Always Kiss the Corpse by Sandy Frances Duncan

up to a muddy construction site. In the middle sat an L shape of two-storey condos, framed, undersided with pressboard, empty window holes. Kyra parked near a collection of trucks and vans. Noel made his way across a planked walkway over the mud and stuck his head in the nearest door. “Rudy Longelli work here?”
    A man in a hard hat and coveralls slipped between two wall frames. “Who wants him?”
    Noel handed him a card. “May we take a minute of his time?”
    â€œFar’s I’m concerned you can, he’s on lunch break.” The guy, maybe the foreman, handed Noel back his card.
    Kyra looked around. “Where’d he be eating?”
    â€œProbably Aztec Tacos. Down in the Mall.”
    â€œHow do we recognize him?”
    The man shrugged and started to turn. “Skinny. Wearing a blue and black flannel shirt, Mariner’s hat.”
    â€œThanks.”
    Back in the car, Kyra wheeled out. “Remember a mall?”
    â€œNo. But even island towns have malls. Full of Ye Olde Shoppes.”
    â€œSo if he’s eating we can multi-task too.”
    They spied a twenty-store mall on the right complete with Aztec Tacos. Inside the café’s turquoise plastic decor a couple of dozen people munched and slurped. Noel spotted a blue and black flannel shirt. “Rudy Longelli?”
    The man looked up. “Yeah?”
    â€œWe’d like to talk about Sandro Vasiliadis.” Rudy’s hands were full of burrito. Noel put a Triple I card on the table. Kyra explained, hired by Sandro’s mother, and so on.
    â€œYeah, I was there. Sad thing. He was a good guy.” Rudy took a bite.
    They slid into the other side of the booth. Kyra saw from a wall board that Aztec Tacos offered chimichangas. Her order was ready.
    â€œWe bowled together,” Rudy mumbled, still eating. He was extremely thin, Noel noted—asset for a plumber, crawling under floors? “For Krawcyk and Sons Garage. Him and me, we were the best of the team.” He waved his burrito in his left hand. “Lefties.”
    Lefties. Kyra smiled. “An advantage in baseball but I didn’t know about bowling.”
    â€œYeah. Sandro was maybe even better than me.” He slurped something dark up a straw. “He played badminton too.”
    â€œWe’ve heard he didn’t play sports growing up.”
    â€œDunno about before. Just those two now.”
    â€œWas he seeing someone? Living with someone?”
    â€œNot that I know of.” Rudy started on the second burrito.
    A cautious friend, Kyra decided. A server arrived. Kyra ordered a chimichanga and Noel two soft chicken tacos.
    â€œDid he have many friends? A partner?”
    â€œNo partner, no.” Rudy mumbled, mouth full. He swallowed, then said, “He used to be married. Has a kid, she’s about ten or eleven. Used to bring her bowling sometimes, nice kid. Come to think, I haven’t seen her for a while.” He ate more burrito. “But usually we just bowled and had a beer after. Never took him home to meet the wife.” He sighed. “Too bad now. The wife said I shoulda, our kids might’ve got along with his.”
    â€œHe seem depressed recently?”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œAnything different that you noticed about him?”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œWell, his face, say.”
    Rudy munched and thought. “When I first met him he had a beard. When he shaved it off he still looked like he needed a shave. But recently he didn’t. I was kinda wondering if he had that new laser treatment. I coulda asked but figured it was none of my business.”
    â€œDid you see him in the coffin?”
    â€œQuickly.”
    â€œYou’re sure it was Sandro?”
    â€œYep.”
    â€œWhat about friends?”
    â€œYeah, I guess. I saw him with a green-haired girl a couple of times, maybe she was his girlfriend, he just grinned when I asked him.”
    â€œAny