Free The Chill of Night by James Hayman

body.’
    ‘And you haven’t discussed this with anyone else?’
    ‘Just Detective Savage.’
    ‘Not with any of your pals over there?’
    ‘No. Nobody else.’
    There was something so earnest and childlike about Vodnick’s response, McCabe found himself resisting a temptation to reach up and pat the big man on the head. He settled instead for a more manly slap on the back. ‘Okay. That’s good. Where’s Hester now?’
    ‘Sitting in his office keeping his butt warm.’ Vodnick pointed up to a couple of lit windows on the second floor of the building nearest the end of the pier. ‘I told him to sit tight till you talked to him.’
    ‘What does he know?’
    ‘I didn’t tell him about the body, but he’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to have figured something was up.’
    ‘Alright, I’ll let him know we want to talk to him at 109. Then I want you to take him downtown, get a set of prints, then park him in an interview room on four. Got it?’
    ‘Got it.’
    McCabe slapped his shoulder again, turned, and headed for the building. Maggie fell into step alongside. ‘All set with the big guy?’ she asked.
    ‘All set.’
    ‘Good.’
    A small sign identified the three-story aluminum box as the MARINE TRADE CENTER, 2 PORTLAND FISH PIER . They took the stairs up one flight and found a door with HESTER ASSOCIATES, MARINE AND GENERAL INSURANCE painted on frosted glass. It was basically a one-room office. Maybe three hundred square feet. Doug Hester was sitting at his desk, sipping a cup of coffee, looking out at the scene below. He didn’t look happy. Probably hated being here this late on a Friday night. That was alright. McCabe hated it, too. Hester was a chubby little guy, maybe five foot six. McCabe put him somewhere in his mid-fifties. He combed his reddish brown hair over in a fruitless attempt to hide male pattern baldness.
    ‘Mr Hester?’ asked Maggie. Hester looked up. ‘I’m Detective Margaret Savage. This is Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe. We’re in charge of the investigation, and we’d like you to come down to police headquarters to review everything you reported related to the incident.’
    ‘Is this really necessary? I already told the other officer, the big guy, everything I know. Which isn’t a whole lot. It’s my sister-in-law’s birthday. We’re having a dozen people over to celebrate. They’re probably already there.’
    ‘I’m sorry about that,’ said McCabe, ‘but I’m sure your sister-in-law will understand. A woman’s body was found in the trunk of the car.’
    ‘A dead body?’
    ‘Yes.’
    Hester blanched. ‘Jesus. A dead body sitting there for two days. How’d she get in the trunk?’
    ‘That’s what we’re trying to find out.’
    ‘Jesus, why the hell would anyone leave a dead body in a car on the pier?’
    ‘We don’t know. But like Detective Savage said, we’d like you to come down to Middle Street and tell us what you know.’
    Hester just shook his head in apparent disbelief. ‘I’m not sure what I can add.’
    ‘Going over it again may help you remember things you didn’t realize were important when you talked to Officer Vodnick. Or maybe didn’t realize you saw.’ Maggie gave him her best smile. ‘Anyway, since you apparently touched the car we’ll also need to get a full set of your fingerprints. Unless you were wearing gloves at the time.’
    ‘I wasn’t. I just ran downstairs to look at the car. I wasn’t even wearing a coat.’
    ‘Okay. Officer Vodnick will drive you down. It shouldn’t take long.’
    ‘Can’t I take my own car?’
    ‘We’d rather you went with him.’
    ‘Alright,’ Hester said nervously, ‘but one of you is gonna have to explain to my wife why I’m missing her sister’s party. She’s going to be mightily pissed.’

Five
    Murder is major news in Portland, and major news travels fast. By the time McCabe and Maggie slipped out the back door of the Marine Trade Center, a cluster of reporters and