Chapter 171

"Do you have the murder suspect in custody?" Joe asked.

"Yes, he's in a cell on the other side of this wall. He's been talking." Mitch held up his yellow pad. "I've taken notes, and I did get a statement out of him. But something still doesn't add up."

"What's that?" Joe asked.

"Damien may have pulled the trigger, but there's someone else pulling the strings on the operation. Parker showed up here in my county out of the blue, married to this Dottie woman who was also a waitress at the diner. No one in town ever saw him. Ronnie here found his address and surveilled his home one night, which happened to be the night Damien shot and killed him. She's the only person in this town to have seen his face, so some of what you've told us explains why. But" - he held his hand up to Joe when Joe attempted to interrupt - "let me finish please. The diner, once Parker took over, lost almost all local customers, but there continued to be daily deposits of eight or nine thousand dollars. Someon