Page 29 of Go First

“I snapped.I grabbed him by the collar, shouted in his face, pushed him.I shouldn’t have.That’s on me.An off-duty traffic cop busted me for it on the spot.”

Marcus leaned back, chair creaking.“And yet, the Pastor dropped the charges.”

Hector’s mouth twisted.“It was a gift for him!That’s the only thing I regret, that I handed him that opportunity with a big pink bow on it.He got to stand outside the courthouse with the cameras rolling, said he forgave me, described me to the judge as a ‘fiery man who could put his passion to better uses.’Offered me a job.Ha!Like I’d ever work for that scumbag.It was all for publicity.Made him look all holy, generous.Made me look like some sinner saved by his grace.”

“You turned him down.”

“I don’t take handouts from liars and scumbags.”

Marcus tilted his head.“So you still hated him afterwards.”

“I didn’t hate him,” Hector shot back, voice rising before he caught himself.Passing by in the corridor outside, Winters looked in briefly, then moved on.Hector unclenched his fists, pressing them flat to the table.“I pitied the people who gave him their money.Whitfield sold them dreams while he filled his pockets.That man—” He stopped, shoulders rising and falling.“That man was poison.”

The room settled into quiet for a beat.The hum of the vent above them seemed louder.Kate studied his face—no flicker of shame, no evasive twitch.Just an old anger, still smouldering but honest.

“Now,” Kate said, keeping her tone neutral, “we need to go through your whereabouts on Thursday night into Friday morning.The window when Whitfield was killed.”

Hector shifted in his seat.His fingers tapped once against the table, a nervous staccato.“I was home.With my son.Matéo.”

“I thought he lived at his aunt’s,” Kate said, checking her notes.“With your wife.”

“Ex-wife.Yes.But me and him were talking.On video call.He wants to quit school.”

Kate was puzzled by this answer.Kids – peopleshethought of as kids – they might say they’d been ‘with’ someone or ‘met’ them, when they really meant online.But Martinez had to be in his early fifties, certainly no digital native.

“What time was this?”

“From about nine until gone eleven.Matéo says he can get plenty of work right now, shooting videos.So he doesn’t see the point of staying in school, or going to college, where he’s just going to rack up a huge debt.He just wants money now.He’d got it all worked out on a… thing.Spreadsheet.A whole plan.He could work this number of days with me on the truck.Cut back on this, sell that…”

Kate leaned forward.“What did you think about his plans?”

Hector rubbed his face, fingers scraping over two days’ worth of stubble.“I wouldloveto work with my boy on the truck.I would love to spend some of that time with him now, while he’s still young.But it’s not about me.And my fear is that he’s doing it for the wrong reasons.I mean… he’s doing the right thing, but for the wrong reasons.”

“What are they?”

“He broke up with his girl at the end of the summer.First, you know, proper thing. He took it hard.He’s a sensitive kid.I wouldn’t want him any other way, but it means… you know, life’s always that bit tougher for him.”

Kate nodded.“So it’s awkward for him now, seeing her every day at school.”

“Yep.And also… on the back of that, he’s got in some kinda beef with a couple of his crew that he’s known since first grade. It happens.You know… kids.”He shrugged.“But he’s making big decisions, permanent decisions on the back of these little things that don’t matter.I mean, they matter, tohim,now, I get that, I can remember it, being that age… but in a few months’ time, they won’t.”

Marcus jotted a note, brow furrowed.“Do you have records of that call with Matéo?”

“I think so.He could show you.But after eleven, eleven-fifteen, maybe…” Hector hesitated, gaze falling to the table.“I was alone.I went to bed.I’m normally in bed much earlier.Got to be for the market.”

Marcus’s pen tapped the table.“So no one can confirm that you stayed in all night.”

“No.”

Kate pressed.“And Friday morning?Where were you?”

Another pause.Hector’s shoulders slumped.“I didn’t get up for the market.So I couldn’t make any sales that day, from the bike or the truck.It has to be all fresh from the sea, every day.Fresh or nothing, man.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because Matéo and me, we didn’t end the call on such a good note, you know?And afterwards, I didn’t sleep enough.Later on, around noon, we met for lunch.Talk it through.”

“You skipped a workday,” Marcus said flatly.