Page 31 of A Touch of Murder
The girl frowned as she looked at them. "No, I don't think I've seen them." She turned and called to the girl working drive-thru, "Lisa, can you come look at these? You too, Warren." She looked at the tall teen behind the grill.
Barret waited patiently for the teens to finish what they were doing, then showed them the photos. "Have you seen them anywhere around town?"
Warren shook his head. "But I'm always back there. I don't pay attention to people up front." He turned and walked back to the grill.
Lisa reached for the pictures. "Can I?"
"Sure." Barret let her take them.
She stared at them for several moments, then handed one back. "I've never seen him, but this other guy comes in here sometimes."
"You're sure?" Barret prayed she was remembering correctly.
"Yeah, he comes in and always orders four chili dogs and two orders of chili fries. It's the same order every time. Why? Who is he?" Lisa handed him back the photo.
"Is your manager around? I need to speak to you about him, and they'll need to cover your area while we talk." Barret looked for any sign of an adult behind the counter.
"Sure, let me get her. She's in the office." Lisa hurried away.
A moment later, Lisa and an older woman walked up to him. Lisa quickly handed her headset to the other girl. "She says I can take a break."
"What's this about, Officer?" the manager asked.
"We're going around town asking people if they've seen either of these men." He showed the manager the photos.
"I haven't." She shook her head.
"But I have," Lisa told her manager.
"I'd like to sit down and talk to Lisa for a few minutes, if that's okay?" Barret hoped she didn't cause problems.
"That's fine. I'll watch the front counter while Abby covers drive-thru for you." The manager went to help the next customer.
"Let's go sit." Barret led Lisa to one of the tables. "How old are you, Lisa?"
"Just turned eighteen."
"Good, that means I don't have to get your parents involved to question you." He was glad he didn't have to waste more time. "So, you said you've seen him several times?"
"Yeah, he comes in every few weeks. I don't know who he is or anything, but I remember him because he always orders the same thing. I guess he's been doing that for a year or so. I started here in my sophomore year, and I'm a senior now, but I don't remember him when I first started. He's always grungy looking. Like dirty. He's got really bad teeth too. He smiles and it makes me kinda sick. Like he's not just missing teeth, but some are half there. You know what I mean?" Lisa told him.
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. That's good information. Our other witness just noticed the missing teeth. Anything else you remember about him?" Barret wished he could bring Lisa into the station where it was quieter and there weren't a bunch of people watching them.
"Um, he wears a Cubs hat. You know, the baseball team. I noticed it because it's my dad's favorite team. The hat's dirty and worn. Looks like grease on it. You know, the kind mechanics get all over their hands and uniforms. The black kind, not the food kind." She looked like she was thinking. "He tries to flirt, but I ignore him. He kind of creeps me out. What's he wanted for?"
"We just need to question him about some things," Barret told her, not wanting to freak her out. "How often does he come in?"
"Not a lot. Maybe once or twice a month. Maybe he comes in when I'm not here. I only work from three to ten most days after school. Sometimes on weekends." She shrugged. "You could talk to the morning and night crew. I've never seen him in drive-thru. He always comes to the counter. Pays in cash, not credit card. I remember that because he always has crumpled bills that I have to straighten to put in the drawer."
"You mostly work Monday through Friday?" Barret asked.
"Only weekends when they're shorthanded."
"So, you'd probably seen him on a weekday, in the afternoon after school is out, right?"
"Yeah, but like I said, he could come in when I'm not here." She looked down at the pictures again. "Never have seen the old guy."
"Any idea what the one guy might drive?"
