ponytail. She was smiling ear to ear
and holding up a horseshoe like it was some kind of trophy.
Good-looking girl. Nice figure.
"I know," Jess said. She was back to nibbling at her fingernail. "Sounds odd, don't it? Lover boy says he's got more than a
handful of people that can testify that he was at Bruno's until
after midnight last Friday and every night since then. Said he
goes there every evening after he closes the shop."
Wiley smoothed his mustache and pressed his lips into a thin
line. "And you said you questioned him at his shop?"
"Yes. It's in Frostburg. College Avenue. He gets a lot of clientele from the college."
"Did you notice any snapshots of Amber around?"
Jess thought for a moment. " As a matter of fact, yes. There
were a few on the counter of Mitch and her, and a couple on
one of the walls. He did a phoenix tattoo on her lower back."
Wiley sat back in his chair again, crossed his arms over his
chest. Amber stared at him from the photo on the desk. Her
mouth was smiling, but her eyes pleaded with him, begging.
All at once the room starting closing in upon him. The walls
tightened; the ceiling crouched. His chest constricted, making
it feel like he was breathing through a straw. He tried to draw
in a deep breath, but his lungs were in a vise. Then the room
began to spin, first slow, then faster, faster. But in the center of
it all was Amber. Her face. Smiling. Pleading.
"-Sheriff?"
Wiley started and looked at Jess. She was standing in front of
his desk, leaning over it.
"You OK? You looked like you were ready to faint or
something."
Wiley rubbed his face with both hands, smoothed his
mustache. "Yeah. I'm fine. I hate these cases. Get me a list of
every client he's had in the past week. Run their backgrounds.
See if anything comes up. And keep an eye on Romeo. Visit him
every day if you have to. Let him know we're watching him."
"I'll head back over there right now. I have a few other questions I want to ask him too. Better to do it in person."
Jess turned to leave. Wiley cleared his throat, a sign he wasn't
finished yet.
"Something on your mind, sir?" Jess said, one hand on her
hip, thumb hooked in her belt.
"You dating anyone yet?"
Jess's eyes narrowed. He'd taken her by surprise. Good. It
kept her sharp. "No," she said, letting the vowel linger on the
edge of her lips. "Is this relevant ... ?"
"You need a life, Jess."
"I have a life, sir."
"Outside your job."
"I have a life outside my job."
Wiley studied her for a moment. Jess was an attractive girl,
smart, responsible, good sense of humor when she wanted one.
No reason any guy wouldn't want to date her. He nodded once.
"You need a boyfriend."
Jess pursed her lips, a look his mother used to give him
when he'd come home late for dinner and run through his list
of rehearsed excuses, none of which convinced her of his innocence. "With all due respect, let me worry about my personal life,
sir. You worry about the whereabouts of Miss Amber there."
Wiley smiled. He liked Jess's spunk. It was one of the qualities that made her such a good cop. "Fair enough ... but you still
need a man in your life."
Jess grinned and shook her head. "I believe that's my call."
She then turned and walked out of Wiley's office, thumb still
hooked in her belt.
Jess pushed through the glass door of Monster's Ink Tattoo
Studio. An electronic chime announced her arrival. The place
was more art studio than tattoo shop. Jess had been in some
of the other shops in Frostburg and Cumberland, and none of
them compared to this. The walls and ceiling were linen white, the floor, black and white checkered tile. Framed images of
artsy designs hung on the walls, spotlighted by track lighting
positioned in strategic locations across the ceiling. A white
counter sat in the middle of the large room, and behind it, a
small waiting area furnished with four black art deco chairs
and a black table stacked with magazines and photo albums
and holding up a horseshoe like it was some kind of trophy.
Good-looking girl. Nice figure.
"I know," Jess said. She was back to nibbling at her fingernail. "Sounds odd, don't it? Lover boy says he's got more than a
handful of people that can testify that he was at Bruno's until
after midnight last Friday and every night since then. Said he
goes there every evening after he closes the shop."
Wiley smoothed his mustache and pressed his lips into a thin
line. "And you said you questioned him at his shop?"
"Yes. It's in Frostburg. College Avenue. He gets a lot of clientele from the college."
"Did you notice any snapshots of Amber around?"
Jess thought for a moment. " As a matter of fact, yes. There
were a few on the counter of Mitch and her, and a couple on
one of the walls. He did a phoenix tattoo on her lower back."
Wiley sat back in his chair again, crossed his arms over his
chest. Amber stared at him from the photo on the desk. Her
mouth was smiling, but her eyes pleaded with him, begging.
All at once the room starting closing in upon him. The walls
tightened; the ceiling crouched. His chest constricted, making
it feel like he was breathing through a straw. He tried to draw
in a deep breath, but his lungs were in a vise. Then the room
began to spin, first slow, then faster, faster. But in the center of
it all was Amber. Her face. Smiling. Pleading.
"-Sheriff?"
Wiley started and looked at Jess. She was standing in front of
his desk, leaning over it.
"You OK? You looked like you were ready to faint or
something."
Wiley rubbed his face with both hands, smoothed his
mustache. "Yeah. I'm fine. I hate these cases. Get me a list of
every client he's had in the past week. Run their backgrounds.
See if anything comes up. And keep an eye on Romeo. Visit him
every day if you have to. Let him know we're watching him."
"I'll head back over there right now. I have a few other questions I want to ask him too. Better to do it in person."
Jess turned to leave. Wiley cleared his throat, a sign he wasn't
finished yet.
"Something on your mind, sir?" Jess said, one hand on her
hip, thumb hooked in her belt.
"You dating anyone yet?"
Jess's eyes narrowed. He'd taken her by surprise. Good. It
kept her sharp. "No," she said, letting the vowel linger on the
edge of her lips. "Is this relevant ... ?"
"You need a life, Jess."
"I have a life, sir."
"Outside your job."
"I have a life outside my job."
Wiley studied her for a moment. Jess was an attractive girl,
smart, responsible, good sense of humor when she wanted one.
No reason any guy wouldn't want to date her. He nodded once.
"You need a boyfriend."
Jess pursed her lips, a look his mother used to give him
when he'd come home late for dinner and run through his list
of rehearsed excuses, none of which convinced her of his innocence. "With all due respect, let me worry about my personal life,
sir. You worry about the whereabouts of Miss Amber there."
Wiley smiled. He liked Jess's spunk. It was one of the qualities that made her such a good cop. "Fair enough ... but you still
need a man in your life."
Jess grinned and shook her head. "I believe that's my call."
She then turned and walked out of Wiley's office, thumb still
hooked in her belt.
Jess pushed through the glass door of Monster's Ink Tattoo
Studio. An electronic chime announced her arrival. The place
was more art studio than tattoo shop. Jess had been in some
of the other shops in Frostburg and Cumberland, and none of
them compared to this. The walls and ceiling were linen white, the floor, black and white checkered tile. Framed images of
artsy designs hung on the walls, spotlighted by track lighting
positioned in strategic locations across the ceiling. A white
counter sat in the middle of the large room, and behind it, a
small waiting area furnished with four black art deco chairs
and a black table stacked with magazines and photo albums
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