Page 11 of Haunted By Sin
“No problem,” Jason said as he took the card. He glanced at the information before tucking the card into the pocket of his jeans underneath his waist apron. “I hope you find out who murdered those women.”
After Jason picked up the dirty dishes and disappeared around the corner, Theo turned toward the bar. The thumping bass from the speakers in front of the live band pulsated through the wooden planks beneath his feet. All the stools were taken, so Theo leaned against the end of the counter while waiting for a chance to speak with the waitress. He would have asked Chip about the payment from last Saturday, but the bartender was busy pouring drinks and exchanging banter with those at the bar. The opportunity to speak with Mindy finally came when she walked up to the bar.
“Do you have a takeout order?” Mindy asked as she set her tray on top of the bar. “We’re slammed tonight, but I can help you.”
“How many servers usually work on a Thursday night?”
“Three,” Mindy replied before walking around to the side entrance. It wasn’t long before she appeared with two bags of food and a drink carrier. “Neville, right?”
“That’s right,” Theo said as he checked the number of containers inside the bags. Once he was confident that their entire order had been included, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He shoved another ten-dollar bill into the tip jar. “Theo Neville. A colleague and I were here yesterday, talking to Chip about the altercation that happened last weekend. My firm is consulting with the FBI on an investigation, and Jason said that you might have waited on the guy who was escorted to the parking lot.”
“Hard to forget the asshole who put his hand on my ass,” Mindy muttered in disgust. “He hasn’t been back, either. I didn’t serve him, though. Hunter had that privilege.”
“Do you happen to know if the guy paid by credit card or cash? We’re looking for a name.”
“Why?” Mindy asked as she made no move to exit the bar area. As a matter of fact, she leaned her forearms against the counter with interest. “Did he rob a bank or something?”
“You didn’t see Mary Jane’s video, did you?” Chip asked as he set two cocktails on Mindy’s tray. “The Feds are investigating those murders that are connected, and these guys are helping out.”
“I’ve been in class all week,” Mindy complained as she turned to Chip. “What murders?”
“There were three women living in Michigan, all named Mary Jane Reynolds. They were stabbed to death. The Mary Jane who lives in Crestlake posted a video about it, and she gained enough attention that the Feds have taken over the murder investigations.”
Theo remained silent, allowing Chip to fill Mindy in on all the details. Oftentimes, personal conversations let things slip that could be beneficial to a case. Unfortunately, the only piece of information that Theo had picked up on was that Mindy was a college student with a busy schedule.
“And you think that the guy who put his hand on my ass could have killed those women?” Mindy asked in disbelief, turning her attention back to Theo.
“I didn’t say that,” Theo assured her. “I’m merely trying to find out if he paid by cash or credit card.”
“Credit card. I saw him hand the card to Hunter, because right afterward, the guy noticed the group of women sitting at the table next to his.”
Theo hid his frustration. A warrant would need to be granted to get his hands on those receipts. While Mindy offered up more information, Theo unclipped his phone from the case attached to his belt. He constructed a quick email with the information and sent it to Sylvie.
“You wouldn’t happen to have those receipts here, would you?” There was no harm in asking if the employees would give up the receipts voluntarily. “Or, by chance, remember the man’s name?”
“I’m pretty sure Randy takes home all the money and receipts on a nightly basis,” Mindy replied as she flashed a smile toward Chip when he set a draft beer down on the tray next to the two cocktail drinks. “Randy and his brother, Todd, own the place. They come by around eleven o’clock every night to cash out. As for remembering the guy’s name, I think it might have been Dave or Dan. Maybe Dale. I just remember his name starting with D.”
Theo’s phone vibrated against his thigh. Mindy left her position behind the bar, but she eventually came around to collect the drinks.
“You’ve been extremely helpful, Mindy. Thank you.”
“I hope you catch the guy.”
Theo waited until Mindy had walked away before checking his phone. Sylvie had replied to his text that Bit had located the driver who had taken a passenger by the name of Daniel Callaghan to a lake house located twenty minutes away.
No warrant was needed, and Sylvie had already put in for a background check. Once the report came in, Brook would almost certainly pay the man a visit first thing in the morning.
Theo carried the two takeout bags in one hand while holding the cup holder in the other. He scanned every table and patron on his way out, not noticing anyone out of place. No male subject seemed to be alone, and no one appeared to be focused on Mary Jane Reynold’s table. Theo wasn’t concerned that he would miss anything since Bit was keeping close tabs on the security footage gathered by the camera pointed toward the pier.
Whether or not Daniel Callaghan turned up any red flags, Theo would be taking a two-hour drive to Mount Pleasant tomorrow morning after dropping Sylvie off at a rental car center. She was adamant that she be the one to personally interview the family of Mary Two.
“Excuse me.”
Theo had just stepped off the pier and onto the path that led in the direction of the lake house. An older woman maybe in her late fifties stood in front of him with her phone in hand. On the display was a picture of Brook and Theo from an old article posted online during a previous case.
“You’re Theo Neville, aren’t you? From S&E Investigations?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Theo replied cautiously as he glanced around the parking lot. He spotted a man standing near a vehicle with a Michigan license plate. It was obvious that the man had accompanied the woman to the restaurant. “How may I help you?”