earlier. ‘What I told you before, about the diner. You try that place already?’
The change of subject didn’t go unnoticed. ‘Yes.’
‘You find out anything?’
I shook my head. ‘Turns out Jimmy drank a lot of coffee.’
He bulged his cheek with his tongue as he nodded along. ‘Sorry about that.’
He wasn’t, and the muscles in his face relaxed just enough to suggest relief.
‘What about Ella Borland? I’d appreciate if you could tell me where I could find her.’
‘Best I can do is tell you she used to live out by the water somewhere. But that was a time ago.’
‘When she worked here?’
He blanched, obviously surprised I knew that part. He gave a small nod. ‘Long time ago.’
I had a thought to grease him with a five spot, but remembered the state of my finances and decided to try another route. ‘Why do I get the feeling you knew Jimmy was talking to this woman?’
‘What?’
‘Did you see them here together?’
‘Why would you think that?’ Tucker laid his broom against the wall and went behind the bar to pick up his coffee. I wondered if he just wanted to put the bar between us – or if he had a weapon stashed back there for protection.
‘Because you coiled up like a spring soon as I mentioned her name.’
He eyed me as if he was deciding what to do, the tension in the room sparking now.
‘I’m not here to cause anyone trouble,’ I said. ‘Tell me where I can find her and we can all go about our day.’
His hands dipped out of sight and I readied for him to come at me. But instead of reaching for a weapon, he braced himself on the counter under the bar and hung his head. ‘Look, I seen them here together, so what? I didn’t want to tell you nothing because I ain’t one to put the bad word on a dead man.’
‘How’s that?’
I heard him drumming his fingers. ‘Used to be them rooms upstairs was for a different purpose. Ella worked up there, back then – you catch my meaning?’
Robinson and a working girl. Maybe something, maybe nothing – but the only living lead I had. ‘Yeah, I understand just fine. How can I talk to her?’
He looked up again now. ‘I’m telling you straight, I don’t know where she lives no more. Your friend brought her here one time, but I ain’t seen her since.’ He held his hands up in frustration. ‘And to save you asking, I’ll just tell you I ain’t spoke to her when she was here.’
‘Tell me how I find her. Give me a place to start.’
He sagged and I knew I had him on the run. ‘You might could try Maxine at the Star-Vue Hotel.’ He blew out a breath. ‘That’s as good as I can do. But don’t tell her I sent you, right?’
‘What does Maxine look like?’
‘Brown hair, had it pinned up last time I saw her. Too much rouge.’
‘Nothing more than that?’
He shrugged, spreading his hands.
A description that matched half the women in the state. I searched his face; his nerves were shot over something, and everything that came out of his mouth sounded like a lie – made him hard to read. ‘All right.’ I rubbed my nose, the smell bothering me again. ‘Can you tell me when you saw Robinson and Borland together?’
‘Yeah, I can tell you that. It was last weekend – Saturday night.’
I tried to get it all straight in my head. Last Thursday was when I’d first heard from Robinson. Saturday and Monday, he was seen with the Borland woman. I’d spoken to him again on the Monday afternoon, telling him I’d come to Hot Springs. He’d sounded relieved. Then by Tuesday he was supposedly talking about drinking himself to death in the Keystone bar, and hours later he was dead.
I couldn’t get a fix on his state of mind. My first thought was could something bad have happened late Monday or sometime Tuesday? ‘What about Tuesday, the night of the fire,’ I said, ‘you speak to Jimmy beforehand when he was down here drinking?’
He hooked a thumb behind the strap of his overall, edging back towards composure.
The change of subject didn’t go unnoticed. ‘Yes.’
‘You find out anything?’
I shook my head. ‘Turns out Jimmy drank a lot of coffee.’
He bulged his cheek with his tongue as he nodded along. ‘Sorry about that.’
He wasn’t, and the muscles in his face relaxed just enough to suggest relief.
‘What about Ella Borland? I’d appreciate if you could tell me where I could find her.’
‘Best I can do is tell you she used to live out by the water somewhere. But that was a time ago.’
‘When she worked here?’
He blanched, obviously surprised I knew that part. He gave a small nod. ‘Long time ago.’
I had a thought to grease him with a five spot, but remembered the state of my finances and decided to try another route. ‘Why do I get the feeling you knew Jimmy was talking to this woman?’
‘What?’
‘Did you see them here together?’
‘Why would you think that?’ Tucker laid his broom against the wall and went behind the bar to pick up his coffee. I wondered if he just wanted to put the bar between us – or if he had a weapon stashed back there for protection.
‘Because you coiled up like a spring soon as I mentioned her name.’
He eyed me as if he was deciding what to do, the tension in the room sparking now.
‘I’m not here to cause anyone trouble,’ I said. ‘Tell me where I can find her and we can all go about our day.’
His hands dipped out of sight and I readied for him to come at me. But instead of reaching for a weapon, he braced himself on the counter under the bar and hung his head. ‘Look, I seen them here together, so what? I didn’t want to tell you nothing because I ain’t one to put the bad word on a dead man.’
‘How’s that?’
I heard him drumming his fingers. ‘Used to be them rooms upstairs was for a different purpose. Ella worked up there, back then – you catch my meaning?’
Robinson and a working girl. Maybe something, maybe nothing – but the only living lead I had. ‘Yeah, I understand just fine. How can I talk to her?’
He looked up again now. ‘I’m telling you straight, I don’t know where she lives no more. Your friend brought her here one time, but I ain’t seen her since.’ He held his hands up in frustration. ‘And to save you asking, I’ll just tell you I ain’t spoke to her when she was here.’
‘Tell me how I find her. Give me a place to start.’
He sagged and I knew I had him on the run. ‘You might could try Maxine at the Star-Vue Hotel.’ He blew out a breath. ‘That’s as good as I can do. But don’t tell her I sent you, right?’
‘What does Maxine look like?’
‘Brown hair, had it pinned up last time I saw her. Too much rouge.’
‘Nothing more than that?’
He shrugged, spreading his hands.
A description that matched half the women in the state. I searched his face; his nerves were shot over something, and everything that came out of his mouth sounded like a lie – made him hard to read. ‘All right.’ I rubbed my nose, the smell bothering me again. ‘Can you tell me when you saw Robinson and Borland together?’
‘Yeah, I can tell you that. It was last weekend – Saturday night.’
I tried to get it all straight in my head. Last Thursday was when I’d first heard from Robinson. Saturday and Monday, he was seen with the Borland woman. I’d spoken to him again on the Monday afternoon, telling him I’d come to Hot Springs. He’d sounded relieved. Then by Tuesday he was supposedly talking about drinking himself to death in the Keystone bar, and hours later he was dead.
I couldn’t get a fix on his state of mind. My first thought was could something bad have happened late Monday or sometime Tuesday? ‘What about Tuesday, the night of the fire,’ I said, ‘you speak to Jimmy beforehand when he was down here drinking?’
He hooked a thumb behind the strap of his overall, edging back towards composure.
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