Inconstant Moon - Default Font Edition (26 page)

“Are you going to be able to get over it?”

“Well,” Boris smiles a little, “Maybe.”

Natasha studies him, mouth twitching just a tad. “What aren't you telling me Bo?”

“I guess I can tell you, it won't hurt your feelings.”

“Yes Bo. But tell me quick because the pain meds are about to put me out here.” Natasha gestures with her wrist, showing him the attached I.V.

“I was really mad, so I just went back to the Res and Elsie fixed me up.”

“I guess she could at that.” Natasha smiles drowsily.

“No, you goof, with ice.” Natasha raises her eyebrows questioningly. “Okay, I wasn't happy because Elsie just wouldn't play doctor with me even when I practically begged her.”

“Oh poor Bo.”

“I was seriously ragged so I had to go out and get pissed.”

“I know how that goes. Did it help?”

“Funny thing, the beer didn't help much at all, really. But I have to tell you, the getting laid part really helped a lot.”

“That's good, you tell me all the details.” Natasha smiles and yawns. “Hard to believe you could get laid with a double shiner like that, but that's good Bo, tell me.”

“It was,” Boris smiles, remembering, “It was like something out of a movie. Out of one of Amelia's film noir movies.”

Natasha smiles. “Sounds great, and I wanna hear everything but . . . when I'm 'wake . . . You'll have to . . . to . . . tell me all 'bout it . . .” And she's asleep.

Oddly, while watching Natasha sleep, Boris feels an overwhelming feeling of love for his friend, but without the slightest trace of lust. Any physical attraction he thought he had is gone. He leans down and gives her a light kiss on the forehead.

Looking down at her battered face he whispers, “I'm so glad you're gonna be okay, Nat.”

The detectives have been interviewing students living in residence with Natasha. Or in classes with her. Or both. “Think that bike lead will go anywhere?” Wolfrom asks.

“I hope so. There were bunch of off trail bike tracks, but the tech said they were probably pretty old. They took casts, and they'll need to check tread patterns before they'll give an opinion.”

“Old tracks, old butts, all we can do is keep talking to people. What about the boyfriend?”

“Even if it's always the boyfriend, wouldn't he have to be a real bonehead to do something like that after she knocked him down in front of the whole school.”

“What, perps aren't boneheads?”

“I know, I know. You're right. We gotta talk to him.”

“I'm willing to take some of these accounts with a grain of salt. To hear the stories the whole school was there to see it. Probably half of them are telling what they heard, or what their friends who were there texted them. It comes to court, Wolfie, we're gonna have to be damn sure that only actual witnesses make it to the stand.”

“Why would they say they were there if they weren't?”

“It was the social event of the season. Being there confers instant status. Didn't you ever want to be a Big Man on Campus?”

“Naw. I spent my life working on being invisible. Much safer that way.” Lewis laughs. “The lab says the Rape Kit produced viable DNA. So when we get the guy we'll be able to make it stick.” “Okay bring in the next customer.”

Wolfrom goes to the door, opens it and surveys the group of male students seated in the waiting area. He beckons to Adam, who enters the small room nervously. Adam seems to relax as Wolfrom asks him all the easy questions, name, classes, course load, and everything is fine. Until it changes when Lewis asks, “How well do you know Natasha Panov?” “I don't know her, really. I mean, I know her to see because I know several people who live in her residence. I've got classes with Maggie and Oscar and we are in a computer club together.”

Adam looks at the detective, busy making notes. “I don't think I've ever really spoken to her. I see her taking pictures with that weight lifter, Boris.”

Lewis nods, and Adam sees that the other detective is writing down everything he says.

“I know Jake as well. He's a photography student but he is also in the computer club.”

“So what were you doing yesterday afternoon?”

“I . . . but . . . afternoon? I thought you would want to know about last night?”

“Just answer the question please Adam.” she says.

“I was, I uh, I cut classes, and I went to the mall.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Uh, I don't know, I just didn't feel like going.”

“Hmmm.” says Lewis, She flips back a few pages in her notebook, reading tiny cramped notes. then she looks up at him.

“But you don't cut classes, do you, Adam.”

“Uh, how?” looking at the notebook in horror, “Has someone been talking about me?”

“That's confidential information, Adam.” she shakes her head, studying him seriously.

“You can tell me, Adam, why did you really cut class yesterday afternoon?”

“Uh, I just did. It had nothing to do with that girl. I just went to the mall. Walked around a while. That's all. Then I got something to eat and came back to campus for the computer club meeting at Kate's house last night.”

Leaning across the table toward Adam, Lewis says softly “I mean you had a perfect record up to yesterday. You
never
cut classes, Adam.” Lewis frowns at him “Why did you pick yesterday to cut?”

“I just . . . I just did, that's all.” He reaches into his interior jacket pocket and pulls out a wallet, and opens the billfold, rifling through receipts. He tosses one on the table in front of Lewis.

“There. You see, I was at Pad Thai Palace. That proves I was at the mall.”

“Maybe. If the clerk remembers you.”

From behind Adam, Wolfrom asks quietly. “Did you see Boris kiss Natasha at lunch? Or how about when she hit him, Adam. Which part got you all excited?”

Swivelling around Adam says, “Yes. No. I mean I saw her hit him but no it didn't . . . I mean I don't care about that girl. I don't know her. She's not even attractive. She's short. She's got red hair. Why would I? I could never get excited about someone like that.” Face flushed with fury, Adam stands up and glares at Wolfrom. “Just leave me alone!”

Lewis says quietly, “Adam, sit down. You do not have an alibi. Even if the clerk remembers you, it does not cover you, do you understand that?”

Adam looks down at her, frowning. She gestures for him to sit back down, and he does. “Look, we need to know where people were to eliminate them. Did you see anyone you know at the mall?”

Adam shakes his head “no”.

Wolfrom asks, “Did you buy anything else?”

“No,” Adam says in a small voice.

“Why did you cut classes, Adam?”

He sighs deeply, staring intently at the plastic wood grain tabletop, “I was upset about a girl . . . a different girl. A beautiful one.” Following the pattern of the plastic wood grain with his eyes. Mesmerizing. “I just had to go away. I was in the Sony store in the mall almost the whole time. I didn't buy anything.”

“So they might remember you.”

Adam shakes his head sadly. “People don't.”

Lewis and Wolfrom exchange glances.

“Can I go?”

Lewis nods, “Yes, we're done here, for now, Adam.”

Adam gets up and pushes his way out the door before they can change their minds.

Wolfrom shakes his head in admiration. “That was good, that notebook thing. How did you know?”

“You saw the guy's tie. Any tighter he couldn't breathe. Guys like that don't cut class just 'because'. There's always a reason.”

“So there's a girl. Maybe our girl stumbled across his path when he was messed up over his girl.”

“Could be. Just he seemed genuinely surprised we were looking at the afternoon, He thought he needed a night time alibi. That makes me doubt right there.”

“Except you know he's smart. These kids are like rocket scientists, you know? Would it be so hard to play us?”

“Asshole.” She shakes her head, “Get the next one in.”

Jose slumps into the plastic interview chair, lacing his fingers together on top of his head, knees spread, legs crossed at the ankles, he gives Lewis a big shit eating grin.

She finds herself smiling back.

“So, Jose. Or is it Joe?”

“I'll answer to either. I'm easy, just not cheap.” Jose grins, as if it wasn't a joke older than he is.

Keeping it neutral, Lewis asks, “What do you prefer?”

“My name is Jose, but you can call me whatever you want, whenever you wanna call me.”

Wolfrom rolls his eyes from his position leaning against the door. He crosses his arms because he's feeling an impulse. A strong impulse. To slap the guy. He can't remember the last time he wanted to hit a citizen this bad. This kid is downright disrespectful. You can smell the cannabis seeping out of his pores and polluting the air.

“Alright, Jose. How well do you know Natasha?”

“Okay, I guess. Not real well.” Jose takes his hands down and rests them on the table.

Jose says, “We're both in Fyfield House but I'm an English major, she's in Photography. There isn't much crossover. I mean we say 'hey' but Boris and Natasha are the real deal, you know, like this.” He crosses his fingers. “They mostly stuck to themselves. Never see one without the other, you know.”

“So where were you yesterday afternoon then, Jose.”

“I wasn't feeling very good. My stomach was a little off, tell you the truth, I think it was the crap lunch from the caf, you know, fish surprise. I felt pretty raunchy so I went back to the Res to take it easy.”

“Did you see anyone there?”

“Naw. Seemed like everybody else was in class, so I just went to my room.”

“Do you have a room mate?”

Grinning suggestively, Jose says, “I sleep alone, Officer.” Wolfrom wants to hit the little creep even more for hitting on Lewis. She's a nice looking lady, but she's old enough to be the little shit's mother, ferchrissake. That's bad enough. What's worse is that Lewis is eating it up.

Smiling back, Lewis says, “All I'm interested in is what you were doing yesterday, Jose.”

Jose shrugs, “Well, since I was feeling like sh . . . uh, bad, I tried sleeping but I wasn't tired or anything, so I ended up going online most of the afternoon, catching up my Facebook. I hadn't been on in a while 'cause of school stuff, you know, so I was online most of the afternoon.”

“Jose, we might have to come back to you if things don't check out, but I think you're all right for now.”

“Okay, cool. That's it then?”

Lewis nods and watches him gather himself and shoot her a smile on the way out. Wolfrom closes the door on him and turns back to the partner.

“I can't believe what I just saw!”

Lewis frowns at him, “What?”

“You were practically drooling, I couldn't believe it.”

“Oh hey, get off it, he's a hunk, that's all. He was flirting, and his pheromones were definitely speaking to me, I'll tell you that. But he's a kid, Wolfie. Oozing sex maybe, but just a kid.”

“The guy reeked of pot, doesn't that tell you something?”

“Yeah, it probably means he was scared to death so he smokes a joint to get the nerve to come talk to the scary cops.”

“I dunno, he didn't look nervous.”

“Isn't that the idea? Just give it a rest Wolfie. If you're worried don't be. I'm a big girl. I can look without touching. But even if I was into cradle robbing, which I am not, it damn sure wouldn't be with any subject under investigation.”

“Good. Had me worried.”

Sitting side by side going through the images that have been submitted for the Christmas slide show, glancing over, Ethan is a little surprised at how fast Liz is whizzing through the images.

“Uh, Liz. Aren't you picking any?”

“No. They're all mostly crap.”

“But we know that going in. There's probably only gonna be a couple of photographs. We're not looking for photographs, here, we're picking snapshots, babe, not art.”

Liz frowns. “How do you mean?”

“This is more like a yearbook kind of thing, you know, candids of the student body, dances, pubs, fooling around, like that. Most of the pictures are going to be taken by people who can barely turn on a camera. Doesn't matter. We'll run 'em fast to some snappy music from Jamendo and it'll be a slide show.”

“Oh.” Liz mouses over to the recycle bin and chooses 'select all'to restore hundreds of deleted images.

Ethan is aghast. “You've been deleting stuff?”

“Yeah, I thought, I mean they're just digital copies.”

“Doesn't mean that everyone who submitted doesn't get a credit. Some people will want their pictures back. Mol suggested we put everything online forever. I don't know if that'll fly, but we don't toss anything no matter how bad.”

“Then how do we make selections?”

“Put all the good stuff—” he notes her grimace and grins before continuing, “okay, the better stuff, in a first cut folder.”

Liz covers her face with her hands. “Sorry sorry sorry.”

“Look, it's okay, this is a bad time.” Ethan swivels over and reaches out, enfolding Liz in his arms. “Maybe it'd be an idea to go back to the Res and get some sleep.”

She looks up and says, “I can't. I close my eyes and I see Natasha laying there all covered in blood like she was. I can't get it out of my mind.”

“Then why don't we head over to the hospital and see how she's doing?” asks Ethan.

“You live in Fyfield House with Natasha Panov?

Though she's paying more attention to her notebook than to him, Oscar smiles at the woman detective.

“Yes, although the ladies sleep on the floor above, the lads sleep downstairs.”

Now she looks up to ask, “Is that a problem?”

Oscar laughs nervously. He doesn't dare tell her the joke that's popped into his head, not to the filth. For a man who's never at a loss for something to say, he is now. What's she written in that book of hers already? It would make anyone nervous. The not knowing. God.

“No. It's fine. Most everyone contrives to be out most of the time.” She writes it down, but doesn't say anything, pensively reading over what's already written. What if they find him out?