“Not too far from the truth.” It was one thing to profile someone else, quite another to have it done so well back at her. “In my defense, I’m never there. It doesn’t make sense to pay for cable.” She looked past the car to the office.
With a sigh, he got out of the car. “I’ve been a cop long enough to know, I need a home that’s separate and untouched by work. I had that in Chicago. It was a whole world that didn’t revolve around work. Family and friends.”
“And you gave it up for a town you’ve yet to commit yourself to.”
He moved toward the Ferrari. “Ever wondered what it would be like to drive one of these?”
She allowed his deflection to stand. “No. And if we’re playing guess-my-ride, I’d say your personal vehicle is American made. Dark. You keep the car clean and polished, but if you look on the undercarriage there’s some rust from the Chicago winters. I’d also say you don’t have subscription radio or personalized plates.”
He grinned, reminding her of a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Go on.”
“Your suit is older, but it’s a classic style and well maintained. You tie your tie in a Windsor knot because you like to look professional. Even your police-issue car isn’t the newest model, but again, it’s clean and your files organized.”
“I’m low man on the totem pole.”
“Agreed, but the car doesn’t bother you. I’d wager you like to watch classic football games. You wouldn’t leave Chicago for San Antonio if family didn’t matter. I’d also wager the divorce was not your idea.”
“Why do you say that?”
“A few times you’ve touched your ring finger as if you expected the band to be there.”
He laughed. “Pretty good. We could keep playing this game, but I’m afraid of what you’ll say. You must be a hit at parties.” He held up a finger before she could answer and grinned. “But I’m guessing you don’t go to parties. You’d rather spend your time alone reading with your three rental cats.”
She couldn’t resist a smile. “I listen to audiobooks while I run or hike. I don’t like being indoors.”
“Why’s that?”
“Don’t want to waste the sunshine.”
Some of his smile faded. “Because you spend too much time in the dark hunting monsters?”
“They’re real.”
“Yes, they are.”
He reached for the door leading back to the offices and glanced down at her as she passed through first. His gaze lingered, and she sensed he wasn’t trying to figure her out, but admiring her. It felt good to be noticed by him. He was an attractive man. Strong. Smart. Yearning tightened her muscles.
Inside, the showroom’s soft music played. A young man dressed in an expensive charcoal-gray suit approached. He was smiling, but it lacked the warmth reserved for those who looked like they could afford the tab on one of the cars.
“I didn’t hear you come inside,” the man said. “We’re all a little distracted here today.”
Mazur pulled out his badge and introduced them. “We’d like to see Lena Nelson.”
“She’s on the phone.”
“Tell her we want to talk to her about the murder of your boss. Now.”
The man hesitated, then moved back toward an office with glass walls and vertical blinds that had been drawn shut.
“They’ve all got to be wondering if they’re going to keep their jobs,” Kate said.
“After what you told me about their financials, they would have been worried regardless. All this is a house of cards.”
The click of heels had them both looking up to a tall, dark-haired Hispanic woman. She wore a red tailored suit that hugged her full curves, and polished black high heels.
She extended a manicured hand to Mazur. “I’m Lena Nelson.”
“Detective Mazur.”
“Agent Hayden.”
Each showed their badges, which she inspected before saying, “Please come into my office.” The trail of expensive perfume wafted around her as she led them to an office bearing the nameplate Gloria Sanchez. She motioned for them to have a seat at a small round table. She sat across from them. “As you can imagine, we’re all in a state of shock. I heard late yesterday when Mr. Sanchez called me. It really hit me this morning when I came into the office and she wasn’t here. She’s always here.”
“You are working in Mrs. Sanchez’s office?” Kate asked.
“I tried to work from my own but spent the morning running up and down the hallway to check her files. Finally, I gave up an hour ago and started working from here. We’ve been inundated with calls from clients, even the media.”
“Media?” Kate asked.
Ms. Nelson glanced down at a pink message slip. “Mr. North. I haven’t spoken to him yet.” She shook her head. “This is so tragic. And it’s happened at such a terrible time.”
North. It hadn’t taken him long to dig into this story. “Why is the timing bad?” Kate asked.
“Well, the timing would never have been great. Gloria was the heart and soul of the business. But she had just negotiated a bank loan and was supposed to sign the papers tomorrow. But the papers aren’t signed so now Martin is going to have to figure out what to do.”
“The dealership needed a loan?” Mazur asked.
They’d been partnered less than a day and a half, but Kate already had a sense of his interview style. He was your good buddy and confidant. He had an easygoing style that masked a laser focus. She could alter her interview style based on the circumstance, but easygoing was not natural. Mazur had it in spades.
“It’s more of a cash-flow issue,” Lena said. “We have to pay out quite a bit to keep the dealership open. We have a steady stream of good clients, but there’s often a lag time between purchase and payment. Sometimes the load is too much to carry until the cash starts flowing, so we need a little help from the bank. Gloria always saw to it that the loans were paid off within a year. She understood debt but didn’t like it.”
“What can you tell me about Gloria’s background?” Kate asked.
“Gloria met Mr. Sanchez when she was twenty and he was thirty-five. He and his first wife ran a small garage and a used-car dealership. The wife did the bookkeeping. But it wasn’t until he married Gloria that the business grew. They were a good match, they worked hard, and”—she held out her hands—“they have a lot to show for it.”
“What was she like to work for?” Kate asked.
“Driven and sometimes difficult to keep up with. She was the first in and the last out. But she was fair, and she rewarded the successful and the loyal. Loyalty was very important to her.”
“And for those who weren’t successful?” Mazur asked.
“She fired them. It wasn’t personal, but she needed her sales people productive. If they didn’t deliver, they were gone.”
“And if they were disloyal?” Kate asked.
“She went out of her way to ruin them.” She shook her head. “I don’t mean to speak poorly of the dead. I was twenty-six and a single mother when she took a chance on me. When I came in for the job interview, I thought I was dressed up, but now when I look back I could cringe. I didn’t have a clue. But she must have seen something, so she gave me a job in the back. I worked my way up to sales.”
“How long have you been here?” Mazur asked.
“Fourteen years.”
“Was there anyone who resented being fired?” Kate asked.
“No one likes it.” Lena fingered a gold hoop earring. “She gave a lot and expected your loyalty in return.”
The credenza behind the large glass desk w
as filled with dozens of silver-framed pictures. Most featured Gloria with some famous politicians, including the governor and a US senator, as well as a couple of very recognizable movie stars. One picture featured Gloria with her ten-year-old stepdaughter, husband, and a Boston terrier on the young girl’s lap. Judging by Isabella’s age, the picture had been taken about eight or nine years ago.
“Cute dog,” Kate said. Most people dropped their guard when she talked about animals.
“Martin loved that dog. Her name was LuLu.”
“I’m guessing LuLu is long gone,” Kate asked.
“She died right after that picture was taken. I’d been here about five years.”
“Old age?” Kate queried.
“Hit by a car. Whoever hit her just left her body in the driveway for Martin to find when he got home.”
“They ever find out who hit LuLu?”
“No.”
“Terrible,” Kate said.
“Broke Martin’s heart.”
“Was there anyone who was unhappy with Gloria after she fired them?” Kate repeated the question, suspecting Ms. Nelson would dodge it if she could.
“There were a couple of men, of course. Lots of machismo in this business. Everyone says they can work for a woman, but not every man can.”
“Such as?”
“Rick Dryer,” she said. “He was fired about two years ago. Came by the dealership several times demanding his job back. The last time he was here he threatened to sue.”
“What happened to him?” Mazur asked.
“Stopped coming around. For whatever reason, he let it drop and moved on.”
“Who else didn’t like Gloria Sanchez?” Kate asked.
“The only other guy that sticks in my mind is Dean Larson. He left about two months ago. Again a guy who knew cars but couldn’t sell them. He and Gloria had a very heated argument before he left for good.”
“Anything to warrant a call to the police?” Mazur asked.
“Gloria was not fond of involving the police. She was a big supporter of them, but didn’t quite trust them.”
“Why?” Kate asked.
“I think it goes back to when she was a kid. She never would say, but I think her brother had several run-ins with the cops.”