Page 75 of Murder By the Millions
“I was starved,” the woman said.
“Seen anybody else lately?” I asked. “Say, Monday night? A single guy? Yea high?” I gestured with a flat hand a foot above my head. “Outdoorsy, powerful arms, unruly blond hair?”
“Nah, but maybe the other couple did.”
“Other couple?”
“They’re down by the river.” He motioned with his thumb.
“They were at the campground, too. I’m not sure if they were there Monday. We weren’t paying attention to anyone else. It’s our honeymoon.” He slung his arm around the woman. She giggled. He released her and pushed her bike toward her, after which he straddled his own, the backpack making him a little wobbly until he stabilized it. “Have a great day.”
“You too. C’mon, Allie.” Tegan trekked toward the river.
I followed.
Minutes later, we encountered an ultra-fit man and woman in hiking gear. The man had no facial hair and was wearing an outback-style hat. The woman sported a sun hat with a floppy brim. Sizable binoculars hung on lanyards around their necks, and their faces were slick with sunblock.
Tegan waved. “Hello!”
The guy grinned. “Hiya.”
Tegan introduced the two of us, then added that we worked at Feast for the Eyes in Bramblewood and that we were doing some research. Boldly, she asked what we’d asked the previous couple. Both said they hadn’t seen Patrick, but a non-sighting didn’t mean he hadn’t been there, the woman added. They weren’t very observant of humans. They were bird-watchers.
Disheartened, we returned to the car. I fetched the picnic basket, and Tegan laid out a blanket she kept in the trunk on the ground. We sat and pulled out the sandwiches and other goodies Vanna had prepared.
“What do you think?” Tegan asked around a mouthful of sandwich. “Did Patrick lie about being here Monday night?” She brushed a crumb from the corner of her mouth with her pinkie.
“It’s hard to say.”
“Guilty or not guilty? Your gut feeling.”
I sighed. “I’d like him to be innocent.”
“Psst!”The ultra-fit man emerged from the bushes and beckoned us. “I’ve got two seconds until she realizes I split. The name’s Zorro.”
“Zorro?” Tegan scoffed.
He crossed his heart. “My mother had a thing for the masked vigilante. Anyway, I didn’t want to talk in front of my girlfriend, but I know who you’re talking about. Patrick Hardwick, right?”
We nodded.
“Yeah, me and Patrick go way back. He loves these caverns. The bats.” He chuckled. “Years ago, when we were kids, we got pulled in with a couple of other guys for eco-trashing.”
“Eco-trashing?” I asked.
“Throwing away items that can harm the environment or animal life.” Zorro ticked the list off on his fingers. “Tossing junk, which could wind up in waterways. Leaving barbecue crap or broken glass around, which might injure animals.”
“Got it.”
“We both had chips on our shoulders. We thought the world owed us. His stepfather was so ticked, he forbade Patrick to ever see me again.”
I’d forgotten Patrick’s mother had remarried. Patrick and his stepfather seemed so close.
“Long story short, we did community service, which reformed us, and Patrick became a zealot when it came to ecotrashing.”
Was that why he’d pounced on Jason regarding the trash his mall might produce? Had Jason learned of his childhood prank? Had Patrick killed Jason to keep it a secret? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“However, it’s the other thing that left a black mark on his record,” Zorro went on. “It prevented Patrick from getting a grant to attend college.”
