Diane Rucho.

21

On their way to Tassia, Preston Arina pondered over something

"Do you ever think that Diane Rucho was not the type of person that everyone thought she was?"

Michael was focused on driving and only hit the brakes when pedestrians crossed the three-lane Mombasa Road. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Well, everyone is adamant about saying how sweet she was and how she had no flaws, except for the lady at Arttcafe," Preston explained.

"She didn't particularly say Diane Rucho was a bad person," Michael argued.

"But she did imply that Diane was not an honest person. Think about it, who would fake sickness just to get a gig at another restaurant?" Preston questioned.

"You heard that the pay at Amara Restaurant was good. Maybe she needed the money," Michael suggested.

Preston replied, "For what exactly? She lived in a one-bedroom house, didn't have a family, and didn't have any responsibilities."

"Preston, people need money for various reasons, not just for family responsibilities," Michael said.

"Well, whatever her motivation was for working at Amara Restaurant, I think we need to be open-minded to the fact that Diane may not have been an angel," Preston said.

Michael asked, "Do you want me to look into her past to learn more about her?"

"No, you work on locating Gary Wako. I'll do that," Preston replied.

"Do you suspect that Gary Wako may have been one of the guests that Diane attended to at the restaurant?" Preston asked.

"From the very moment Mrs Emma mentioned special guests, I knew Gary Wako must have been there. He was a manager back then, and Dillers Co Ltd, still being the company that it is today, Gary must have been treated with high regard, enough to be placed at the special tables. Maybe the story about him finding Diane along the roadside may be valid," Michael said.

"I don't know. Something about it doesn't sit right. It seems too coincidental," Preston added.

Michael turned onto Tassia Road after leaving Mombasa Road. They soon passed the Artcafe where Diane worked. Gerald Rucho had informed them that Big Ted worked at a Garage Auto Spares outlet a few miles from the café. However, there were multiple Garage Auto spare outlets along the road, making it difficult to locate the right one.

As Michael pulled the truck to the curb, he remarked, "I should have known this wouldn't be easy."

The smell of diesel and gasoline in the air was overwhelming, and Preston's nose began to hurt. "When has anything ever been easy? I pity the people who live in this area. The air quality is shitty."

At the first outlet they visited, they were told that nobody by the name of Big Ted had worked there ten years ago.

In the second outlet, a short, balding man claimed he had heard of someone named Ted, but didn't know anyone by the name of Big Ted. He then laughed and said, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My ten-year-old nephew is named Ted," revealing his brown, chipped teeth.

Michael resisted the urge to swing his palm onto the man's face.

The third outlet they came across, was smaller in size and had only a few products on its shelves. The name Baraka Spares was written on its chipped metallic awning, swinging as drafts of wind blew at it. A man in a black cap was behind the grilled counter, staring down at a magazine. When Preston cleared his throat, the man raised his eyes and met theirs. He had sharp, large eyes, hollow cheekbones, a long face with acne breakouts, was tall at around 6'7, and had broad shoulders. Bulging arms drew out from the dirty blue overall he was dressed in, which made Michael figure that the man worked out. He placed him at around thirty-five.