good reason. That would be awfully callous.
“Greg hadn’t been using that gym for long but had already earned a reputation as a hothead.”
“What about the other guy?” Clarissa asked.
“He’s a long-time regular at the gym. He’s a nice, normal professional who likes to stop in to work out on his way home from the office. He’s never had any issues with anyone – until Greg. The gym employee I just spoke with said he’s a great guy.”
“So he’s probably not Greg’s killer,” Clarissa sighed in disappointment before taking a sip of her coffee. For a moment there, she had gotten her hopes up.
“You never know,” Parker mused. “He doesn’t sound like the type to seek revenge after losing a fight though – he’s a professional with a lot to lose. And drowning someone is a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” she agreed.
“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s not our guy. At the very least, I’d say there are other suspects we need to rule out first.”
“I think so too. Let’s go over what we know so far.”
“Okay, well our first suspect is Amy,” Parker said matter-of-factly.
“What?” Clarissa retorted, nearly spitting out her coffee as her old high school friend’s name came up. She shot Parker a dirty look, appalled that he would name her as a suspect. “She didn’t kill Greg!”
“She acted weird,” Parker pointed out. “I know she was a friend of yours back in high school, but I also know you’re a journalist first and foremost. And you saw the way she behaved as clearly as I did. Can you honestly sit there and tell me she wasn’t acting suspicious?”
Clarissa hesitated. “Okay, maybe she was acting a little nervous,” she admitted reluctantly. “But she’s not the killer and you know it! We saw her standing there watching the fight,” she reminded him. “And we also saw the guy Greg was fighting.”
“Well, we saw his costume.”
“I know we didn’t see his face, but we saw his build underneath the costume. He had to be tall. Maybe even as tall as you,” Clarissa speculated. “He was at least six feet tall. And I think it’s safe to say it was a male.”
“That’s true,” Parker nodded. “It was a man and it was someone strong. Greg was a fit, muscular guy but even so, the person he was fighting ultimately overpowered him.”
“Although we don’t know how many drinks Greg had at the party,” Clarissa realized. “If he’d had a lot to drink then I expect he would have been easier to overpower. But,” she continued, “I think the point still stands that the assailant had to have been in decent physical shape.”
“So not Shane,” Parker said wryly.
“He is tall,” Clarissa pointed out.
“So are at least a hundred other guys in this town. That doesn’t prove anything.”
“Shane isn’t exactly athletic,” Clarissa said.
“Exactly what I was getting at,” Parker replied. Then he shook his head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe Greg told his asthmatic kid brother to take up smoking. It sounds like Shane looked up to Greg, even if they weren’t overly close. And then Greg went and told him that .”
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened,” Clarissa sighed. “I know I shouldn’t speak poorly of the dead, but it sounds like Greg turned into a real jerk after high school.”
“What about Sam? He’s tall and fit. And he was dressed in a cowboy costume. I think it’s a safe bet to say it was his lasso tied around Greg’s wrists. I know that doesn’t prove anything, but it certainly helps shape a rather compelling circumstantial argument.”
“Hmm…” Clarissa drummed her fingertips against the tabletop as she pondered that. “We know Greg was apparently carrying a torch for Amy. He spent all night at the party trying to get her attention, trying to talk to her.”
“Maybe Sam saw Greg was hitting on his girlfriend and flew
“Greg hadn’t been using that gym for long but had already earned a reputation as a hothead.”
“What about the other guy?” Clarissa asked.
“He’s a long-time regular at the gym. He’s a nice, normal professional who likes to stop in to work out on his way home from the office. He’s never had any issues with anyone – until Greg. The gym employee I just spoke with said he’s a great guy.”
“So he’s probably not Greg’s killer,” Clarissa sighed in disappointment before taking a sip of her coffee. For a moment there, she had gotten her hopes up.
“You never know,” Parker mused. “He doesn’t sound like the type to seek revenge after losing a fight though – he’s a professional with a lot to lose. And drowning someone is a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” she agreed.
“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s not our guy. At the very least, I’d say there are other suspects we need to rule out first.”
“I think so too. Let’s go over what we know so far.”
“Okay, well our first suspect is Amy,” Parker said matter-of-factly.
“What?” Clarissa retorted, nearly spitting out her coffee as her old high school friend’s name came up. She shot Parker a dirty look, appalled that he would name her as a suspect. “She didn’t kill Greg!”
“She acted weird,” Parker pointed out. “I know she was a friend of yours back in high school, but I also know you’re a journalist first and foremost. And you saw the way she behaved as clearly as I did. Can you honestly sit there and tell me she wasn’t acting suspicious?”
Clarissa hesitated. “Okay, maybe she was acting a little nervous,” she admitted reluctantly. “But she’s not the killer and you know it! We saw her standing there watching the fight,” she reminded him. “And we also saw the guy Greg was fighting.”
“Well, we saw his costume.”
“I know we didn’t see his face, but we saw his build underneath the costume. He had to be tall. Maybe even as tall as you,” Clarissa speculated. “He was at least six feet tall. And I think it’s safe to say it was a male.”
“That’s true,” Parker nodded. “It was a man and it was someone strong. Greg was a fit, muscular guy but even so, the person he was fighting ultimately overpowered him.”
“Although we don’t know how many drinks Greg had at the party,” Clarissa realized. “If he’d had a lot to drink then I expect he would have been easier to overpower. But,” she continued, “I think the point still stands that the assailant had to have been in decent physical shape.”
“So not Shane,” Parker said wryly.
“He is tall,” Clarissa pointed out.
“So are at least a hundred other guys in this town. That doesn’t prove anything.”
“Shane isn’t exactly athletic,” Clarissa said.
“Exactly what I was getting at,” Parker replied. Then he shook his head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe Greg told his asthmatic kid brother to take up smoking. It sounds like Shane looked up to Greg, even if they weren’t overly close. And then Greg went and told him that .”
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened,” Clarissa sighed. “I know I shouldn’t speak poorly of the dead, but it sounds like Greg turned into a real jerk after high school.”
“What about Sam? He’s tall and fit. And he was dressed in a cowboy costume. I think it’s a safe bet to say it was his lasso tied around Greg’s wrists. I know that doesn’t prove anything, but it certainly helps shape a rather compelling circumstantial argument.”
“Hmm…” Clarissa drummed her fingertips against the tabletop as she pondered that. “We know Greg was apparently carrying a torch for Amy. He spent all night at the party trying to get her attention, trying to talk to her.”
“Maybe Sam saw Greg was hitting on his girlfriend and flew
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