Vince, who’d darted an unhappy look at Chase’s badge, shook his head. “No idea what you’re talking about, detective. What my dad did or didn’t do thirteen years ago is not something I’m aware of, I’m afraid.”
“Were you working here at the time?”
“Oh, sure. I’ve been working here for as long as I can remember. All my life, in fact.”
“Maybe I’ll jog your memory,” said Chase. “The car your dad worked on was involved in a hit-and-run accident that killed a little girl named Poppy Careen, Kristina and Dominic Careen’s seven-year-old daughter. The car was registered to Dunc Hanover, and he brought it in the morning after the accident to have the bumper replaced, the front right fender fixed and repainted and generally all traces of the accident removed. Your dad did the work off the books, and never told the police and nor did Mr. Hanover.”
“Is that a fact?” Vince shrugged. “My dad did a lot of dodgy stuff back in the day. But I can assure you that the way we do things now is all above board. Nothing of that sort of stuff goes on here anymore. I’ve made sure of that when I took over the business.”
“So your dad never told you about the Careen case? Or the work he did on Hanover’s Mustang?”
“Nope. Not a word. And now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got plenty of work to get on with.”
“Did you deliver your father’s notebook to the Careens?” asked Odelia.
“No, I most certainly did not. If I did, I think I’d remember.”
“Do you have any idea who did?”
Vince shook his head.“No idea, sorry. Now can I get on, please?”
Chase eyed the man a little annoyedly. He didn’t enjoy being given the runaround, and it was obvious we were being given the runaround now. But finally he nodded curtly, and we walked out, leaving the busy garage owner to get busy with his busy life.
But Chase wouldn’t be Chase if he didn’t decide to go check out the garage and poke around here and there. And since Odelia is cut from the same cloth and so are Dooley and me, we followed the cop’s example. And that’s how we came upon a rusty metal drum. Next to it, some ashes had fallen, and judging fromthe smell, there had been a recent fire.
“Looks like someone burned something here recently,” I said.
“Ooh, that’s right. That little black book had burn marks,” said Dooley.
“Odelia!” I called out, and gestured to our human, who was just trying to peer in through a greasy window near the back of the garage. “Over here,” I said.
She quickly came over, and examined the contents of the drum.“Looks like someone burned Jefferson Gusta’s notebooks,” she said as she dug out a half-charred leather cover, exactly the same kind of leather cover Jefferson’s notebook had sported.
Chase had now also joined us, took the leather covering from Odelia, and deposited it into an evidence bag.“I’ll have it checked against the notebook,” he said. “Chances are it comes from the same collection.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” suddenly the irate voice of Vince Gusta sounded.
He was walking up to us with furious step and Chase held up the plastic baggie.“Been cleaning house, Mr. Gusta?”
“What’s it to you?” the irate garage owner demanded.
“I’m investigating four murders, and if I find out that you’ve been burning evidence of a crime, it’s got everything to do with me. And what’s more, I hope you’re aware that it’s against the law to destroy evidence, or to lie to the police and hamper an ongoing murder inquiry. In factI could arrest you right now and charge you with obstruction of justice.”
“All right!” said the man, holding up his hands. “So I cleaned out some of my dad’s old files. I didn’t think there was any harm in that. He had boxes full of the stuff, and I wanted to get rid of them once and for all.”
“You weren’t aware that there was evidence of a crime in his notebooks? And please think carefully before you answer me this time.”
Vince sighed and took off his ball cap and scratched his graying mop of hair.“I had heard of the Poppy Careen business, yes.”
“Your dad told you about it?”
“He did. Said that the person responsible for the hit and run had asked him to fix up that car so it looked as good as new.”
“Was he aware that he was assisting a criminal in covering up a crime?”
“At the time he had no idea that the car had been involved in the Careen girl’s death. It was just another job for him. Later he found out what happened that night, and put two and two together. But of course by then it was too late. The damage was done. So he decided not to get involved and not to mention what he did to anyone.”
“Except to you.”
“He didn’t tell me until last month. Before he died, he asked me to clean out his old files. Said there was some stuff in there that he should have gotten rid of years ago. And that’s when he told me about the Careen business.”
“And you didn’t feel the need to tell the police?”
“I didn’t want any trouble! Besides, it’s been years, and I figured it was all ancient history anyway.”
“You do realize that the Careens lost their daughter that night?”
“I know, yeah,” he said a little sheepishly. “And I’m sorry, okay?”
“So who delivered the notebook to Kristina Careen?”
“No idea.” When Chase gave him a threatening look, he added, “I swear! Someone must have picked it out of the fire and handed it to her. But it wasn’t me.”
Chase glanced around.“How many people knew you were burning your father’s papers?”
“No one. I just decided that I better get rid of the stuff.”
“Why now?”
“No reason. Just something I’ve been putting off since Dad died.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the murder of Jona Morro, would it?”
The man turned a little shifty-eyed again, and I thought he probably wasn’t the right person to get your car fixed. He appeared to be fundamentally dishonest.
“Mr. Gusta?” Chase insisted.
“Okay, yes! I read about the guy being killed with his own car and it reminded me of my dad’s old files. So I figured I’d better get rid of them before you people started snooping around. There. Now you know the whole story. Happy?”
“Not exactly,” said Chase. “In fact I’m very unhappy with you, Mr. Gusta. Not only have you repeatedly lied to me, but you have also concealed evidence of a crime, and then tried to destroy it. I think it’s safe to say you’ll be charged for your efforts.”
“Whatever,” the man muttered, then walked off, grumbling under his breath.
We were walking back to the car when a woman came hurrying out of the garage. She was also dressed in blue coveralls, and seemed eager to have speech with us.
“Not here,” she said quietly when she was within speaking distance. “Meet me in the Squeaky Wheel in ten minutes. And please don’t tell my husband, all right?” And before we could ask her who her husband was, she had slipped into the garage again.
Though I think it’s safe to say she was probably referring to the irrepressible Vince.
Chapter 31
Ten minutes later we were indeed in the Squeaky Wheel, when the same woman came breezing in. She’d ditched the blue coverall and was looking more like a regular person now, in jeans and a sweater, her blond hair tied back from her wrinkle-free face. She appeared to be in her early forties. She took a seat at the table, and looked just as nervous as she had when she’d approached us back atthe garage.
“I’m Mandi Gusta,” she said without preamble. “And I’m the one who gave Kristina Careen that notebook.”
“You’re Vince’s wife?” asked Chase.
She nodded, looking a little breathless.“I can’t stay long, I’m sorry. If Vince found out I was talking to the police he’d be very unhappy.”