Free Blood Stains by Sharon Sala Page A

picked up the sheet of paper. The moment she saw the name Samuel Gene Vincent, her skin crawled.
    “Is this Tank?”
    Bodie nodded. “Does he look familiar?”
    She looked again, studying the face intently. His features were strong, his face a little square. His hair was gray and somewhat bushy. His nose sat slightly sideways on his face, as if he’d run into a wall. She saw the birth date and did a little math in her head. He was sixty-four, which meant he would have been forty-four when her mother died. But no matter how long she looked, it was like looking at a total stranger.
    Finally she handed the photo back to Bodie.

    “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember ever seeing this man.”
    Bodie shrugged. “It’s not surprising. It’s been twenty years. According to my source, in his day, Tank Vincent was a big body-builder type with long bleached-blond hair.”
    An image flashed through Maria’s mind of a great big man with long yellow hair and a gold-capped tooth.
    Bodie saw the expression on her face and realized something had just clicked.
    “What?” he asked.
    “I don’t know… It was when you mentioned the hair that I flashed on a giant of a man with long blond hair and a gold-capped tooth.”
    “Really?” Bodie asked. “Well, that’s something I can check out when I head down to the lake tomorrow.”
    “Lake? What lake?” Maria asked.
    “Lake Eufaula. That’s where Tank Vincent lives these days, running a bait and beer shop.”
    Maria leaned forward. “I want to go with you.”
    Bodie frowned. “Look, we’re opening a cold case here, which means for the last twenty years, someone believes he’s gotten away with murder. If anyone gets wind of the fact that the case has been activated because you witnessed that murder, it won’t matter whether you can remember right now or not. They will try to get rid of you.”

    “I’m not stupid. I’m well aware of that,” Maria snapped. “But this was my mother. With her dying breath she was thinking of me to make sure I stayed safe. I’ll do whatever it takes to get justice for her.”
    Bodie frowned. He had a feeling if he didn’t give in, she would be off on her own.
    “I’ll pick you up around eight in the morning. It’s a bit of a drive.”
    “Thank you,” she said.
    “Don’t thank me yet. We don’t have much to go on, and if Tank Vincent doesn’t come up with something and you don’t remember anything further, this investigation might end before it gets started.”
    “I have faith that’s not going to happen,” she said.
    He sighed. “Maybe if I hang out with you long enough, some of that sunny expectation will rub off on me.”
    Maria caught the vibes of his dejection.
    “Bad day?”
    “Yeah. It happens.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “Here I am all gung ho about a twenty-year-old murder, and you’re dealing with this every day.”
    “That’s okay. Each case matters the same to the people who are left behind.”
    “What made you want to be a cop?”
    “I like puzzles and I don’t like crooks. Once I figured out there was a job that encompassed both, it was a simple choice.”

    Maria was caught. From the intensity of his gaze to the way the left corner of his mouth tilted slightly as he spoke, he was a very sexy man. His eyes were such a clear blue that they made her think of Montana skies, which made her think of home. She wondered where he’d grown up, then decided the best way to find out was to ask.
    “Where did you grow up?”
    “A cattle ranch near Claremore. That’s a little northeast of here.”
    Maria nodded. “So your parents are ranchers. Any siblings?”
    “Two brothers, both younger. One works with Dad at the ranch, the other is a football coach at a high school in Claremore. Between them, Mom and Dad have five grandkids. How about you?”
    Maria plopped her elbows on the table and began running the tip of her finger around the lip of her beer bottle.
    “There are three of us girls. None of us are