And Then She Was Gone(58)
“No. Stacy was as quiet as a church mouse and about as threatening as one. She got along with everyone.”
“Even her new manager?”
“Leland?” Betty took a long drag of her cigarette and let the smoke slowly drift out of her mouth. “Leland is a jackass taught to walk upright, but he got along well enough with her.”
“Were you friendly with Stacy outside of work?”
“We were getting there. She’d been to my home and I’d been to hers.”
“You spoke with Stacy the night she disappeared?”
“My husband was late to pick me up. We spoke right here.” She pointed down. “Then my husband dropped me at home and went to run a few errands.”
“How did Stacy seem?”
“Fine. Upbeat. Actually she was quite happy because her pregnancy was going so well, which was a miracle after the botched procedure she went through.”
“You knew she was pregnant?”
Betty looked guilty. “Yes. I knew. But she hadn’t told anyone else at work yet. She was afraid of how people would react—you know, start a new job and then get pregnant almost right away. She was hoping to prove her worth first, before breaking the news. Besides, it was still pretty early.”
Jack nodded. “So she wasn’t unhappy about anything?”
“Well, Leland was busting her chops a little, but that’s just Leland pretending he’s a big boy.”
“Do you know what he was busting her chops about?”
“Just work stuff. It was nothing. I told Stacy that, then I invited her over for dinner. But she declined because her husband was away for his job. She was going to clean instead.”
“Clean?”
“Her house. I guess she’s free of that burden.”
Jack cleared his throat. “Where was her car parked?”
“There’s a company lot to the left.” Betty pointed down the street, but the building blocked the view of the lot.
“So you didn’t see Stacy get in her car?”
“No. When we pulled away, she was walking to the lot.”
“Did she mention where she was going or if she was meeting someone?”
“I assumed she was going home. After a long day here, all you want to do is get a stiff drink, take a shower, and go to bed.”
The front door whipped open. Jack jumped, half-expecting it to be Vargas, but it was just another stranger in a suit.
“Did you see her talk to anyone?” Jack asked. “Was there anyone else around?”
“Nope. Some foot traffic, but no one stood out.” She took another long inhale of her cigarette and stubbed it out. “I am sorry, but I’ve got a one o’clock meeting.” She took a card out of her pocket. “But if you have any other questions, you can give me a call.”
“Thanks.” Jack stuck the card behind his notebook. “I really appreciate—”
“Speak of the devil,” Betty said, pointing across the street. “You asked about Stacy’s boss—that’s him right there. The sweaty man in the Day-Glo green sneakers.”
Jack looked where she was pointing. Waiting among the crowd for the crosswalk light was a tall man wearing a yellow and blue running shirt, black shorts, and green sneakers that really did almost glow, they were such bright neon. From his wide shoulders and thick chest, it was obvious he not only ran but lifted weights as well. He looked to be a few years north of thirty.
The crosswalk light changed, and Leland jogged forward.
Betty waved him over. “Leland, do you have a minute? This is Jack Stratton. He found Stacy’s body and he has a couple of follow-up questions for us.”
Leland glanced down at Jack’s police academy shirt and nodded. “What do you need?”
Jack looked down at the logo on his shirt and realized that Leland thought he was a cop. He’d just been presented with an opening. “It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“I hope so. I’m on a one o’clock call. Betty is too.”
“You have time,” Betty said. “The Right-A-Way Shipping guys are always a few minutes late. And I’ll stall for you.” She gave a wink. “Like I always do,” she added before walking away.
Leland put his large hands on his hips and faced Jack. His annoyance was hardly masked. “Well?”
Jack flipped to a new page of his notebook. “Mr. Chambers, Stacy was working late the night she disappeared. Was that her regular schedule?”
“Yes. Thursday night was her late night. I was giving her some overtime.”
“Stacy left work while you were out for your run?”
“Yes. I got ready for my run around seven. She was finishing up on some work. We chatted and I left. That was the last time I saw her.”