Lenny's armpits got sweaty.
"I didn't kill anybody."
"I know that. But we found Rudy's truck and the murder weapon hidden on your property. That makes you an accessory after the fact to murder."
"I didn't know he'd killed Boaz."
"The law is funny about being an accessory. If you helped Rudy in any way, you can be charged with murder.
Probably second degree."
"That's crazy."
"Then there's the conspiracy charge."
"What conspiracy?"
"You paid Rudy for all that wood he poached. Don't tell me you didn't know where he got it."
Lenny rubbed his nose with a thumb.
"He never told me."
"You'll have to convince a jury of that. You're looking at a shitload of felonies." Gabe ticked them off on his fingers.
"Murder, conspiracy, and multiple counts of receiving and transporting stolen property. Each item in the trailer can be a separate charge against you. Have you ever been in prison?"
Lenny shook his head.
"You could get over a hundred years. What about Gloria? Has she done time before?"
"She can't testify against me."
"She might want to, if it means staying out of the slammer. After all, she's got a mother who needs looking after, and a brand-new baby grandson. You know how women get when it conics to families. I'll talk to her."
Lenny held up a hand to stop Gabe.
"What do you want?"
Gabe tore off Lenny's handwritten page from the tablet and slid the pad across the table.
"All of it.
Your Texas contacts, who you deliver to, what Rudy boosted that you trucked out of state, where you took it, and what arrangements you had with Joaquin Santistevan."
"What do I get?"
"Probably a break from the district attorney, if you cooperate."
"What kind of break?"
"Tell you what: I'll ask the DA to drop the murder and conspiracy charges. He might even be willing to cut back on the number of receiving stolen property indictments. After all, you'll be going into court as a first-time offender."
"I'll do time?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
Lenny reached for the pad and pencil..
"Answer one question for me before you start writing," Gabe said.
"How did Joaquin tip off Rudy that I was nosing around? He didn't use the office telephone."
"He used my cell phone."
"You were at the wood lot "I was on the office crapper when you came into the trailer. I just stayed out of sight until you split."
By noontime, Kerney was down to the last person on the list of names Orlando Gonzales had given him. So far, none of Bernardo's friends and former high school classmates had provided any relevant information.
His last potential informant, Melissa Pena, now married and known as Melissa Valencia, worked as a secretary for an independent insurance agent. Kerney arrived at the agency and found the young woman standing behind a reception desk in a small, two-office suite, filing paperwork in a four-drawer metal cabinet.
She had long dark hair that fell below her waist and wore a jumper over a short-sleeve turtleneck top that didn't hide her pregnant belly.
Kerney guessed she was in her last trimester. He identified himself and asked about Bernardo.
"I really can't tell you very much about him," Melissa said as she eased herself into her secretarial chair.
"I was told you were once good friends."
"Not me. He was my best friend's boyfriend. I kinda put up with him because of her, but I never really liked him."
"Who would that be?"
"Patricia Gomez. She went with him for three years, during high school and her first year in college."
"Didn't she have Bernardo's baby?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't she marry him?"
"They were going to get married."
"What happened?"
"After high school, Patricia enrolled at the university and I started working here. We got an apartment together. She kept dating Bernardo.