Tussinland by Mike Monson Read Free Book Online Page A

got his laptop from his room. Checked his email. Nothing but spam. On The Modesto Bee site, the headline read “Modesto Man and Women Found Dead in Man’s East Modesto House” over a large picture of Tina. Under the picture: “Modesto natives Tina Dunn and Mark Pisko were found early Monday morning by Pisko’s business partner Jorge Rincon. Police said the two were killed by shotgun blasts to their chests.”
    He recognized the photo of Tina. It was one of her Facebook profile pictures. She’d had it done professionally back when they were still married. A beautiful shot from the waist up of her looking directly at the camera. She wore a low-cut white lacy blouse and her brown hair was long and straight, with newly cut bangs. It was just after her double mastectomy followed by two saline breast implants. She did the shoot to show the world that she was still a beauty.
    Paul clicked on the headline to read the story:
     
    Former Downey High School and Fresno State University star defense back Mark Pisko, 43, was found dead at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning in his Modesto home on 1321 Del Monte Avenue. With him was his companion, Tina Dunn, 39. According to Modesto Police Department Homicide Detective Anthony Fagan, both Pisko and Dunn were each killed by a double shotgun blast to their midsections.
     
    The bodies were found by Jorge Rincon, Pisko’s business partner in their used car lot on Crow’s Landing Road in West Modesto.
     
    Fagan estimated that the pair had been dead since early Monday evening. “At this point we have no clues and no real leads regarding these murders,” Fagan said.
     
    The 48-year-old Rincon is also a former local star athlete in both football and baseball at Downey High School and at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He and Pisko opened P&R Select Vehicles in 1998.
     
    Rincon said that both Mark Pisko and Tina Dunn were estranged from their current spouses and had recently begun a romantic relationship. He refused to talk further about the incident or the dead couple except to add, “I have a pretty good idea of who did this terrible thing, and I will do everything in my power to assist the police in bringing him to justice.”
     
    Shit. Rincon’s quote gave Paul chills along his arms and shoulders and to the top of his scalp. So what if Fagan had lost interest in him as a suspect—he still had that thug to scare the shit out of him. This fear, blended with the DM still coursing through his veins, caused the room around him to look sinister and dark, just like the night before. Felt like Rincon was lurking in the shadows in the house or outside in the bushes, ready to pounce on him, take him off to some hideaway, torture him for days. For all he knew, Rincon could’ve done the killing, maybe because of some business dispute, and would like nothing better than to put the blame on Paul.
    The article was clearly written early in the morning, probably before Fagan questioned Paul. He was certain Rincon told Fagan about his threats, though Fagan acted all vague about the guy (such a liar). He was glad his name wasn’t mentioned, but he knew that throughout the day, and maybe over the next several weeks or months, The Bee would find out more about the story.
    He heard Miranda and Mavis talking outside. They should at least try to act sad. He imagined the sound of the ice cubes tinkling in Mavis’ drink.
    Paul wanted a drink too. A stiff vodka would be just the thing right now. Put a warm soft light and feeling over all his dark visions and anxiety. It’d be so easy, too. Just go into the kitchen and grab one of Mavis’ many bottles of Smirnoff and take a couple of nice long swigs. Boom. Instant cure for all of his ailments.
    But no. Unfortunately (or fortunately, he didn’t know for sure) for him, that’s not what would happen. In real life. What would happen was that as soon as he took the first swallow he’d be gone and free floating into a rapid river of alcohol and drunkenness