Chapter 7
JD and I parked in the lot and hustled through the mall to the chaos.
It was a horrific scene.
Deputies kept onlookers at bay. The crowd gawked, took pictures and video, and posted to social media.
It was something out of a surrealist painting.
Dietrich snapped photos, and forensic investigators chronicled the scene.
JD’s face twisted at the gruesome sight. “Who the hell does something like this?”
“I guess that’s what we’re going to find out.”
We found the sheriff.
Jack said, “What the hell happened?”
“Somebody shot the Easter Bunny,” Daniels replied with a scowl.
A guy in a furry rabbit suit lay on the ground in front of a photo backdrop. Crimson soaked through the costume and pooled around the body.
A distraught man stood nearby, surveying the grim tragedy.
A number of mall cops gathered around, helping deputies keep the crowd in line.
"Looks like we've got security cameras and plenty of witnesses," the sheriff said. "From what I hear, the assailant walked right up to the bunny and put two shots into him at point-blank range.”
The victim was just a kid. Maybe 20 years old. Somebody had already pulled off the furry bunny mask. He had brown hair, a square jaw, and a clean-cut look. His lifeless brown eyes stared at the ceiling.
The sheriff pointed to the distraught man standing nearby. "He's the bunny’s manager and uncle. Might want to talk to him. The kid’s name is Cody Griggs."
I grimaced.
JD and I stepped up to the distraught man and made introductions.
We shook hands, and he told us his name was Nate Griggs.
He was a middle-aged guy with graying hair, a round face, and square glasses that framed his narrow brown eyes.
He carried a little more weight than he would have liked and was certainly no stranger to pizza and beer, by the looks of his belly.
Nate removed his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said.
Nate nodded and frowned.
"Did you witness the shooting?"
He nodded again.
"Tell me exactly what happened. Start at the beginning. Don't leave out any details."
He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself.
"I don't know. It's all a blur. It happened so fast. This guy just walked up, detonated a smoke grenade, then pointed a gun at Cody. He fired two shots into his chest,” he said, barely able to eke out the last few words as his throat tightened. He broke down in sobs.
We gave him time to recover.
Nate pulled himself back together, wiped his eyes again, and said, "I'm sorry. It's just all so hard to process right now."
"No need to apologize. I know this is difficult. Take as much time as you need.”
He gave a nod of appreciation, took another deep breath, then said, "The shooter was looking for something. He searched the body, then he disappeared into the smoke and haze."
I lifted a curious brow. “Do you know what he was looking for?”
Nate shook his head. Through jerking sobs, he said, “I tried to stop the bleeding, but there was so much blood.”
He lost it again.
It was heartbreaking to watch someone in so much pain.
"Can you think of anybody who wanted to harm Cody?”
Nate frowned and shook his head. "He was a really great kid. Everybody loved him.”
"Was he in any kind of trouble?”
"Not that I know of.”
"Drugs, gambling, anything like that?”
"No. I don't think so. I'm telling you, Cody was pretty strait-laced. I mean, he'd have a beer or two here and there, like anybody else. He was studying at the community college, majoring in graphic design. He had big plans. I figured the kid was going to go places. So talented.”
"What about a girlfriend?”
“I don't know. I can't really keep up with his love life. He was a good-looking kid. He did well with the ladies. Always had a girlfriend around or two.”
I shared a look with JD.
"You think he may have been having an affair with someone? Maybe a jealous boyfriend or husband decided to take matters into their own hands.”
Nate shook his head. "No. I don't think Cody was the sort.” Nate paused and tried to hold it all together. “My sister is going to hate me. This is all my fault."
"How so?” I asked.
"I asked Cody to fill in for Dustin. Cody should never have been here today.” The tears spilled over, and his chest jerked in rhythmic sobs.
"Who’s Dustin?”
"He's the guy I initially hired for the job.”
"Where is he today?"
Nate exhaled a frustrated breath. "I had to let him go.”
"Why?"
"I should have done my due diligence before I hired him,” he said with a disturbed frown. “But he seemed like a decent guy. I didn't have any reason to suspect he'd be a problem." He shook his head. "Man, you never really know about people."
"What was the issue?”