‘Like a plastic suit?’
‘Or a rubber suit, diving suit, something like that. Something the killer could’ve made himself at home, impossible to trace really.’
‘How about transporting the victim?’
‘Probably a van, something common, something that wouldn’t raise any suspicions, but big enough to transport a body or two in the back.’
‘And I bet the van’s interior is completely covered in plastic sheets or something the killer can easily remove and burn, avoiding leaving any traces behind in case the van is ever found.’
Hunter nodded and had another sip of his drink. They both went silent and Hunter started playing with his car keys.
‘Have you ever thought about getting a newer car?’ Garcia asked cautiously.
‘You know, you sound just like Scott. I like that car, it’s a classic.’
‘Classic piece of junk maybe.’
‘That’s a true old-fashioned, all-American car. None of this Japanese- or European-made flimsy stuff.’
‘Japanese cars will run forever, they’ve got amazing engines.’
‘Yeah, now you’re really sounding like Scott, he used to drive a Toyota.’
‘Intelligent man.’
Garcia pressed his upper teeth against his lower lip. He wasn’t sure how Hunter would react to his next question, but he decided to go for it anyway. ‘What happened to Scott? I was never told,’ he tried to sound casual.
Hunter placed his beer back on the table and looked at his partner. He knew that sooner or later that question would come up. ‘Do you want another beer?’ he asked.
Garcia looked at his half-full bottle. It was obvious Hunter was trying to avoid the question. He decided not to push it. ‘No, I’m not really a beer guy, I prefer whisky.’
Hunter lifted his eyebrows in surprise. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, single malt is my weakness.’
‘OK, now you’re talking.’ Hunter gave Garcia a quick nod. ‘Do you think they have any decent single malt in this joint?’
Garcia realized Hunter was about to go back to the bar. ‘Probably not, but hey, I don’t wanna get started on whisky, not at this time,’ he said quickly glancing at his watch. ‘This beer will do. I wanted coffee remember.’
Hunter gave Garcia a quick smile and finished the rest of his beer in one go. ‘Boat accident.’
‘What?’
‘Scott and his wife died in a boat accident, right after Mike Farloe was sentenced.’ Hunter’s statement caught Garcia by surprise. He wasn’t sure if he should say something or not and took another swig of his beer instead.
‘We were both due a vacation,’ Hunter continued. ‘We’d been working on the case for too long. It’d taken over our lives and we were literally losing our minds. The pressure had gotten to everyone. It was affecting our logical thought process. We were doubting our abilities and depression was setting in fast. When Mike confessed to the crucifix killings we were ordered to take some time off. For our own sanity.’ Hunter toyed with his empty beer bottle, scraping off the label.
‘I think I’ll take that single malt now, do you want one?’ Garcia said making a head movement towards the bar.
‘Sure, why not, if they have any.’
A couple of minutes later Garcia came back with two single shots. ‘The best they could manage was Arran eight years, and the prices in here are a joke.’ He placed a glass in front of Hunter and sat down.
‘Thanks . . . to good health,’ Hunter said raising his glass. He had a sip of the brownish liquid and let its strong taste engulf his entire mouth. ‘Much better than beer I’d say.’
Garcia agreed with a smile.
‘I live alone, I always have, but Scott had a wife . . . Amanda. They’d been married for only three and a half years.’ Hunter’s eyes were fixed on his glass.
Garcia could tell this wasn’t easy for Hunter.
‘The case had put a lot of pressure on their marriage. Sometimes he’d go for days without going home. It was hard for Amanda. They started arguing a lot. Scott had become obsessed with the case and so had I,’ Hunter said having another sip of his single malt. ‘We were sure there had to be some sort of bond, something that would link all the victims together. We were waiting for the killer to slip up. Sooner or later they all do, no one could be that thorough.’
‘Did you check with the FBI?’
‘Yeah, we were given clearance to their database and library. We spent days . . . weeks looking for something that could help us.’ Hunter paused for a few seconds. ‘There’s always something. It doesn’t matter how evil or crazy someone is, there’s always a reason for murder. Most of the time it’s an illogical one, but a reason nevertheless. We were going crazy; we were checking the most absurd possibilities.’