Glocks a few weeks back.” Sweat trickled down his chest and arms. “That busybody has to know everyone’s business.”
No kidding. “Who were you talking to at work?”
“Joel and Savio. We go huntin’ now and then.”
Both of them were sixty-something mechanics on the verge of retiring. As far as Casey knew, they were devoted family men. “So you didn’t talk to Roberto de Luca?”
He scowled. “No.”
An ugly thought occurred to her. What if Wesley was guilty? What if he’d resented Jasmine for dating other men and had concocted this story to divert suspicion? A wrestler crashed to the ground. “Wes, do you have issues with Roberto?” She watched his brows form a long, damp line. “I saw the way you looked at him at Marie’s place, so what’s up?”
“I heard the asshole lied about his alibi, and you should know that Jasmine was way more serious about him than he was about her.”
A wrestler somersaulted over the ropes and hit the mat hard. Casey’s goose egg throbbed. “How serious?”
“She loved the douche bag.” Wesley’s overheated face darkened. “Hung out with me to make de Luca jealous ’cause she knew he don’t like me.”
“Were you okay with this?”
“She was straight up about it. I respected that.”
The guy with the braids swaggered past Casey again, but she didn’t make eye contact.
“Every time de Luca asked her out she got her hopes up,” he went on. “The jerk knew it and did it anyway.” Wesley spat on the floor.
Oh, gross. “You should be telling the police this, not me.”
“I did. They don’t give a crap.” Wesley peered at her with an unsettling intensity. “But you do or you wouldn’t be helping Crenshaw.”
“I told you last night, I’m out of it now.”
And was he telling the truth? Wesley claimed he was here the morning Jasmine was shot. Maybe he was. This bunch didn’t look like they’d go out of their way to lie for him. On the other hand, they wouldn’t want bad publicity for their gym either. Clearly, Wesley had cared for Jasmine, maybe even loved her. If she’d rejected him, would he have gone over the edge? Casey shifted a little farther from the guy.
“I keep hearing that you’re good at finding out stuff,” he said. “Don’t you want to know the truth?”
“Yes, but—”
“The cops asked if I hung out with Noel or knew where he lived. I think they’re starting to wonder if he and I were in on it.” Wesley wiped his face. “De Luca could have framed us. He knows where we live; knew Jasmine’s routine too.”
“I don’t see why Roberto would kill her. The guy never had problems breaking up with women, and why would he wipe your prints off the gun?”
“He probably wasn’t wearing gloves.” Wesley glanced at the action in the ring. “What if de Luca dumped her, so she threatened to cry rape or something?”
“Would Jasmine stoop that low?”
Wesley shrugged. “Chicks in love.” He shook his head. “They get screwed up.”
True. Casey thought of what Rhonda had done for love, and for love gone wrong.
“All she’d have to do is accuse him. Eisler hates de Luca so he’d fire his ass,” Wesley stated.
“Did you know that Eisler was interested in Jasmine?”
“Hell, yeah. Jasmine told me the freak had been phoning her. Maybe the cops should ask that candy-ass shithead where he was when she was shot.”
“They probably have.” Wesley seemed eager to point the finger everywhere but at himself.
“You could find out where he and de Luca were that morning.”
“I’m sorry, Wes, but no. When you called last night, I didn’t get the chance to tell you about the phone threat.”
When she finished filling him in, Wesley draped the towel over his shoulders. “What’ll you do about your girl?”
“I’m arranging for protection.” She’d told Summer there’d been a threat to hurt her, not to kill her. Although Summer had tried to act cool, Casey could tell that the news shook her up.
“She’s got no dad?”
“No.” Wesley didn’t need to know the sordid cliche about the drug-addicted mother whose father could have been one of several johns.
“If she needs protection, a couple guys here have done bodyguard work and wouldn’t mind the extra bucks.”
Did he actually care about Summer’s safety, or was this just an act? “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” She watched one wrestler pin another down, prompting more shouts and obscenities.
“Jasmine had a real mom who’s been sick, and a half sister, Gabrielle, who showed up at her place two days before she was shot,” Wesley remarked.
Casey turned and saw sweat fall from the tip of his nose. “Jasmine told you that?”
“Yep, she came over Sunday night with her boy.” He wiped the back of his neck. “The half sister told her to stay away from the family. So, if the sister stayed in town and followed Jasmine around, she would have seen her friends and known where some of us live.”
“How would Gabrielle know about the guns in your closet? Did you show them to Jasmine that night?”
“Why would I? Someone at work could have tipped off the broad.”
Unlikely. Two more guys strutted past Casey. She kept her focus on Wesley. “Did you notice a change in Jasmine’s mood that night?”
“She was griping about family shit and how her apartment sucked.”
“Really? I thought Jasmine had it made there. She could keep as many pets as she wanted and had a babysitter close by.”
“She wanted to be near her mom.”
“Gabrielle wouldn’t have liked that.”
“Jasmine wouldn’t give a crap.”
“True.”
The combatants in the ring threw themselves at each other with a ferocity that made Casey cringe.
“What if Noel really can walk?” Wesley asked. “What if he could reach the top shelf in my closet?”
“I’ve wondered about that as well.” Casey slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “Noel and Jasmine were just friends, though, weren’t they? Like you and Jasmine.”
“No, not like me and Jasmine,” he shot back. “Noel asked her to marry him. She showed me the ring Sunday night. Wanted to know what I thought.”
Whoa. Neither Noel nor Marie had thought to mention this. “What did you think?”
“That it was a bad idea. She didn’t love him. She planned to give it back.”
Noel had told Casey he and Jasmine argued Monday night. What else had the guy kept from her? “Why did Jasmine even take the ring?”
“She said she’d been too shocked to say anything.” He rubbed his hair. “I think she wanted to use it to make de Luca jealous.”
“Did she show Roberto the ring?”
“Don’t know, ask him.”
Two spectators began yelling and shoving each other. A third man tried to break them up. Casey moved to the door.
“Could you still help?” Wesley followed her. “I wouldn’t blab it around like that mouthpiece you work with.”
No, she couldn’t, but to tell him on his own turf without appearing to think it over wouldn’t be smart.
“I’ll let you know. Have you ever taken photographs of Jasmine?” She should probably let it go, but that picture of a sleeping Jasmine still bothered her.
