Peterson eyed Kerri speculatively. “Are you and Talley’s mother close?”
She took a moment to consider the question. “We’re not close as in best friends or anything like that. We’ve known each other since our girls started kindergarten together. Our kids have had countless sleepovers. We’ve spent plenty of time together on the soccer field when our girls played. We’ve worked together at school fundraisers.” She shrugged. “I suppose that makes us mom friends. Why do you ask?”
“No reason,” Peterson lied. “Just another blank to fill. You know how it goes.”
If it was just another blank to fill, why the obvious lie? The untruth had shown in his flinch and the diverting of his gaze. Kerri couldn’t be sure if he’d been attempting to prompt some sort of reaction from her or if Renae Talley had maybe said something negative about Tori. The latter made no sense. What could she possibly say negative about Tori?
“We should get going.” Sykes moved around Kerri and reached for the jacket hanging on the back of his chair.
“Yeah.” Peterson skirted his desk and grabbed his own jacket. “See you later, Devlin.”
Kerri gave a little wave as she watched them go. Oh yes. Those two had wanted a reaction. She ignored the emotion coiling in her gut. She refused to give them any sort of ammunition.
She would ask Renae herself. They’d been friends for years. No reason they couldn’t talk about this.
“You ready?”
Falco’s voice snapped Kerri from the troubling thought. “Yeah. Sure.”
For now, she needed her mind on this double homicide. Tori would never hurt anyone. Whatever happened, the trouble lay with someone else.
The problem was the other girls’ families were likely thinking the same thing.
Leo’s Tobacconist
Oak Grove Road
Homewood, Noon
After a call from the Crime Scene Unit as they left the office, their first stop was a return to the residence of Leo Kurtz to meet the forensic folks. His home was like his Bronco. Vintage with a definite collector’s appeal. The place was small but elegant in an understated way. The sort of home, Kerri considered, perfect for a single man or couple who had no desire for the burden of a larger property.
Despite their second look, unless the forensic sweep underway turned up something, the place was clean of anything useful to the case. Definitely nothing to suggest any sort of tie-in on Kurtz’s part with drug activity or any ongoing relationship or connection to Walsh.
Thankfully, Kerri and Falco’s second stop proved a bit more fruitful. Tara McGill had come through like a champ. All eight employees of Leo’s Tobacconist, including McGill, had been seated around the bar. Officer Franklin had waited with them to ensure no one went into the stockroom or the office and that no one compared stories.
Franklin continued to babysit while Kerri and Falco used the employee lounge area for a sort of interrogation room. So far, every single person they had interviewed had said the same thing. Leo was a great guy, an amazing boss with no known enemies. There were no problems whatsoever. Until George Caldwell was up. Caldwell had worked for Kurtz the longest. When he joined Kerri and Falco in the stockroom, his unease was immediately visible.
As soon as the preliminary details and questions were out of the way, Caldwell blurted, “Leo was a little distracted lately. I can’t say why; I only know he seemed worried.”
Kerri shared a look with her partner. No one else had mentioned any concerns.
“Did Mr. Kurtz say he was worried about anything in particular?” Falco asked for clarification. “Or was this your personal feeling or assessment?”
“He didn’t say anything,” Caldwell admitted, “but something was wrong. He wasn’t himself. I’ve known him too long not to have noticed. So yes, this was my own assessment based on what I saw.”
“Any reason to believe he had financial problems?” Kerri asked, no matter that the bank and credit card statements she and Falco had pulled showed a hefty savings and practically no debt. “No recent breakups, personally or professionally?”
Caldwell shook his head. “Leo was set. He’d saved well and invested even better. He didn’t need to keep running this place. He did it because he loved it and wanted to keep us all in jobs. He’d been single since his partner died.”
“No one he dated or went out with even occasionally?” Falco asked.
“No one. I don’t think he felt the need. This place was his life since he lost Perry.”
“Perry was his life partner?” Kerri knew the answer already, but confirming was always the best practice. Perry Sager and Leo Kurtz had been together for thirty years. Neither had extended family, only each other and this place.
“Yes,” Caldwell said with a nod.
“You can’t think of any reason,” Kerri pressed, “that explains this worry or distraction you noticed?”
Caldwell shrugged. “In my opinion, it was probably Tara. I don’t think she was living up to his expectations in her new position as assistant manager.”
Now they were getting somewhere.
“I’ve been thinking about Tara,” Falco said. “Of all the employees here, you’ve worked for Kurtz the longest. Why weren’t you his assistant manager? Why Tara?”
Exactly, Kerri mused.
“My ticker,” Caldwell explained. “I’m on medication for my blood pressure and my heart. If I’m going to keep working, my doctor says I have to limit the stress. Leo wanted me in the position, but I had to turn him down.” He sighed. “I couldn’t take the risk.”
Falco glanced at Kerri, and she threw out the next question. “Why didn’t you mention your concerns about Mr. Kurtz the first time we spoke?”
He sighed again, gave his head a shake. “I was in shock, I guess. And it didn’t seem relevant when compared with murder. But then the idea just wouldn’t let go. It kept eating at me. I had to tell you, whether it was relevant or not.”
“You didn’t talk to Tara about this?” Falco presented the next logical query.
Another shake of the older man’s head. “I didn’t see the point. Especially now. If she wasn’t living up to his expectations, it was irrelevant with him gone.”
Understandable. Kerri said, “We’d like you to make a list of any friends or close associates Leo had—besides his employees. If you have phone numbers, that would be great as well.” If he had concerns, as Caldwell suggested, maybe he’d shared them with a friend.
“Sure thing, but I have to tell you, we”—he patted his chest—“were Leo’s friends and associates. Outside this place, he always said that anyone else was just an acquaintance.”
McGill had said basically the same thing. “Any names you can come up with may prove useful.” Kerri passed Caldwell her card. “We may have other questions later.”
“Of course.” He nodded adamantly. “Anything I can do to help. I loved Leo like a brother.”
Falco pushed back his chair and stood. “Thank you, Mr. Caldwell. Please call if you think of anything else.”
“Believe me, I will.” Caldwell got to his feet. “I want whoever did this caught. Leo was a good man. He didn’t deserve to go out this way.”