High Risk by G.K. Parks (books for 10th graders TXT) 📕

it off, I knocked on the doorjamb and opened my jacket to reveal my badge. “Detective Liv DeMarco, homicide. I need to speak to you about one of your employees.”

Connor McFarland gestured that I enter. “Please, have a seat. I knew someone would be here. This is about Jonathan Gardner and the shooting at Star Cleaners, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“A sergeant called earlier to ask me some questions. I figured it was just a matter of time until officers came knocking.” He took off his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “What can I do to help?”

“You can start by telling me why Star Cleaners hired a night watchman.”

“It was part of a promotion we had running. In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t some fancy operation. Originally, we sold home security systems. Eventually, Mr. Denisten decided to branch out. So we started installing security systems for small businesses, and then he came up with the bright idea to provide guards.”

“Mr. Denisten?”

“The guy who owns this place.” McFarland opened the drawer and removed a business card with his boss’s name and contact information. “I assume you’ll want that.”

“Thanks.” I tucked it into the back of my notepad. “I take it from your tone you didn’t think it was a good idea.”

“We didn’t have the manpower. At the time, it was just me, Mr. Denisten, Ava, and Ralph, the other technician. So we had to hire people, and that cut down on profits. So we had to take more jobs. And hire more people. You can see where this is going.”

“How many people does Moonlight Security currently employ?”

“Eleven, if you count me and the owner. It used to be fourteen, but we had to let three of the regulars go last month when none of our promotional customers wanted to sign a contract to keep a night watchman on hand. So now, we have six full-time security guards and one floater.” He handed me another sheet of paper before I could ask. “That’s our employee list. I took the liberty of circling the three who were let go. The sergeant said you’d want that.”

“Yes, thanks.” I read the names, but they didn’t mean anything to me. Golden hadn’t mentioned any of these people when I asked about Jonathan Gardner’s friends. “Did you ever have any problems with Mr. Gardner?”

“No, Johnny was topnotch. Truthfully, he was too good for this place. He had real potential. The kid could have gotten a better job somewhere else. He had a bachelor’s in psychology. If he’d just gone a bit further, he would have had tons of opportunities. Maybe then he’d still be alive.” He choked up, and I gave him a moment to compose himself. “Have you spoken to his parents yet? He talked about his family all the time. I just can’t imagine what they’re going through. I have a son, a few years older than Johnny. I just…I can’t imagine. I wanted to call them to express my condolences.”

“I’m not sure if they’ve been notified yet, so you might want to hold off.”

McFarland nodded. “I’ll send flowers. Everyone around here will pitch in. We’ll get a nice arrangement.”

“So Mr. Gardner didn’t have any problems with anyone at work?”

“No, of course not. He was a gentle soul. Everyone loved him.”

That’s the only thing I’d heard about our victim. “What about personal issues? Anything you can think of?”

“Sorry.”

“Did he ever talk about a girlfriend or some girl he met?”

“Nah, Johnny had been burned pretty badly. He wasn’t ready to put himself out there again.”

“So no jealous husbands or vengeful exes? No one threatening him? What about money issues? Did he have any?”

“We all have money issues, but Johnny never complained about it. He always showed up for his shifts. He never called in sick. He offered to cover if someone else called in, but I don’t think that was about money. I just think he was a good guy. He liked helping people.”

“All right,” that left only one possibility, “what about Star Cleaners?”

“What about them?”

“Any idea why Mr. Lee wanted to hire a night watchman? Did Mr. Gardner or any of your other security guards ever report any problems?”

Something flickered across McFarland’s face. “Star Cleaners hired us to install a new security system less than a month ago. Mr. Lee wanted the best system we had to offer. Top of the line. He went for all the bells and whistles, and when we offered him a night watchman for a thirty day trial, he jumped at the opportunity. Our clients are never that eager. I thought it was weird, but given that neighborhood, I figured maybe he’d had more than his share of break-ins and hold-ups. That’s why I insisted Johnny be armed. He’s licensed. All of our security guards are. But he didn’t like carrying the gun. I told him it was better to be safe than sorry, but I guess it didn’t make much of a difference.”

“So you think Gardner intervened in the midst of a break-in?”

“Isn’t that what happened?” McFarland cocked his head to the side, mentally replaying the questions I had asked him. “You think Johnny was killed for some other reason?”

“I don’t know, sir. That’s why we’re investigating.”

“It seems simple to me. Some asshole breaks in, Johnny tries to stop him, and for his trouble, he gets himself killed.” He inhaled, shaking his head. “And it’s my fault because I sent him over there.” He deflated, sinking deeper into the chair.

“Sir, it’s not your fault.” At least, nothing indicated he was responsible. “We noticed some discrepancies with Star Cleaners’ security logs. Would you mind taking a look?”

McFarland put his glasses back on and sat up straighter in his chair. “I’ll do anything to help you find the person who hurt Johnny. Where are they?”

I glanced