Linda Andrews - Extinction Level Event

“There’s always RetroTV.” When the statement window appeared, David turned on the microphone. The new software was pretty good at transcribing words. He just needed to make sure it picked the right word. Accents had messed up more than one statement. “Please tell me about the events regarding the finding of Denise Powers.”

“After we got our rations, we came straight here.” Henry gestured across the street then swept his hand to Denise’s door. “We knocked; she didn’t answer. So I got the key from under the mat and opened the door.”

Son of a— David’s arm shook to keep himself from bashing the tablet against his forehead. “She kept a key under the mat?”

How could a woman living alone in this day and age be so naive?

“Her kids were always losing their key, so she kept a spare under the mat in case they got home before her.”

David checked the verbiage of the statement before continuing. “Who knew about it?”

Henry rolled back and forth. “Just about everyone in the neighborhood.”

Everyone. Well that only made everyone in front of him suspects. Wasn’t that just fucking great? A low throb built at his temples. “Did she have any enemies?”

Henry stopped. “Enemies?”

David watched the pieces connect in the old man’s eyes. The old woman made the connection first. She hissed through her teeth and dropped her cane. Manny bent over to pick it up. The girl’s forehead furrowed despite the bruises.

“Yes, did anyone want Ms. Powers dead?”

“Her husband.” Henry spat on the gravel. “She got the house, the kids and child support and he begrudged her every bit of it. Not that he was ever around. ‘Working,’ he said. Working.” He snorted. “Missed his own kid’s birthday for work. I went out for ice for the party and spied him coming out of the titty bar up the road. Some work. Denise was well to be rid of the ass.”

Nice to have confirmation of his assessment of the guy. David corrected the spelling of the word ass. “Did he ever threaten her?”

“Plenty.” Henry bounced his front wheels on the porch. “He even blamed her when the kids died. Like she needed to hear that.”

Motive. The key would be the means. Too bad there wasn’t a camera documenting in and out times through the gates. “Did you see him around lately?”

“Nah. It was a relief to get him out of the neighborhood.” Henry jerked his head toward a pile of garbage. “We have enough trash without adding him to the mix. Always bitching about something, usually about how he’d been wronged. Or bragging about how smart he was. His kind is never happy.”

David would bet money figured in there somewhere. Although for some losers getting the last word would be enough. Pulling the picture out from under his arm, he flashed it at the group. “Can you identify the people in the photo?”

“That’s Trent Powers.” Henry poked the man, blotting out his face. “I shoulda wiped that smirk off his face when I had the chance. The other is Denise, his wife and…”

From the corner of his eye, David watched Manny’s reaction. The blood left the boy’s face just as the cane clattered to the ground. He stumbled back and collided with the truck. The itch between David’s shoulder blades intensified. The kid knew something.

And it scared the shit out of him.

So he’d have to take it easy and get the boy alone. David waited until the old man finished speaking. “Did you hear anything unusual last night?”

“Hell yeah!” Henry chuckled. “The damn Marines were fighting. Lit up the sky too. Did they get the bastards?”

“The Aspero won’t be bothering anyone for a while.” David kept an eye on Manny. He flinched at the mention of the gang but didn’t blanch. Definitely something to do with the guy, Trent Powers. Wimpy name, Trent. Probably had the crap knocked out of him a time or two. “Anything else?”

“Nah, although Belinda might have. She had a hot date last night.” Henry adjusted his gloves on his hands. “Came home with someone, but I didn’t see who. She lives that way.” He jerked his thumb to the east. “We live that way.”

Sweat glistened on Manny’s upper lip, and he scratched absently on his arm.

Hell, maybe the kid didn’t know anything. Maybe he was getting sick. “Can you give me her address?”

Numbers popped up on the screen as he spoke the address. “She wasn’t home from work yet.” He frowned at the setting sun. “Although maybe she came back while we were delivering to the Wilsons. They’re across the neighborhood, so we wouldn’t have heard.”

“Does she have a key under the mat, too?”

“Nah.” Rising up in his wheelchair, he fished keys out of his pocket. “Because she works at the hospital, she kept working through the Redaction and gave us the key to deliver her share.”

Trusting sort. Then again, who wouldn’t trust a man in a wheelchair and a blind woman?

As if reading his thoughts, Henry shook his head. “She only just gave the key to us a month ago. Not that I blame her, she moved in the week the Public Gathering Ban went into effect. She didn’t know us from Adam. But we can grow on you like a fungus.”

“Fungi can be good. It gives us penicillin.” David double-checked the statement then gave it to the old man to verify. Once done, the old man used the stylus to sign his name. One-by-one, he collected the statements. The kids knew the least; they hadn’t even met the woman. And his gut told him they spoke the truth.

But his gut also screamed that the boy knew something relevant.

Something about the ex-husband, Trent Powers.

Once everyone had finished their statements, he began to shut down the tablet. “Okay, you’re free to go.”

Henry and Connie turned to leave. Irina followed. Manny hesitated. It seemed the kid wanted to talk. That would make his job easier.

Hunched deep in his hoodie, Manny cleared his throat. “You don’t think the murderer will be back, do you?”

David looked him in the eyes. Fear dilated the kid’s pupils until they eclipsed his brown eyes. Fear could be a great motivator and the boy seemed to need just a nudge to do the right thing. “If he’s the ex-husband, he will be moving right in. And without a witness, we probably won’t get a conviction.”

The others turned, staring at Manny. The boy glanced at him then them and back.

David felt the tug of war inside him. “You guys don’t mind if Manny sticks around, with just the two of us, we could use the extra hand getting the gear stowed.”

“Just get him home in an hour for dinner. The boy has skipped enough meals.” Connie wrapped her arm around the girl’s shoulder.

If David was a betting man, he would wage a month’s salary the old woman had some sort of sonar going the way she unerringly found people and things. “You have my word.”

Henry’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “Don’t be late. You don’t want those young ‘uns to worry, Manny.”

David pushed open the truck gate and climbed aboard. The chill sowed goose bumps across his wrists as he retrieved a body bag from the stack then exited the truck. “So what did you see, Manny?”

The kid’s mouth opened and closed but no word came out.

“Look, this man is a cold-blooded killer. He planned this murder. Down to the last detail, I’m betting. Forget CSI and those crime shows. He’s gonna get away with killing his wife—a woman he’d sworn before God and all his angels that he’d love forever. She bore him two children and still he killed her, leaving her body there for the rats.”

Manny shivered, wrapped his arms around his waist and rocked slightly back and forth.

David squelched the burst of guilt. He couldn’t give up; the kid was close to speaking. He played his last card. “A man like that wouldn’t hesitate to kill a blind woman, a cripple or kids to protect himself.”