even reloaded. Bullet marks were everywhere. Glass shattered on the refrigerated unit in back. The type of weapon used, a Tec-9 or a Mac-10, wasnât exactly the kind of pinpoint weapon one might choose if they were trying to target someone.
âNo.â Hauck shook his head. âJust the wrong place at the wrong time, Freddy.â
Still, a federal prosecutor gunned down this way would bring a lot of attention to this. Every media outlet across the country would be on their backs. Not to mention the Feds. Theyâd have to take a look at everything. What Sanger was doing here. Any personal vendettas against him. What cases he was working on.
âYou know what this means, LT?â Munoz said, standing up.
âYeah, I know what it meansâ¦â He slid out a small photo from David Sangerâs wallet. His wifeâpretty, blond, her hair in a ponytail. Smiling. Two kids. Just a few minutes ago that had been his world.
He handed Munoz back the wallet. âIt means you can forget about that angel, Freddy.â
The shells were nine-millimeter. Dozens were lodged all over the walls. Judging from what Hauck recalledâthe amount of bullets, casings, the fast reloadâthe gun was probably a Tec-9.
Not the kind of weapon one could expect to make a precision shot with.
A canvas of the witnesses mostly confirmed Hauckâs own recollection of events. No one had been able to get a clear description of the assailants. The truckâs windows were tinted. The shooter faced away from the crowd. Only Hauck had caught a glimpse. Everyone else had ducked or panicked as soon as the initial shots rang out. It had all happened so fast.
Except several people recalled the shooter shouting something prior to driving away.
The woman who had been in front of Hauck at the counter just before it happened said it sounded something like â Tarantino, assholeâ¦â
âLike the director?â Hauck asked.
âThatâs what she heard,â Steve Chrisafoulis said. âThe guy filling up his Prius on pump two heard it different. More like â Porsafina. ââ
âPorsafina? â
âJust telling you what they heard, LT.â
It was going to be difficult, if not impossible, Hauck realized, to get any agreement. The sudden shock and panic. Twenty people were going to have twenty different recollections of what had taken place.
Munoz turned to Hauck. âYou said the shooter was Hispanic, right?â
Ed Sweeney offered, âNo one seemed to get much of a view, Lieutenant.â
Hauck said, âI think so. Why?â
ââCause what if it was more like, For Sephina , maybe? Por Sephina ? That mean anything to you, LT?â
âNo.â If he had somehow been the target of this, he didnât see the connection.
He went back inside the store. Sunil still had a medical tech attending to him. âYou doinâ okay?â
The Pakistani had a cut on his arm from flying glass. He blew out his cheeks. âI suppose so, Lieutenant.â
âLemme ask you, Sunil, any reason someone would want to do something like this to you? Any enemies we should know about? Any money you owe out there?â
âEnemies?â The gas station manager rounded his eyes wide. âNo, Iâm a good guy, Lieutenant. I donât have enemiesâ¦â
âPeople heard the gunman shouting something like âTarantinoâ as they pulled away.â
Sunil furrowed his brow. âYou mean like that Hollywood guy, Lieutenant?â
âI donât know what I mean, Sunil. âTarantino.â Or maybe â Por Sephina .â Spanish. Anything like what Iâm saying meaning anything to you, Sunil?â
The Pakistani looked perplexed. He dabbed a hand through his thinning dark hair. âYou know me, Lieutenant. I donât make problems for anyone.â
He wasnât lying. Hauck patted him on the shoulder. âI know. You get that nick