Page 47 of Three Girls Gone (Detective Amanda Steele #14)

FORTY

Amanda rang the bell, and the door cracked open. A man with silver hair was standing there in a light sweater tee and pressed pants. “Travis Giles?” she asked, flashing her badge.

“Yeah. Come in.” Travis took them to a sitting room.

Once she and Trent were seated, she introduced them and said, “We understand you rent to Marshall Wilcox. What can you tell us about him?”

“The man not much, but he gave me a different name. Wilson Marsh, as I told the officer I spoke to on the tipline.”

If Travis had done his due diligence before renting his place, he would have checked references. “Did he sign a lease?” She could inundate him with questions, but she’d start there.

“He did, and I’ve already dug it out.” He grabbed paperwork from the end table and handed it over.

Amanda looked down at the page and noted it was signed on November thirtieth. “When did Mr.Wilcox reach out to you?”

“Last week of November. He said he got a new job and was eager to get situated. He paid for six months upfront. It’s why I overlooked due process.” Travis’s gaze dipped to the floor.

“How much money are we talking about?” Trent asked.

Travis told them, and the math told her Wilcox was left with a healthy amount of spending money.

She returned her attention to the lease agreement.

References were provided, and two of the numbers looked familiar.

“You said you overlooked due process. Did you call these people?” She pointed at the names on the page.

“No.”

“Would you mind if I took a photograph of this page?” she asked him.

“Not at all.” Travis sunk into the cushions.

She took a picture of the lease and handed the hard copy back to Travis. “How long was the rental for?”

“Just for the six months. Short-term wasn’t what I preferred, but it was my best offer, so I accepted. He didn’t seem to care it was furnished either, which is a no-go for some folks.”

She flipped the pages to the front where Wilcox had listed his address in New York City. He’d left his phone number blank. Amanda got up and handed him her card. “If Wilcox shows up or calls, you call me immediately.”

Travis nodded. “I will. What is he wanted for anyhow? The article just said he was a person of interest to the police.”

“Trust me. You’re better off not knowing.”

Travis paled. “I better contact a lawyer to get that guy out of the house. I don’t want to get caught up in this any more than I already am.”

“And you don’t need to.” As of now, Wilcox wasn’t his problem, he was hers.