Page 70 of Kiss Marry Kill
“Did you enjoy working for Archie?”
His smile was genuine, but it faded away quickly. “I did. He was really nice to me. He seemed to appreciate how hard I worked, and a lot of people don’t. Chauffeurs are kind of invisible. Which I don’t really mind, so long as people treat me nicely.”
“So then you had no ill will toward Archie?” I watched him closely for any signs of deception. I saw none.
He widened his eyes. “Heck no. I feel sick to my stomach knowing what happened to him. Not only am I out of a job, but he was a great person. A great boss.”
“You don’t think Janelle will keep the limousine business going?”
He hung his head. “I highly doubt it. It was Archie’s thing. Janelle didn’t seem interested at all in the business.”
“What do you think she’ll do with it?”
“My guess is she’ll sell it.” He glanced up. “If I had the money, I’d buy it myself. But I don’t.”
“Were you Archie’s only driver?”
“He had another guy, but he fired him.” Thomas gritted his teeth. “His name was Marcos.”
“Do you know why he was fired?”
“He was rude to the customers. Archie wouldn’t stand for that.”
I frowned. “Do you know Marcos’s last name?” I could get that information, but it was easier just to ask Thomas.
“Grover.”
“I’ll have a little chat with Mr. Grover. See if maybe he was harboring ill will toward Archie.”
“I’m sure he was. He definitely threatened Archie the day he fired him, but I didn’t see Marcos at the wedding.” Thomas shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there, I suppose.”
From what I could tell, Thomas had enjoyed a good relationship with his boss. I didn’t sense any malice from him whatsoever. The only time I’d seen any real irritation from him was when he was discussing Angela Raiden. I couldn’t exactly blame him for finding her abrasive. She wasn’t always very nice, and she was especially unpleasant to anyone she perceived as beneath her.
“Was the trunk of the limousine closed?” I asked.
He shivered. “No. I’d already popped the lid earlier with the lever near the driver’s seat. I didn’t know when I’d be loading the gifts, but I knew it would be soon. I figured if the trunk was already open, it would be easier with my arms full, right?”
“Makes sense.”
“So, I just bumped the trunk lid with my knee when I got to the car with the presents… and that’s when I saw Archie.” He paled slightly, and he swallowed hard. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get the picture of… him… out of my head. It was so horrible.”
“Yes.” I grimaced. “It’ll take time to forget.”
“I just keep thinking about why someone would want to kill Archie. It makes no sense to me. He wasn’t a bully or someone who drew much attention to himself. He was just a regular, nice person.”
“Murder isn’t always logical.”
“I guess.” He blew out a breath. “I feel so bad for Janelle. What a horrible shock she had.”
“Do you know Janelle well?”
“No. I’ve seen her, of course, when she’d come to see Archie at work. We never interacted that much.” He shrugged. “But she seemed nice.”
“Yeah, I think she is nice.” I closed my notepad and slid his phone back to him. “Well, Thomas, I appreciate your time today. If you think of anything else you forgot to tell me, please give me a call.”
He lifted his brows in surprise. “That’s it?”
“Yep.”
