Electing To Murder Read Online Free PDF Page A

what he did know. He reported that Bob Smith checked in mid-afternoon. After some further questioning, he pegged the time at a shade after 2:00 p.m. Seville was even evasive about how Smith reserved the room. After pestering from McRyan and Lich, it turns out that there was no reservation for a room. He paid cash for one night, scribbled his name on the register and was handed a room key. The only other contact with the guest was when he called down for a pizza delivery number.
    “I gave him Valeninos.”
    “Any particular reason?” Lich asked.
    “They’re the only ones that will still deliver here and even then only while the sun is still up,” Seville answered.
    “What time was that at?” Mac asked. “That he called down for the pizza number.”
    “I couldn’t say for sure,” Seville answered quietly, slippery as ever.
    Mac finally snapped. “Damn it, Tony! All I asked was what time he called down for a fucking pizza, so enough of this shit. You know I’m not a vice or dope cop. I don’t care about what you have going on the side here. But if you don’t start answering my questions the first time, I’ll have vice and dope in here within the hour and they will care about your side action. Hell, they’ll come down here just for the practice.”
    Seville held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Detective, I’m pretty sure he called down to me between 2:45 and 3:00.”
    “What time did the driver stop in here asking for you to come up to the room?”
    “Right around 4:00 p.m.”
    Mac looked to Lich. “That gives us 2:45–3:00 to 4:00 as the kill zone.”
    Lich nodded, jotting down notes.
    “Did you see anyone approach his room?”
    “I didn’t, but …” Seville shrugged his shoulders.
    “What?” Lich said.
    “You make it a practice to turn a blind eye unless you absolutely have to?” Mac surmised.
    “Occupational requirement,” Seville answered.
    “Economic necessity,” Lich quipped. Seville just shrugged.
    Mac continued: “So when he checked in, did he have any luggage, anything like that with him?”
    “Not that I really recall,” Seville answered and then thought for a moment. “He had a backpack, I think, over his left shoulder, but no suitcase or anything like that.”
    Mac jotted that down. “How did he get here?”
    “I think he drove,” Seville answered. “I did watch him when he walked out. There are the curtains on the bottom of the window, but when he walked out, I could see the top of a car door that opened, he dropped down and into the car. I assumed he drove it down closer to the steps at the end of his wing of the building and went up.”
    “What kind of car?” Lich asked.
    “I didn’t look. Like I said, I saw the very top of the door swing open, darker color I think, but I didn’t watch him drive away.”
    Mac looked out the window and given that the victim’s motel room was to the right, Seville wouldn’t have been able to see the car. It would have been blocked by the half-curtains for the window.
    “And he gave you the name Bob Smith?”
    Seville nodded.
    “Did you look at his identification at all? Perhaps his driver’s license?”
    “No,” Seville responded. “The only time I do that is if someone tries to pay with credit, then I might give that a look because I don’t want to get stiffed, but people usually don’t flash the plastic here, almost always cash. If they pay cash, I don’t really care what their name is. Joe Schmo, Bob Smith, Little Richard, I don’t care what name they use as long as we get paid.”
    “How about the name Jason Stroudt?” Lich asked. “That name mean anything to you?”
    Seville shook his head.
    “Was Bob Smith the only person you rented that room to today?” Mac followed.
    Seville nodded.
    “Anything else, Tony?” Mac asked skeptically. “Anything you’ve purposefully neglected to tell me?”
    The Snelling manager shook his head. “You know what I know, Detectives.”
    Mac and Lich stared him