Quay said, “He was with Pauline Corbett.”

A spark. “Ah. That’s right. What about him?”

“You tell me,” Decker said.

Chet shrugged. “They met up around eight.”

“Did they come in together?”

“I’ve got to think.” A long pause. “I believe he came in first. Then she came in and sat down next to him.” He pointed to the end of the bar on the right side. “There.” A pause. “My opinion? They seemed to be warming up.”

“Meaning?” Decker asked.

Chet said, “After a while on this job, you can kind of tell if people are in for a friendly how-do or if they’re gearing up for a night of getting hammered.”

Quay said, “So they were in it for the long haul?”

“Seemed that way to me, Jake, but I don’t know. Check with the Mule or with Tobacco’s Road.”

Jake nodded. “Will do.”

“How long were they here?” Decker asked.

“About an hour.”

McAdams asked, “Did they seem friendly with each other?”

Chet said, “Don’t remember them fighting.” A pause. “Don’t remember her hanging on him or whatnot. They had a few beers, got up, paid the bill, and left.”

“How many each?”

“Two, three bottles. They seemed to be walking okay when they left. What’s this about?”

Decker said, “The man that Pauline was with is a person of interest in a homicide.”

“I know that Pauline and Elsie Schulung are missing.” He looked at Quay. “We talked about this a few months ago, right?”

Quay said, “Yes, we did.”

“Are they dead?”

Decker said, “Pauline is deceased.”

“Wow.” Chet looked upset. “And Elsie?”

“Still missing.”

“What happened to Pauline?”

“Ongoing investigation,” Decker said. “Pauline was found in my jurisdiction in Greenbury. That’s why I’m here with Sergeant Quay.”

“Where is Greenbury?”

“About three hours from here.”

“What was Pauline doing there?”

“I’m trying to figure that out,” Decker said. “How many times did you see Pauline with this guy?”

“Just the once … about three months ago.” Chet looked at Quay. “Right before Pauline and Elsie went missing, obviously. Do you think he had something to do with it?”

“We are checking everything,” Quay said. “Thanks, Chet, you’ve been helpful.”

“No worries.”

They went back to Beth at the front desk. She looked at Quay and said, “I don’t think he stayed here, Sergeant. Probably this place was too rich for his blood. He was more like a sleeping-in-his-car kinda man.”

“Did he look shabby when you spoke with him?” Decker asked.

“I don’t remember. Sorry.”

“Thanks anyway, Beth.” Quay turned to Decker. “Both of the places that Chet mentioned should be open by now. The Mule is closer. Let’s try that first.”

CHAPTER 17