“What happened when Gene found out who you were?” I asked.
“He came here to my apartment and threatened me. Said I wasn’t going to screw up his TV deal and his shot at being a millionaire. He didn’t grasp that the show was going to make him look bad, like a redneck in the swamp.”
“Gene was short on the nuance gene,” I muttered.
“I still have a bruise to show for it. This is after three weeks, so you can imagine what it looked like when it was still fresh.” He lowered his shades and pointed to his left eye, which did seem a sickly shade of yellow.
“Ouch, that’s rough, dude.” Jack was doing a great job at being chummy with this guy.
Diego sighed. “He actually destroyed one of my cameras and most of the footage I’d gotten. I’d transferred several minutes onto my computer though.”
I leaned forward. “Did you report that assault and property destruction to the police?”
Diego shook his head. “Local cops usually aren’t sympathetic to our cause.”
“Understandable,” Jack chimed in.
“So there’s no record of the assault. Hmm. Who do you think killed Gene?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Could be anybody. Anybody but me. Everyone hated the guy.”
“Where were you the day he died?”
“Here, mostly. I went downstairs to eat at around two.”
He’d been at the restaurant about an hour after Vera and me. “Downstairs? You’re a vegan. They serve grilled cheese.”
“Their tomato soup is vegan, and they have a vegan grilled cheese on the menu.”
As I pondered the sad reality of vegan cheese, Jack slipped into the conversation.
“Dude, we’re really just trying to clear her sister’s name. Give us some clues to look into. Did Gene mention anything while you two were out? Where did you go? Do us a solid.”
“We were on a gator call. Went out in his boat once. Gene mostly talked about selling gators for their hides. And women. He was a total pig when it came to women.”
I visibly winced, thinking of the time he’d grabbed Vera’s ass at the roller rink when we were in high school. He’d done it in front of a whole crowd of kids, and I’d been pissed. Something like that could’ve tanked Vera’s reputation and mental health, so I’d taken revenge.
“Maybe his wife could’ve killed him?” I mused aloud.
“Possibly. She’s kind of a piece of work herself. Looks like she should be in LA or Miami, not Wahoo Bumpkinville, Florida.”
“Hey,” I said sharply. “Wahoo’s a nice place.”
“It’s not bad. Better now that Gene’s gone.”
The hair on the back of my arms prickled. This guy really hated Gene. Couldn’t blame him, really, but it was stark hearing that sentiment aloud.
“Did you meet his wife?” Jack asked.
“Nope. Saw her from afar. She looks like a Barbie, let’s put it that way.”
I scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She’s blonde and curvy. That’s all.”
Jack and I nodded, although I wasn’t ready to condemn her just because she looked a certain way. “Any other women who would’ve wanted him dead?”
Diego snorted. “Any women who ever met him, probably. Ah, wait. You should check out the Shady Lady bar. He said he had the hots for a bartender there. He hung out there on Fridays and Saturdays. He encouraged me to join him one night, but I didn’t.”