Page 13 of Ranger Belief
“I went to the mess hall for something to settle my stomach.” He lifted the ginger ale. “Been fighting some kind of stomach bug all morning. That's why I was late. Thought about calling in sick, but we're so short-staffed right now, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging.”
Laney's posture relaxed slightly. Eddie, however, remained jittery. His attention jumped between his boss and Jonah. “Is something wrong? Is this about the murders? The staff was talking about at the mess hall. Horrible.”
“Yes, it is. The couple that died, Ava Morrison and Tyler Chen, rented a kayak yesterday afternoon.” Laney glanced at Jonah, indicating he should take the lead, while simultaneouslyreaching down to pet Scout. The dog's posture remained stiff. “We wanted to ask you some questions about that.”
“Of course. How can I help?”
Jonah decided to start off easy, hoping to put Eddie at ease and get him talking. “What time did they rent the kayak for?”
“Let me check.” He headed into the office and used the mouse to navigate to the schedule. “Four in the afternoon. But I vaguely remember they were running late. I saw their photos on the news this morning and remembered them. They were so happy together. Laughing and joking. They seemed great together.”
“Was anyone else in here when they arrived?”
“Uhhh, a family with two kids.” Eddie stared at the ceiling as if he was running back through the events. “Yeah, yeah. I remember the young lady…”
“Ava,” Laney supplied.
“Yeah, Ava.” He gave Laney a soft smile of thanks. “She helped one kid put on his lifejacket. She was a natural. I wanted to ask her to volunteer for us sometime, but then another couple came in and I forgot. We’re pretty busy in the afternoon when school gets out. Lots of families and teens.”
“Did you sense any tension between Ava and Tyler?” Jonah asked. “Notice anyone paying attention to them in any way?”
“No.” Eddie popped open the can of ginger ale. “Like I said, they seemed great together. We went through the instructions, but it was brief. They both informed me they were regular kayakers. From the way they maneuvered out of the boathouse and onto the lake, they were telling the truth about that.”
“And what time did they bring the kayak back?”
Eddie took a sip of his drink and consulted the schedule. “They had a two-hour rental, so it must’ve been around six. Could’ve been a bit before or after. Like I said, that time of day is busy for us. We close up at seven, so lots of people arereturning their kayaks and canoes. Plus, the high school rowing team practice goes from three to six. It’s mayhem.”
Something felt off, but Jonah couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Eddie had relaxed while they talked, but he fidgeted a lot. Nervous energy. It was the best way to describe it. Shuffling papers, taking a drink, his leg jittering. Could be the man had an abundance of energy—some people couldn’t sit still—or it could be a sign that he was worried. Jonah didn’t know him well enough to tell.
“After they returned the kayak, did you see Ava and Tyler later that night? At the mess hall, perhaps?”
“No. My shift ended a little after seven, and I went straight home.”
Jonah glanced at his left hand. No wedding ring. “Do you live alone?”
Eddie stilled. “Why are you asking?”
“Routine questions. Nothing to worry about. We’re asking them of everyone.”
“Oh.” He paused. “Yeah, I live alone. Ate a frozen dinner and watched a football game.” Eddie rolled his eyes. “Not very exciting, but..” He shrugged. “I don’t get out much.”
“What game did you watch?”
“Cowboys and Eagles. Caught the second half.”
An easy thing to verify. “See any of your neighbors around? Did you talk to anyone?”
His gaze dropped to the desk, and he fiddled with the tab on his ginger ale. “Nope.”
Liar. But that didn’t make him a killer. Jonah made a mental note to do a thorough background check. If he had a criminal record, it would have been flagged by the TDPW when he was hired, but that’d been years ago. How often were the backgrounds redone? He’d ask Laney later.
“Thanks for your help.” Jonah extended a hand for Eddie to shake. “Hope you feel better soon.”
“Appreciate it.” Eddie appeared relieved to have the interview over.
“Are you sure you can complete your shift today?” Laney asked. “I can have someone else cover for you.”
“I’ll let you know if things get worse, but I’m okay for now.” Eddie gave her a nod. “Thanks, though.”
