“Sure,” the man said.
“Your name.”
“Jeff. I live down the street.” He held up a key. “I have a key. I feed Marty when Duncan works late.”
“Who’s Marty?” Ranger asked.
“The fish. Duncan’s fish.”
“Is that why you’re here now?”
“No. Duncan called and asked if I’d clean out his refrigerator and take out the trash. He said he wouldn’t be home being that he was in the hospital. He’s very neat.”
I introduced myself and told Jeff that I was looking for Duncan because he was overdue for his court date.
“Oh wow,” Jeff said. “Okay. That’s a relief. That was scary fora minute there. I didn’t know what to think. You should look for him in the hospital. I don’t know which one.”
“When did you talk to him?”
“This morning. He knows I’m up early. I work the early shift.”
“Did Duncan sound okay?” Ranger asked.
“No,” Jeff said. “He didn’t sound like himself, or maybe it’s that he sounded sort of out of it. From what I hear he broke a bunch of bones and I guess he’s kind of doped up.”
“We just walked through the house, and we didn’t see a fish,” I said.
“Sissy has him. Duncan said Sissy stopped by for Marty right after Duncan’s accident when he fell off the ledge.”
“Who’s Sissy?” I asked.
“I don’t know exactly except that they’re friends. I’ve never met her. Duncan talked about her sometimes. He couldn’t understand why she always ate chicken salad on a croissant. He thought it was unhealthy with the mayonnaise and the butter croissant.”
“Did you hang out with Duncan?”
“No. We just have a neighbor thing. Like, we talk sometimes but we don’t do social stuff. I met him at Petco a couple years ago and we bonded over fish. We’re both partial to goldfish. They aren’t very exotic, but they have wonderful personalities.”
“Do you have a goldfish?” I asked him.
“Yes,” he said. “She’s a beauty.”
“What’s her name?”
“Goldie the Twelfth.”
“Good name,” I said. I gave Jeff one of my business cards. “I’d appreciate a call if you hear from Duncan.”
