‘When you get home we can practice some of the scenes,’ he said, which made me laugh.
‘You try tearing my clothes, buddy, and I’ll max out the Visa!’ Changing the subject, I asked, ‘How are the girls?’
‘Bess and Alicia are trying their damnedest to keep Megan from telling anyone who’ll listen all about her brother the serial killer.’
‘That girl! Where’s your duct tape?’
‘Not a bad idea. At least it might work as a threat,’ he said.
‘Well, if you need any more torture techniques, just give me a call,’ I said.
He sighed. ‘Try to stay upbeat, honey. This too shall pass.’
‘I’ll try. And call often. It helps.’
‘I’ll do that,’ he said. We both said ‘I love you’ and that was the end of the conversation.
And I sat back on the bed, my legs outstretched, pillows propping me up against the headboard and stared at the door, waiting for Luna to show up.
‘Why didn’t Graham wake up?’ Luna asked me.
‘Because he sleeps like the dead— Sorry, bad choice of words.’
‘But his alarm wakes him, right?’
‘So? What are you getting at, Luna?’ I asked, my mama dander heating up.
‘It had to be noisy. You can’t stab someone repeatedly without a sound. You’d think the vic would scream, at least with the first thrust,’ she said. ‘And there had to be, well, you know, noise.’
‘What are you implying?’
Luna sighed. ‘I’m not implying shit, Pugh! I’m just stating a fact: Graham didn’t wake up. Why not?’
‘I don’t know!’ I shouted. ‘He’s a sound sleeper!’
‘Bullshit!’ she shouted back. ‘Nobody could sleep through what was happening in that room!’
‘You don’t know that! Are you accusing Graham—’
Luna sank down on her bed. ‘No, Pugh, I’m not accusing Graham of anything. It’s a legitimate question: why didn’t he wake up? And my thoughts tend to wander to questions like: did he eat or drink anything before he went to bed? Could someone have slipped him a mickey?’
‘No one does that anymore,’ I said. ‘It would have to have been one of those date-rape drugs.’
‘A mickey’s a mickey,’ she said. ‘Whatever is used. That’s not the point.’
I stood up and walked to the wall between my motel room and Graham’s and rapped sharply on it. ‘What?’ came my son’s disembodied voice.
‘Come here!’ I shouted through the wall.
‘Why?’ he shouted back.
‘Because I said so!’ Boy, I hadn’t used that line in a long time.
‘Whatever,’ was his reply, but it was barely audible.
Within a minute he was banging on the door. I opened it to let him in. ‘What?’ he said in a surly manner.
‘Watch your attitude!’ I said.
‘Why? You think somebody’s going to suspect me of murder because I have a lousy attitude?’
‘No, because you’re going to get through this, and when you come out the other side you don’t want me to snatch you bald-headed! That’s why!’
He flung himself down on my bed, his long body taking up most of it. I butt-scooched Luna over and sat next to her on her bed. ‘Did you eat or drink anything when you got to the dorm Sunday night?’ I asked.
‘What?’ he asked, anger and confusion warring on his features.
‘Did. You. Eat. Or. Drink—’
‘I heard you!’ he said. I swear I was going to do more than snatch him bald-headed when this was over. ‘Yeah, I went down to the cafeteria. Had some curly fries and a Coke. So sue me!’
‘Was the Coke a bottle or a can, or fountain?’ Luna asked.
‘Fountain,’ Graham said. ‘Why?’
‘Were the items ever out of your sight?’ she asked.
‘What? No! I mean—’ He thought for a moment, then said, ‘Well, yeah, I forgot to get a napkin and I left the fries and my Coke on the table when I went to get it.’
‘Was there anyone else in the cafeteria?’ Luna asked.
‘Yeah. Lots of people. The day before the new semester, it was crowded as hell.’
‘Anyone you knew?’ Luna asked.
Graham shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Probably. I’ve been in that dorm since freshman year so I know a lot of people there. But I don’t remember anyone specifically. What are you getting at? You think someone doctored my food?’
‘I’m just wondering how you could have slept through the commotion of Bishop being stabbed to death only a few feet away from you,’ Luna said.
Graham’s handsome face turned ugly. ‘You mean, if I didn’t do it, right?’
Luna reached out a hand and touched Graham’s outstretched leg. ‘Hon, I know you didn’t do it. I’m just trying to prove you didn’t do it. Did you feel groggy when you got up the next morning?’
He shrugged. ‘No groggier than usual, I think. I mean, I’m not exactly a morning person, and this was like six something and I just don’t do six anything.’
‘What time did you go to bed?’ I asked.
‘Early. Well, earlyish, for me anyway. I got stuck with that seven o’clock class so I went to bed around ten, ten-thirty. I was pretty sleepy anyway, what with driving—’
He stopped and looked from me to Luna and back again. ‘Yeah, I was really sleepy. Driving an hour doesn’t usually do that to me.’ He sat up. ‘You think that’s it? You think somebody dosed me? So I wouldn’t wake up while they were killing Bishop? Jesus!’ He hugged himself. ‘That really sucks!’
‘Better you slept through it,’ Luna said. ‘The alternative isn’t pretty.’
Graham and I made eye contact; I wasn’t sure about him but I was about to vomit.
Champion was glad to have gotten rid of Elena, if only for a little bit. She’d gone back to the motel room she shared with the kid’s mother and he was free to contact the administration office and find out who this Brittany person was who told Lexie Thurgood about Bishop Alexander putting down Bobby Dunston in front of Bobby’s parents. ‘Jeez, what a mouthful,’ he thought aloud. As a parent himself, he could only imagine what he’d do if some asshole kid said something nasty about his son or daughter in front of him. He did carry a gun.
The woman on the other end of the line in the admin office told him he’d have to come in and show his credentials before she could give out any information. And he’d better hurry since they closed at four. It was fifteen minutes to four when he left Luna behind.
He hustled over to the building that housed so much of the business of the university, a squat, square building that looked like it had been built back in the unimaginative sixties.
The woman he’d talked to on the phone said he needed to talk to the T.A. assigned to most of Professor Winston’s classes, Tina Ng, whom she said should be in that same room right now, setting up for another class. She gave him the building and the number of the room.
‘Oh,’ he said, ‘while I have you, could you tell me where I can find a student adviser named Gaylord Fuchs?’
She hit some buttons on her computer and looked up. ‘He has an office in this building, fourth floor, but his hours are ten to one.’ Looking again at the screen, she said, ‘He’s a teaching assistant. And he has classes from one-thirty to three-thirty, but I’m sure he’s already on his way home.’
‘Can you give me his home address?’ Champion asked.
The woman sighed and read out a number and a street. Champion had a vague idea where that was. He thanked her and headed out, hoping to get some information from the T.A., Ng, before class started.
The young T.A. was in the room, setting up a projector when he walked in. It didn’t look like a room to him, more a large auditorium. It looked like it seated at least one hundred, and he was surprised that a T.A. would be responsible for a class that size. Knowing that Ng was a Vietnamese name, he wasn’t surprised to see the back of a small, dark-haired young woman.
‘Miss
Ng?’ he asked.
She turned toward him. Her hair was cut in a stark, blunt cut and she wore glasses with heavy frames and lenses. Her body and face put her at about the age of fourteen, but he doubted that could be true.
‘Yes?’ she said.
He showed her his credentials and got straight to the point. ‘I need to interview a young woman who was in one of your classes last semester. All I have is her first name, Brittany, but she was in the Tuesday night six-thirty to nine p.m. class.’
She didn’t say anything for what felt like quite a long time to Champion. Finally, he said, ‘Miss Ng?’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you speak English?’ He was unsure if she’d understood what he’d asked.
‘As well as most Californians,’ she said. ‘Sorry, I’m just trying to think. Brittany.’ She was quiet another moment. ‘I can’t think of one offhand. I’d have to look that up.’
She finished her sentence and stood staring at him. Finally, he said, ‘Can you do that, please? Go look it up?’
‘I have a class starting and last semester’s rolls have already gone to Records,’ she said.
‘When do you think you could find that for me?’ Champion asked.
‘I can’t,’ she said.
‘You just said—’ Champion started, beginning to get a little frustrated.
‘But you could probably get someone in admin to do it.’
‘Probably?’
Tina Ng shrugged. ‘It could happen. But then again—’
‘I really need this information,’ Champion said between clenched teeth.
‘Then maybe you should get a, you know, warrant or something? Admin would probably appreciate that.’ She looked beyond him as sounds indicated students entering the hall. ‘Gotta go,’ she said and turned away from him.
Champion didn’t like the feeling of being dismissed but figured there wasn’t much he could do about it. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he could arrest her, but thinking about all the paperwork involved stifled that urge. He turned and exited the building.
‘So when are you supposed to see Champion again?’ I asked Luna.
She shrugged. ‘Don’t know. We didn’t set up a time or anything,’ she said.
‘Maybe you should call him?’ I asked.
‘Why? You got something on your mind?’
‘You said he got another name from that Lexie person. Somebody who told y’all that Bishop put Bobby down in front of his parents, right?’
‘Right.’
‘Who told her that?’ I asked.
She shrugged. ‘She only had a first name. Beth, Bethany, something with a “B.” Nate said he’d follow up on it.’
‘I can’t believe you call him by his first name,’ I said, slightly miffed that she was getting familiar with the enemy.
‘Hey, I’ve known the guy for years. We’re on a first-name basis – which, when you think about it, you and I are not.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ I asked her, getting a little heated.
‘Just an observation,’ she said.
‘So you’re on his side?’ I all but shouted.
‘God, Pugh! Lighten up! There’s no side. There’s only finding out who killed that brat of a kid. Actually, I’m a little surprised it took this long for somebody to kill him.’
‘I can’t lighten up!’ I said. ‘My son’s future is on the line.’
‘I’m not going to let anything happen to Graham. I guaran-damn-tee you that. It would just behoove us to find out who killed that little asshole as quickly as possible.’
‘Behoove?’
‘It’s a word! Look it up!’
‘I know it’s a word. It’s just not a word one hears that often.’
‘One hears?’
‘Just trying to stay in the moment. You started it,’ I said.
‘Going forward,’ she said, glaring at me, ‘I don’t think Bobby Dunston has the wherewithal to do old Bishy-boy in. But I’m wondering about his parents. I mean, we need to know what Bishop said about their son in front of them. And what kind of people they are.’
‘Overweight, going by their son,’ I said.
‘You’re such a bigot,’ she said.
‘Am not,’ I said.
‘Are too,’ she said.
‘Moving on …’
‘I don’t think their physical appearance has anything to do with it. Are they the kind of people who’d get so pissed they’d off the vic? That’s the question.’
‘Don’t you think Graham would have noticed if a parent was hanging around the cafeteria?’
‘I’ve taken both my boys back to school and helped them move back in the dorm. And I’ve eaten in the cafeteria before driving home. There were lots of other parents doing the same.’
I sighed. ‘Point taken.’ I thought for a moment. ‘OK, then. We need to look into Mr and Mrs Dunston. But I’m still putting my money on Gretchen Morley.’
‘Jeez, she’s a piece of work, huh? Can’t figure out if she’s just a bad actress or a pathological liar.’
‘Same thing, right?’
‘There you go again, parading around your prejudices.’
‘And you’re not prejudiced against pathological liars?’
‘It was the bad actress part I was referring to. People can’t help it if they can’t act. I mean, you’re no Meryl Streep yourself,’ she said.
‘Why do we keep getting off the subject?’ I asked.
‘What subject?’
‘We’re listing suspects, dumbass! We’ve got the Dunstons, possibly Bobby as well, and Gretchen. Who else?’
‘Maybe Lexie Thurgood. I mean, I don’t think so but she might be a really good actress.’
‘Oh!’ I said, lightbulb in my head. ‘That guy Fuchs!’
‘We need to interview him,’ Luna said.
‘Right!’ I said, jumping up. ‘Let’s go!’
She gave me a look. ‘I meant Champion and I need to interview him. Not you.’
‘This is giving me a headache,’ I said.
‘Should we call room service for some soothing cocktails?’ Luna asked.
‘If only,’ I said and sighed. Why motels don’t have that service, I’ll never know.
EIGHT
I got up early the next morning to encourage Graham to try to go to class. It was Wednesday and he still had that seven a.m. class.
‘I’m gonna drop it,’ he said and rolled over in bed, his back to me.
‘No, you’re not!’ I said, poking him in the ribs.
‘Jeez, Mom! That was bad enough when I was in high school! I’m an adult! Stop it!’
‘You’re not an adult,’ I said. ‘You’re only twenty. You’re not an adult until you’re twenty-one.’
At that comment he turned and sat up in bed. ‘You mean to say I can vote and die for my country but unless I’m old enough to legally buy booze I’m not an adult?’
OK, so sometimes my values shift around a bit. ‘Fine,’ I said, turning toward the door. ‘Drop the course. But I thought you needed it to meet your majority requirements. If you want to try to do it next year, and forget about some of those easy classes you were going to take—’
‘OK, OK!’ he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. ‘I’m getting up. But you’d better leave, I’m semi-naked here.’
‘Fine!’ I said and headed for the door.
‘Fine!’ he shot back, but I was almost out and decided to ignore him.
Back in the room I shared with Luna, she was sitting up on the side of her bed, phone to her ear. At first, thinking she might be talking to Champion, I was anxious. Then I noticed the phone she had to her ear was mine. She said, ‘Hold on a minute,’ and held the phone out to me. ‘It’s your prettier half,’ she said and fell back in the bed.
‘Have you called Champion yet?’ I asked, taking the phone from her hand.
‘Jesus, Pugh, it’s not even seven!’
I shrugged – having forgotten that fact
– and put the phone to my ear. ‘Hey, honey,’ I said.
‘Hey, your ownself, and tell Luna thanks for the compliment. I have to agree, I’ve always felt I was prettier than you.’
‘You know I’ll get you for that, right?’
‘I’m hoping the aging process will have blurred your memory and you’ll forget about it by the time you get home.’
‘That’s two,’ I said.
‘Only two?’
‘Did you call for a reason?’ I asked.
‘Just want to see what’s going on,’ he said.
I sat down on my bed. ‘Not much change since yesterday. Hopefully we’ll find out something from that cop friend of Luna’s sometime today. If she ever calls him.’
‘She’s right, babe, it’s still only a little after seven.’
‘Her being right’s not the point,’ I said.
‘Then what is?’ he asked.
‘The point is I’m mad, I’m frustrated and I’m scared! And I don’t like this crap!’
‘Deep breaths, babe.’
‘Don’t try to placate me!’ I all but shouted.
He sighed. ‘Fine, go ahead. Take it out on me. Better me than the cop who wants to arrest our son.’
I sighed myself. ‘Shut up,’ I said, my voice quiet.
‘You shut up,’ he said, just as quiet.
‘Willis—’
‘Yeah, babe?’
‘Can you come here?’
Again with the sigh. ‘Babe, I just signed a contract with Weaver. I can’t. Not until—’
‘Don’t say it,’ I said.
‘If you really need me there, I’ll come,’ he said.
I took a deep breath – like he’d suggested earlier. ‘No, not now. I hope this will play out soon. They’ve got to figure out a better suspect than Graham. Did I tell you we worked out Graham was probably roofied?’
‘No shit?’
‘That’s what we’re thinking,’ I said.
‘Any way to prove it?’ he asked.
‘Whatever it was probably already went through his system so there’s no way to tell at this point.’
Willis was quiet for a moment. Finally, he said, ‘You know, whoever did this, when I find them, I think I’ll have to do something physical.’
‘You don’t do physical,’ I said.
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