“Looks like it.”
“What about the second vic? Any news on her?”
“Not yet. He said they are backed up, and will get to it as soon as they can.” He rubbed his eyes. “But it’s the same guy. I know it. Her right index finger was broken, too. Pretty advanced decomp so it’s going to be hit or miss on anything useful. For now, we got nothing.”
“I finished with Puckett.”
“And?”
“The man was jumpy as a cat on a hot stove. Nearly choked when I told him we had him on camera in the parking lot and inside the bar.”
“What about the women?”
“Recognized both right off. ‘New meat’ was how he described them.” A muscle tensed in his jaw. “Pretty high opinion of himself. Claimed he sprung for a couple of drinks, hoped to get lucky, but didn’t.”
“What do you think?”
JD scratched his chin. “He’s got the size, and about as conceited as they come. He could be the man at the bar, or it could be Billy Ray, or half a dozen others who were there that night.” He focused on a spot in the ceiling, then shook his head. “I don’t know. He’s a cheating asshole more worried about his wife discovering his antics than being accused of murder.” A shadow of annoyance crossed his face. “Seems whenever she makes her twice-monthly trip to Dallas to visit her mother, he heads over to Teddy’s for some action.” Jimmy shuffled his feet. “What about Anson?”
“Smooth one. Didn’t say much. We keep them on the person-of-interest list for now.” Coop tapped a pencil on the corner of his desk. “Have we made contact with everyone who was there last Sunday? I know we had some travelers, but what about the locals?”
“We got everyone but Alice and Billy Ray.” The deputy paused. “Did you know he was there?”
“Not surprised, but no, I didn’t know. He likes the ladies. I talked to Alice this morning. She didn’t remember either of the women. Said she talked some to Puckett, who she described as a sexist jerk, and saw Anson working the room. She didn’t say anything about Billy Ray being there.”
“Marla, she’s the dark-haired waitress, is friends with Alice. Said she saw him in the corner with a woman she didn’t know. Things got interesting when Alice saw them.”
“Was she there with him?”
“Not that night. According to Marla, Alice has it bad for him. He’s put her off for the most part. Said she’s too young for him, but she keeps trying.”
“What happened when she saw him with another woman?”
JD grinned. “She emptied a beer on his head and stomped out.”
Coop sat up a little straighter. “What did he do?”
“According to Marla, he asked for a towel and wiped his head.”
“He didn’t go after her? Get mad?”
“Nope. In fact, Marla said he laughed and said something like didn’t see that coming. The other woman left then. Marla got busy, and lost track of him.” JD hesitated. “Want me to question him?”
Coop blew out a long breath and shook his head. “I’ll do it. Is he here now?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks. I’ll take care of it.”
Twenty minutes later, Billy Ray stuck his head in the doorway. “You rang, Boss?”
Coop pushed the budget report aside and motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Come in. Close the door.”
Billy’s smile vanished. “Sounds serious.”
Coop waited until his friend sat down. “Why didn’t you tell me you were at Teddy’s last Sunday night?”
Tone even, Billy crossed his arms across his chest. “Why should I? It was my night off.”
“A woman was murdered. You knew we were talking to anyone who was there, and yet, you never said a word.”
He shifted in his seat, then uncrossed his arms. “I was there for a while. Talked to some people, danced a little and left.”
“You were seen talking to the victim.”
His chin rose a fraction of an inch. “I talked to several women that night.”
Coop stared at him for a heartbeat, then pulled a photo from a folder, and passed it across the desk.
After a slight hesitation, Billy picked it up. “Yeah, I talked to her a few minutes.” He tossed it back onto the desk. “She wasn’t interested, so I moved on.”
“What time did you leave?”
Bill’s face reddened, and his lips formed a thin white line. “After Alice dumped beer on me.”
“What time was that?”
Coop didn’t miss the little tic above Bill’s left eye or the thin bead of perspiration forming on his upper lip.
