Linda Castillo - Pray for Silence

“I work on the line.” Another sigh that reminds me of a bored teenager. “What’s this all about?”

“Do you know the Plank family?”

“Never heard of no Planks.”

“Where was your brother last night?”

“Dunno.”

Now it’s my turn to sigh. “Derek, come on. Work with me.”

“Look, I ain’t his fuckin’ keeper, all right?”

“Was he home?”

“Yeah, he was here.”

“What time?”

He lifts a big shoulder, lets it drop. “Eight. Nine o’clock.”

“Which was it?”

“I don’t know.”

Pickles mutters a word that sounds like dipshit.

Krause looks over the top of my head at Pickles and snarls. “At least I’m not half senile like you, old man.”

“That’s enough,” I snap. “Why aren’t you at work today?”

“I’m sick, man. Got a stomachache.”

“You don’t look sick.”

His massive shoulders lift, then drop. “Well, I am. Had the squirts all morning.”

I raise my hands to shut him up. “Where’s your brother now?”

Derek looks away. “Dunno.”

“He’s on probation, isn’t he?” I know he is, but I pose the question, anyway.

His gaze goes wary. “I guess.”

“Look, I can make this easy. Or we can do it hard. It’s going to be a lot better for both of you if you cooperate. Now where is he?”

“He’s at the bar, man. He’s not s’posed to be, so cut him some slack, will you?”

“If he didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t have a beef with him.”

“You cops always got a beef with us.” Shaking his head, he puts his hands on his hips. “Can I go now?”

“Don’t leave town.”

“Fuckin’ cops.” Turning away, he slogs up the steps and disappears into the trailer.

I look at Pickles. “Nice young man.”

Pickles grins. “You think he’s scary, you should see his mama.”

“Big lady, huh?”

“No, just hairier.”

There is an underground society that runs beneath the Norman Rockwell–façade of most small towns, and Painters Mill is no exception. While regular folks are working at their jobs, paying their bills and raising their families, others are selling drugs, getting high and generally leading lives of crime.

In Painters Mill, the Brass Rail Saloon is the heart of that underground, and it’s the first stop on my list after Pickles and I leave the Krause place. I’m surprised to see the parking lot half full. Then it strikes me that the Farnhall plant’s first shift lets out at four o’clock. It’s a quarter past, so the booze is just beginning to flow. Tongues will be loosened. Inhibitions will wane. Drugs will be snorted, swallowed, injected, bought and sold. We’re right on time.

I park next to a vintage VW with a bumper sticker that reads: If you don’t like my driving call 1-800-EAT-SHIT. In the back of my mind, I hear the clock ticking down those crucial first forty-eight hours. The passage of time taunts me. The Planks have been dead for over fourteen hours now and still I have nothing.

“So is Drew as big as his brother?” I ask Pickles as we get out of the Explorer.

“No, but he’s a mean son of a bitch.”

“Terrific.”

“Smells better, though.”

“Something to look forward to.”

Ten yards from the entrance, I feel the bass rumble of rock music vibrating beneath my feet. I push open the door and we step inside. The place is as dark and dank as an underground cave. I look up, half expecting to see bats hanging from the ceiling. Cigarette smoke hovers like fog. On a lighted dance floor a dozen or so bodies undulate to some chainsaw rock music I don’t recognize.

My eyes have barely adjusted when Pickles jabs a finger toward the bar. “Speak of the devil,” he says.

I follow his point and spot Drew Krause. Pickles was right; he’s not as big as his brother. Maybe six feet. One-eighty. He wears faded blue jeans and a navy T-shirt with the phrase I didn’t do it emblazoned on the front. He looks like a normal guy, enjoying happy hour after a long day. But I learned a long time ago just how deceiving appearances can be. That’s particularly true in the drug world.

Leaning against the bar as if he owns the place, he watches Pickles and me approach with the amusement of a parent watching a toddler take his first steps.

“Drew Krause?” I ask.

“Chief Burkholder.” He turns his gaze to Pickles. “Officer Shumaker. What a pleasant surprise.”

“I bet.” I show him my badge.

“What’d I do now?”

“We’d like to talk to you.”

Smiling disarmingly, he taps an index finger against the T-shirt. “Can’t you guys read?”

I invade his space, letting him know we’re serious. “We can do this here or I can embarrass you in front of all your buddies by cuffing you and hauling you down to the station.”

“Well, to be honest, I’m not easily embarrassed.”

I pull the cuffs from my belt. “Neither am I.”

“Hey. Come on.” Smiling, he raises his hands. “I’m just kidding around.”

“Here’s a newsflash for you, slick,” Pickles says. “We’re not amused.”

“I’m getting that.” Sobering, he looks from me to Pickles and back to me. “What can I do for you?”

“Where were you last night?” I begin.

He assesses me, a wily teenager poking fun at his clueless, overbearing parents. The bartender moves to within earshot, picking up a glass I know is already dry, and running his dingy towel over it.

“I was here,” Drew replies.

“Can someone substantiate that?”

He looks at the bartender. “Hey, Jimmy. Where was I last night?”

The man behind the bar, rail thin and sporting a goatee that’s going gray, concentrates on his glass. “You were here, running your mouth and your tab, as usual.”

I give Jimmy a hard look, wishing I’d gotten Drew outside where we could be alone with him. Get him out of his element. Away from all his fair-weather friends. If he’s the man with the drugs, there’s no doubt his regulars would lie, cheat or steal to maintain a steady flow.

I glance at Pickles, lower my voice. “Go talk to the skinny shit behind the bar. I’ll take Mr. I-didn’t-do-it.”

Reaching over a row of shot glasses lined up on the counter, Pickles snags the barkeep’s shirt. “C’mere, slick.”

I turn my attention back to Krause. “What time were you here?”

“Till closing.”

“Were you alone?”

“Just me and about fifty of my closest friends.” He makes a sweeping motion that encompasses everyone in the bar.

“Can anyone else vouch for you?” I pull out my notebook. “I want names.”

His eyes narrow. “Usually I know why you guys are fuckin’ with me. This time, I don’t have a clue.” He grins. “Whatever you’re pissed about, I really didn’t do it.”

Grinding my teeth, I try not to think about the Plank family, their bodies slowly decomposing atop the stainless-steel gurneys at the morgue. “Names. Now.”

He rattles off six names. Some I’m familiar with. Some I’ve never heard before. I plan to contact all of them. Drew had better hope they have good memories. “What time did you arrive?”

“Six or so.”

“Did you leave at any time?”

“No, ma’am. I drank. Played some pool. Danced with a couple of chicks. That’s it. I swear.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“I have a lot of girlfriends.”

“Do you know Mary Plank?”

He stares at me, realization dawning. “I know I ain’t got the greatest reputation in this town, but I ain’t no killer. I didn’t have nothing to do with those murders.”

“How do you know about the murders?”

“Everyone’s talking about it.” He grimaces, but it looks rehearsed and insincere. “Look, I didn’t have anything to do with that. I don’t even know those people. Are you guys fuckin’ desperate, or what?”