Page 66 of Fatal Fame
"No, it was too dark to make out features. But it was definitely a male voice."
"And you're sure it wasn't a black truck?"
Connor laughed, but the sound carried bitterness rather than humor. "The black truck story. See, this is where everything went off the rails. After the police showed up later that night to investigate the murders, I told my mother I'd seen a dark blue Honda Civic in Rebecca's driveway. She told the cops about it."
"What happened when the police questioned you?"
"They came over the next day and interviewed me in front of my parents. They suggested maybe I was confused and that I'd mistaken the Honda for a black truck. But I hadn’t. I know what I saw. I know the difference between a truck and a car."
Connor's expression grew more frustrated as he continued. "Even my father argued with them about it. But it didn't help that my dad was a heavy drinker back then and the cops were often called to our house. You know, domestic disturbances. He hit my mother once that I know of. So he wasn't considered the most reliable witness, and I guess they figured I wasn't either."
"Did they investigate your sighting at all?"
"I think they thought I was trying to insert myself into their investigation to get attention. I wasn't. I know what I saw." Connor stubbed out his cigarette with more force than necessary. "After the cops left, no mention of a dark blue Honda ever appeared in the newspaper. All the focus went to the black truck because of some photo they released. They basically dismissed what I had to say."
"What did your father think about that?"
"He warned me to drop it. Said I was never to mention the Honda again, that talking about it was embarrassing and only brought unwanted attention to our family. So I did."
Mia made notes while processing the implications of Connor's account. A second vehicle at the scene suggested either multiple perpetrators or someone who'd witnessed the crime and fled. Either possibility opened investigative avenues that had been ignored for a decade.
"Do you think the person who yelled at you could have been Travis Rudd?"
Connor shrugged. "I heard his name come up during the investigation, but I never saw him clearly enough to identify anyone. Didn't he leave town or something after the murders?"
"He disappeared, yes." Mia looked up from her notes. "Do you remember anything about the license plate?"
"No, sorry. It was too dark, and everything happened too fast."
Mia closed her notepad and stood. "Well, thank you for your time. This has been very helpful."
"You should know something else," Connor said, remaining seated. "Even though the cops dismissed what I had to say, I never dismissed what they were investigating."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the black truck. I know why they thought I might have gotten confused between the Honda and the truck. That truck had been coming around Rebecca's place for several years."
“Years?” Mia felt her pulse quicken. "You saw it too?"
"Sure did. Usually late at night, always driving slowly past her house. Sometimes it would park on the street like the Honda did."
"Did you ever see the driver?"
"A couple of times, but the guy always came at night and always wore a hood pulled up, so I never saw the face clearly."
"If you never saw the face, how do you know it was a man?"
"The way he walked when he got out of the truck. That was definitely a man's walk. I'm sure of that."
The sound of a truck pulling into the driveway outside interrupted their conversation. Connor's expression immediately shifted to alarm.
"Oh shit. You should go."
"Why? Who is it?"
"My old man. He'll go ballistic if he thinks you're here asking about the Hale case."
Mia quickly gathered her things and exited the building, Connor following close behind. She saw Danny Walsh climbing out of a pickup truck that had seen hard use, his expression already suspicious as he took in the scene.
