Hangman. Faye Kellerman

time.” Another sip of coffee. “It’s not like it’s such a big deal. Jeez, they dilute the shit anyway. I’m mostly comping them water.”

      “You’re a good friend,” Marge said.

      Crystal’s eyes swelled with tears. “I wasn’t expecting her last night. She just popped in, but I shouldna been surprised. She does that a lot when Garth isn’t around.”

      “Does what?” Marge asked.

      Crystal appeared to be deep in thought. “When he’s gone, she gets lonely. She likes a little fix of company. She usually doesn’t come to Garage because it’s expensive—the bar is. But she knew I was working and she knew I’d give her a break.”

      “Do you know the guy she was flirting with?”

      “Don’t recall knowing him,” Crystal said. “He’s not a regular.”

      “Did you get a name?”

      She thought hard. “I mighta heard someone calling him Farley.”

      “Is that a first or last name?”

      She shrugged.

      “What does he look like?” Oliver asked.

      “I dunno. Medium height, medium weight…real big shoulders.”

      “Good-looking?” Marge asked.

      “Not too bad.”

      “Kind of a hunk?”

      “More like the Hulk…’cause of his shoulders.”

      Marge nodded. Sela Graydon said that Crystal had referred to him as a hunk. Maybe she misheard “hunk” for “Hulk.” Or maybe Crystal had reassessed in the light of day. “Were the two of them hitting it off?”

      Crystal took another sip of coffee. “Maybe he thought so. Adri-anna wasn’t serious about a hookup that night. She had to work.”