Page 85 of More Than a Hero
Tina lifted her head slightly, her voice still shaky but certain. “It was right at five minutes until noon. I know because I checked the time. The weatherman said it might rain this afternoon, and I remember wondering if we’d make it home before it started.”
“That’s good to know,” Jeremy said gently. “What did you see?”
Juan shifted in his seat and glanced out the laundromat’s large front window. “A car. A black car,” he began, his voice low and steady, but tight with unease. He nodded toward the victim’s vehicle, still surrounded by detectives and evidence markers. “It rolled up and parked just where it’s sitting now. I don’t think the driver ever planned on coming inside. But I watched, just in case. I didn’t want to leave Tina if a lone male was going to be doing his laundry here at the same time.”
Pete gave him a respectful nod. “Smart thinking.”
“He looked like he was using his phone,” Tina added. Her fingers tightened around her coffee cup. “I couldn’t actually see a phone, but his head was down, like he was reading or texting. And I noticed the license plate—Pennsylvania tags. I thought maybe he was lost, maybe looking up directions.”
Jeremy scribbled that down, then looked up. “And then?”
Juan exhaled, his jaw tightening. “Another car came flying into the lot. Tires squealed as it stopped right up alongside the driver’s side. Passenger window was already down. And then… he lifted a gun.”
Juan’s eyes unfocused, as if he were watching the whole thing again. His hand curled slightly on his thigh.
“It took me a second to understand what I was seeing,” he continued. “Then he opened fire. I heard the glass shatter in the other car, but he kept shooting. Tina screamed and dropped. I hit the ground, too, and crawled to her. I pulled her behind the counter over there for folding clothes.”
Pete kept jotting, his pen moving steadily as the couple recounted the chaos.
“Then it was quiet,” Juan said. “Just like that. The tires squealed again. When I peeked over the edge of the counter, the second car was gone. And I couldn’t see anyone moving inside the first one.”
Tina nodded, her voice softer now. “Juan told me to call 911. He stepped out to check, but…”
Juan nodded. “He was dead. The man… he was on his side, not moving. I didn’t know what to do. Open the door? Not touch anything? I… I… I had no idea.”
Jeremy glanced at Pete, both reading the silent pain in the couple’s expressions. Neither had expected to witness a murder that day. Most people never did.
“No words were exchanged?” Pete asked.
Juan and Tina shook their heads in unison. “No. He just drove up and started shooting.”
Jeremy leaned forward. “Tell us about the second vehicle. What did it look like?”
“Black sedan,” Juan said. “I didn’t really look too close. Everything happened so fast. But it had Virginia tags.”
“Do you remember anything about the license plate? Even just part of it?” Pete asked.
Tina’s brow knitted as she stared at the floor, then looked up suddenly. “Two Xs. I remember that. Right at the beginning. I don’t know why it stuck with me, but it did. That’s all I saw. He wasn’t there more than a few seconds before I dropped down.”
Jeremy nodded, encouraging. “That’s helpful. Anything you can tell us about the driver?”
Juan shook his head. “Windshield was dark. Could barely make out the shape of a person inside.”
Jeremy tilted his head slightly. “But earlier, you said it was a man.”
Tina opened her mouth, then paused, her confusion flickering across her features.
Juan frowned. “We assumed. But honestly? I couldn’t tell. When I think about it now… I couldn’t see clearly. It might not’ve been a man. The shape was there, but the windshield was dark. I didn’t think it was legal to have a windshield so dark.” His hand trembled slightly as he wiped it down his jeans.
“Anything about the shooter?” Pete asked gently.
Juan’s head snapped up. “Glasses.”
Pete blinked. “You saw that?”
Juan nodded slowly. “You couldn’t see much, just an outline. But when he turned his head slightly, just before firing, I saw the side of glasses on his face. Then his hand lifted with the gun, and that was all I could focus on.”
“Sunglasses?”
