Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton #2)(61)
“It’s off the main highway, past the campus, and open Monday through Saturday nights. It’s a dive, serves beer and hard liquor, probably moonshine, but not everyone can pay the Cattleman’s Hotel prices. Cowboys from the local ranches go there, and there are usually brawls. It’s not a place I would go to pick up a woman. Let’s say they are a little free with their favors, if you get my meaning.”
He rubbed his cheek. “How come nobody has mentioned this place before now?”
“No one is going to put in a complaint, are they? Trust me, they don’t want the law showing up there. If the mayor closes the Triple Z, there isn’t another bar for miles. The owner of the Cattleman’s Hotel runs the bar at the fairgrounds and the Lark’s arena. He has a dress code, and smelly, hard-working guys straight off the ranch are not permitted.”
“How far is the Triple Z from the college campus?”
“Three miles, I’d guess.”
“Which places Lucky Briggs and Storm Crawley in the area of Kate Bright’s murder at the right time. Sheriff Alton saw them at Aunt Betty’s Café on our way back from the murder scene.” He sighed. “I’m going to speak to Briggs and Crawley now, tell the sheriff what I’ve discovered.”
“Okay.”
Kane disconnected and climbed behind the wheel. As he drove toward his destination, his thoughts centered on the investigation. Following his profiling, the cowboys had moved down a few slots in his personal suspect list but the new information made things complicated. With little concrete evidence and suspects coming out of his ass, he had to narrow the field before the maniac struck again.
Although the cowboys appeared to stand out like sore thumbs, he doubted either of them had the brains to hack a computer, but both men moved around a lot and attracted young women. He could not discount that their meetings with both victims could have been verbal. After discovering Felicity and Kate loved the rodeo cowboys, it would not have taken too much persuasion to convince the girls to meet them at a secluded spot, but he doubted the men would be stupid enough to murder Joanne and leave her in a place they admitted to frequenting.
It would be conceivable to believe Kate had changed the time to meet Chad because she had made a date with Lucky Briggs. Jenna had mentioned Kate and Aimee had been star-struck by the two cowboys. If Wolfe had discovered one tiny shred of DNA, he would not be chasing his tail in endless circles.
At the fairgrounds, Kane maneuvered through the masses of people and checked the running sheet for the day’s events. His suspects had events for most of the day, and from the announcement, Lucky Briggs had won the bull riding. He ambled toward the group of cowboys leaning on the fence waiting for the next event, and Lucky Briggs climbed over the railing and landed two feet in front of him. Covered in sweat and dust and with a smile as big as Texas, he swaggered through the group of men. Kane moved to block his path. “Congratulations! May I have a word?”
“Most people want an autograph.” Lucky pushed a hand through his sweat-soaked hair then replaced his black Stetson. “Mind if I get a drink? It’s mighty dry work.” He strolled inside a shed milling with men wearing numbers pinned to their shirts and took a bottle of water out of a cooler, popped the cap, and drank the contents. “What can I do for you?” He dropped the bottle into a trashcan, reached for another, and wiped a filthy, gloved hand over his mouth.
Kane pushed his hat up and leaned casually against the doorframe. “The last time we spoke to you, did you go back to the rock pool that afternoon?”
“Nope.” Lucky wiped a rag over his sweaty face. “The local media was holding interviews all afternoon.”
“I hear you went to the Triple Z Bar last night with Storm.”
“So?” Lucky raised both black eyebrows. “No law in drinkin’. I’m over twenty-one.”
“Did you come back to town via Stanton Road?”
“Ain’t no other road back to town from the Triple Z, so I’d be lyin’ if I denied it, wouldn’t I?” Lucky’s brow crinkled into a frown. “Now I have a question for you. Why?”
“There was an incident at the campus, and as you and Crawley were in the area, we are speaking to everyone.” Kane straightened and took out his notebook and pen. “What time did you leave to go to the bar?”
“We left the motel just after six, I guess.” Lucky scratched at a drip of sweat, leaving a wet line on his dusty cheek. “We got back to town around nine and had dinner at Aunt Betty’s Café. I saw you come in and buy some takeout, it must have been closer to ten.”
“Did you see anyone walking along Stanton Road or cars parked in the area on the way to the bar or on the way back?”
“Hell, man, do you notice cars or people when you’re driving? Sexy chicks maybe but that’s about all I see.” Lucky snorted with mirth then held up one hand. “Hang on a minute. Yeah, I do remember seeing a chick, long legs, wearing tight jeans, cowboy boots, and a hoodie heading toward the college.” He stared into the distance for some moments. “That’s all I remember.”
He saw Kate. “What time did you see the woman?”
“It was on the way to the Triple Z, close to six thirty, I guess.”
Kane opened a clean page on his notebook and handed it to Lucky. “Write what you saw, the girl’s description, and time, then sign it. If you do this for me now, I won’t have to haul you into the office for a statement.”