people in town who knew Trent but he’d also been seen arguing with Martucci. If there was a connection between the man and Trent, Kevin might be the one to provide it.
Ashton Falls is a small town with limited opportunities when it comes to new construction, so Kevin Michaels, a general contractor who has lived and worked here for the past ten years, specializes in remodels. While he doesn’t maintain a regular workforce due to the seasonality of the construction trade, he hires subcontractors and temporary help from time to time. As far as I knew, Trent had worked for Kevin ever since moving to the area the previous spring.
Trent seemed to be a good worker as well as an all-around nice guy. Of course , people who tend to keep to themselves are sometimes the very ones who have something to hide. I knew Kevin had been working on an attic conversion the previous day, so I headed toward the Mendoza house, which is located at the edge of town. As I pulled up in front of the house, I saw that Kevin’s red truck was indeed in the drive. The house he was renovating was a two-story structure built on a large, open meadow overlooking the summit. While the lake views from the boathouse are breathtaking, the one from the back of this house was spectacular as well. After instructing Charlie to wait, I got out of my vehicle and made my way to the front of the house.
“Kevin inside?” I asked one of the temporary workmen Kevin had hired for the job as I slipped out of my boots , leaving them on the tile entry before stepping onto the light beige carpet.
“ Yeah, he’s upstairs.”
“Thanks,” I responded as I made my way toward the attic in my stocking feet. I could hear hammers and saws working away and realized that Kevin might not want to take a break to speak to me.
“Hey, Zoe. What brings you out here?” Kevin asked as I entered the room.
“I wanted to ask you about Trent.”
“I guess I should have figured as much. How about we take this conversation downstairs , where it’s not so hectic?”
“ That’s probably a good idea.”
By the look of things , the attic wasn’t the only space getting a facelift. The house was already beautiful; once Kevin and his guys were done with it, it was going to be spectacular. It appeared as though everything from flooring to light fixtures and cabinets had been stripped out to make room for the new.
“So what can I do for you?” Kevin asked as we took seats at the counter in the empty kitchen.
“Are the homeowners gone?” I looked around.
“ They’re vacationing in the Bahamas while the remodel is underway.”
“That,” I decided as I looked out of the window at the falling snow, “sounds wonderful.”
“Yeah, it must be nice,” Kevin agreed.
“Like I said, I wanted to ask you about Trent.” I decided to get right to the subject at hand. “I know Salinger is conducting an official investigation, but I decided to do some snooping around on my own.”
“ Seems to me that you’ve been smack dab in the middle of all the murder investigations around here of late.”
“Yeah , well, I guess circumstances keep pulling me in.”
“Don’t figure there’s any harm in telling you what I know. Seems you’re developing quite an impressive track record. ”
“Believe me when I tell you that spending all my free time investigating murders is nowhere in my overall plan. Still, Trent did die on the property I manage , and he seemed like a really nice guy. I just want to be certain that his killer is brought to justice.”
“Yeah, I’d like to see that too.”
“Can you tell me how Trent came to work for you?”
“ He came to me last May as part of the Fresh Start program the state is sponsoring to help men and women who have spent time in prison get a new lease on life once they’re released.”
“So Trent was in prison,” I confirmed.
“Spent the past seven years incarcerated for various Mob-related activities,” Kevin elaborated. “While he
Ashton Falls is a small town with limited opportunities when it comes to new construction, so Kevin Michaels, a general contractor who has lived and worked here for the past ten years, specializes in remodels. While he doesn’t maintain a regular workforce due to the seasonality of the construction trade, he hires subcontractors and temporary help from time to time. As far as I knew, Trent had worked for Kevin ever since moving to the area the previous spring.
Trent seemed to be a good worker as well as an all-around nice guy. Of course , people who tend to keep to themselves are sometimes the very ones who have something to hide. I knew Kevin had been working on an attic conversion the previous day, so I headed toward the Mendoza house, which is located at the edge of town. As I pulled up in front of the house, I saw that Kevin’s red truck was indeed in the drive. The house he was renovating was a two-story structure built on a large, open meadow overlooking the summit. While the lake views from the boathouse are breathtaking, the one from the back of this house was spectacular as well. After instructing Charlie to wait, I got out of my vehicle and made my way to the front of the house.
“Kevin inside?” I asked one of the temporary workmen Kevin had hired for the job as I slipped out of my boots , leaving them on the tile entry before stepping onto the light beige carpet.
“ Yeah, he’s upstairs.”
“Thanks,” I responded as I made my way toward the attic in my stocking feet. I could hear hammers and saws working away and realized that Kevin might not want to take a break to speak to me.
“Hey, Zoe. What brings you out here?” Kevin asked as I entered the room.
“I wanted to ask you about Trent.”
“I guess I should have figured as much. How about we take this conversation downstairs , where it’s not so hectic?”
“ That’s probably a good idea.”
By the look of things , the attic wasn’t the only space getting a facelift. The house was already beautiful; once Kevin and his guys were done with it, it was going to be spectacular. It appeared as though everything from flooring to light fixtures and cabinets had been stripped out to make room for the new.
“So what can I do for you?” Kevin asked as we took seats at the counter in the empty kitchen.
“Are the homeowners gone?” I looked around.
“ They’re vacationing in the Bahamas while the remodel is underway.”
“That,” I decided as I looked out of the window at the falling snow, “sounds wonderful.”
“Yeah, it must be nice,” Kevin agreed.
“Like I said, I wanted to ask you about Trent.” I decided to get right to the subject at hand. “I know Salinger is conducting an official investigation, but I decided to do some snooping around on my own.”
“ Seems to me that you’ve been smack dab in the middle of all the murder investigations around here of late.”
“Yeah , well, I guess circumstances keep pulling me in.”
“Don’t figure there’s any harm in telling you what I know. Seems you’re developing quite an impressive track record. ”
“Believe me when I tell you that spending all my free time investigating murders is nowhere in my overall plan. Still, Trent did die on the property I manage , and he seemed like a really nice guy. I just want to be certain that his killer is brought to justice.”
“Yeah, I’d like to see that too.”
“Can you tell me how Trent came to work for you?”
“ He came to me last May as part of the Fresh Start program the state is sponsoring to help men and women who have spent time in prison get a new lease on life once they’re released.”
“So Trent was in prison,” I confirmed.
“Spent the past seven years incarcerated for various Mob-related activities,” Kevin elaborated. “While he
Similar Books
