A counterwoman in her twenties looked over. If she ate the restaurant's specialty, she did so in moderation. The slim woman finished an order and joined the two.
Sachs identified herself and, protocol, showed the shield. The woman's eyes shone. She was tickled to be part of a CSI moment.
"Charlotte works a lot of shifts. She's our anchor."
A blush.
"Mr. Rodriguez thought you might know a tall man who comes in some," Sachs said. "Tall, very thin. White. He might have worn a green checkered or plaid jacket. A baseball cap."
"Sure. I remember him!"
"Do you know his name?"
"No, just, he's hard to miss."
"What can you tell me about him?"
"Well, like you said. Thin. Skinny. And he eats a lot. Ten, fifteen sandwiches."
Sandwiches... Burgers.
"But he could be buying them for other people, couldn't he?"
"No, no, no! He eats them here. Most of the time. There's this word my mother says about eating, scarfs them down. And two milk shakes. So skinny but he eats like that! Sometimes a milk shake and a soda. How long have you been a detective?"
"A few years."
"That's so neat!"
"Was he ever with anyone?"
"Not that I saw."
"He comes here often?"
"Maybe once a week, every two weeks."
"Any impression that he lives around here?" Sachs asked. "Anything he might've said?"
"No. Never said anything to me. Just ordered, always kept his head down. Wears a hat." Her eyes narrowed. "I'll bet he was afraid of security cameras! Do you think?"
"Possibly. Could you describe him, his face?"
"Never paid any attention, really. Long face, kind of pale, like he didn't get out much. No beard or mustache, I think."
"Any idea where he was coming from or where he might be going?"
Charlotte tried. But nothing came to mind. "Sorry." She was nearly cringing that she couldn't answer the question.
"A car?"
Again, a defeat. "Well, I don't... Wait. No, probably not. He turns away from the parking lot when he leaves, I think."
"So you watched him go."
"You'd kind of want to look at him, you know? Not that he's a freak or anything. Just, so skinny. Eating all that and so skinny. Totally unfair. We have to work at it, right?"
The two women present, Sachs supposed she meant. A smile.