Chapter Twenty-Four
The day was warm but rainy when Seth and Presley drove to Corville the next morning to meet with one of Danny Harbaugh’s girlfriends, Brittany Smithers. According to the little information Dare had been able to dig up, she was single with no children and worked as a legal secretary but had recently been laid off from her job. Hopefully they would find her at home.
“What are we going to say?”
Seth gave her a sideways glance. “You’re not going to say anything. Let me do the talking.”
Right. Like that was going to happen. He knew better than that.
“You know, it might help to have me talk to her a little. She might open up to a woman more easily than to a man, especially when it comes to relationships.”
“Maybe,” Seth grunted. “We’ll see.”
Now he was just being a jerk.
“You know that I can talk to people and get them to say anything. It drives you crazy most of the time but now it could be a real benefit to us.”
His lips twisted in resignation. “I guess you’re right. You do have that way about you. She’ll probably tell you her whole life story, including her bank balance and social security number.”
Presley smiled in triumph. “I’ll try to keep her focused on Danny. So let’s review what you hope to find out.”
The rest of the drive didn’t take long but they’d gone over the information that Seth needed to know. Mainly he wanted to ask if Danny had ever talked about any favorite places or about the fishing shack. They might even want to ask outright if she knew where the money was or what had happened to it. With any luck though, Brittany would just start talking and they’d get what they wanted without having to try.
“Are you ready? I’ll let you do the talking. Let’s hope she opens up to you.”
They climbed out of the truck and walked up to the front door along the concrete path. Seth knocked and they both waited, holding their breath with hope that she was home. They certainly hadn’t called ahead and given her a chance to tell them not to bother to come.
No answer. Seth knocked again, this time a little firmer but instead of Brittany’s door opening the neighbor to the right stuck their head out of their door. The woman was in her sixties maybe, with short gray hair and bright blue eyes.
“Are you looking for Brittany? Are you friends of hers?”
Taking a deep breath, Presley plunged in. “Hi, I’m Presley and this is my husband Seth. We’re from over in Harper and we were hoping to see Brittany today. Do you know where she is?”
The older woman smiled and stepped out of the door a little farther. Presley could hear the television in the background. “I’m Alice. Brittany is picking up a few shifts at the Corville Skillet. It’s down on Maple just off of First. They make excellent pancakes.”
“Thank you, Alice.” Presley smiled and waved her thanks. “We appreciate that and those pancakes sound delicious.”
It was cold so Alice didn’t linger, popping back into her apartment. “You’re welcome. The hash browns are good too.”
Presley looked up at Seth. “Are you hungry?”
They’d already eaten breakfast but her husband had a big appetite and could probably easily put away another.
“I could eat.”
That was a yes. With only a few wrong turns they found the Corville Skillet, a gray building with a large sign out front with yes, a cast-iron skillet on it. There were several cars and trucks in the parking lot but the restaurant had empty tables. The hostess who greeted them had no problem seating them in Brittany’s section.
“So what’s the plan?” Presley asked, her gaze darting around the restaurant. Which young woman was Brittany?
“To eat,” Seth replied. “If your past is any predictor of the future, she’ll be telling you her life story before your eggs get cold.”
“I’m not ordering eggs.”
She did, however, like the sound of the homemade cinnamon roll. This was becoming a habit.
“Hello, I’m Brittany and I’m going to be taking care of you today. Would you like to start out with some coffee or juice?”
Brittany was of average height but she was an extremely attractive woman with dark hair, currently pulled back in a ponytail, and large brown eyes. What had a pretty girl like this been doing with a loser like Danny Harbaugh?
He must have been charming. Ick.
“Coffee for me,” Presley replied with a friendly smile.
“Me too,” Seth said.
Brittany made a note on her order pad. “Are you ready to order or do you need more time?”
Time to see if Brittany was a talker. “Is the cinnamon roll good?”
The woman pressed her hand to her heart and sighed. “To die for. Huge, too. They make them homemade every morning.”
“That’s sounds perfect. I’ll have that.” She nudged Seth across the table. “I might even let you have a bite.”
Seth gathered up both their menus and set them on the edge of the table. “No, you won’t. Now I’d like the eggs, bacon, and toast platter. Eggs over easy.”
Because the only way Presley could make them was scrambled. No matter how hard she tried. So whenever Seth went out for breakfast he ordered his eggs over easy.
“White or wheat?”
“Wheat,” Seth answered. “And a glass of orange juice. Small.”
“Got it,” Brittany said cheerily. “I’ll put in your order and bring your coffee and juice.”
The woman bustled away and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Seth and Presley at the table wondering how to talk to her. She seemed happy and nice and honestly, Presley was loath to bring up Danny. If Brittany still loved him she was going to be upset that he was dead and if she hated him she was going to be upset just talking about him. They couldn’t win either way.
“She looks like she’s having a good day,” Presley said glumly. “We’re going to ruin it.”
“Maybe not. Maybe she doesn’t care about him anymore. She could have forgotten all about him. He’s probably a distant memory by now.”
Maybe, but Presley remembered every loser she’d ever dated whether she wanted to or not. There was a way they clung to the dark corners of the mind, skulking around and waiting to pounce at the worst possible moment.
Not sure how to engage the younger woman, Presley ate the delicious cinnamon roll when it was placed in front of her while simultaneously watching Brittany as she worked. She appeared to be friendly and efficient, smiling and joking with the customers. Presley could see why Danny would have found her attractive.
Seth wiped his mouth with his paper napkin and patted his stomach. “We’re done and we haven’t been able to talk to her at all. Frankly, honey, you’re losing your touch because she hadn’t tried to make you her best friend forever.”
“Maybe I’m putting out a vibe,” Presley said. “And she’s running away from the desperation. This isn’t a talent I have actual control of, you know. Now smile because she’s coming over to the table again.”
Brittany slid the check next to Seth’s plate. “You can pay the cashier by the door. Thank you for coming in today and I hope you come back. My shift is finished but if you need anything else Kathy can help you. Thanks again.”
Seth and Presley thanked Brittany and then practically fell all over themselves to pay the check and get outside when she disappeared into the back kitchen. They needed to talk to her before she got away. Holding jackets over their heads to shield them from the rain, they caught up with her behind the building where Brittany was unlocking a late model Honda Accord.
“Brittany,” Presley called causing the woman to turn around. “Can you wait a second?”
“Uh, I guess.” The waitress frowned but she didn’t try to hurry away. “Is something wrong?”
Presley was breathing a little heavy and the rain was drizzling down her face.
“No, there’s nothing wrong. Seth and I were just hoping we could talk to you.”
Shit, that didn’t help. If anything, Brittany’s gaze nervously darted between them as if waiting to be kidnapped and sold into human trafficking.
Seth tried to be reassuring, flashing his badge. “It’s nothing you need to fear, ma’am. We’re just here looking for some information about Danny Harbaugh.”
Rolling her eyes and slumping against the vehicle, Brittany groaned. “You’re cops, huh? That’s not a surprise. You want to know about Danny? I’ll tell you what I tell everyone. He was a no-good, lousy liar who wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped him in the face. He still owes me three hundred bucks but I doubt he’ll ever pay it now that he’s behind bars. Too bad you didn’t put him there before I met him. Would have saved me a lot of heartache and trouble.”
“Danny is dead,” Presley said quietly. “He died in a meth lab explosion not long after being released from prison.”
The words didn’t appear to have any effect on Brittany Smithers. “If you’re waiting for me to cry, you’re shit out of luck. He made his own trouble and it was only a matter of time before karma caught up with him. I got sucked in by his charm because I was young but I’m a lot smarter now.” The young woman sighed and her gaze fell to the ground. “Listen, I’m not sure what you want me to say about Danny but I got nothing good. He was cheating on me and his wife with other women, and he never had two nickels to rub together because he was always gambling and losing. That pretty much sums up Danny. A big old loser. Good riddance.”
Presley shuffled uncomfortably on her feet. Clearly they’d brought up a sensitive subject.
“So you knew he was married?”
Brittany shrugged. “Not at first but eventually. He said she didn’t understand him. I was young and didn’t know that was the oldest excuse in the book. I do now.”
“Did you know he and his wife were robbing banks?”
“I did after he was caught.”
“Were you surprised?” Seth asked. “Did he talk about the bank jobs?”
Brittany shook her head. “No way. If he had I would have expected him to pay for something every now and then, even if it was just a cheeseburger. After our first few dates, he never had a dime and believe me, I checked his wallet when he wasn’t looking. It was empty. Kind of like his soul.”
Might as well just plunge in and take a chance.
“The money from his last bank heist went missing,” Presley explained. “Somewhere between the bank and when Seth apprehended him.”
Brittany looked at Seth with new respect. “You’re the cop that sent him to prison? Good for you. As for the money, do you think I have it? Do I look like I have money? Believe me, if I did I wouldn’t be waiting tables in this dump. I wouldn’t have lost my house either when I got laid off.”
“We don’t think you have it,” Seth replied with a slight smile. “But did Danny ever mention anywhere that was important to him? Anywhere that he might have hid the cash? Or maybe there was a person he was especially close to that might have helped him?”
“Danny only talked about two things – bets he was going to place and that stupid fishing cabin. That’s it. He didn’t read, he didn’t keep up with current events, he didn’t even like to go to the movies. He watched sports and placed bets on the games. When he wasn’t doing that he’d disappear for days at a time at that stupid cabin. Is that all you wanted to know? It’s raining harder.”
It was pouring and Presley was soaked. Seth thanked the woman for her time and they headed back to the front of the building and the blessed shelter of the truck. Climbing into the passenger seat, she clipped on her seatbelt. The day had only begun. Next stop was girlfriend number two and if Brittany was any indication the second one wouldn’t have anything nice to say about Danny Harbaugh.
One thing though was clear. They needed to find that fishing cabin.