Milo smiled back. Cindy turned away from him and saw me.
“This is Alex Delaware.”
“Hi.” She flinched and shot out her hand. I took it and received a sudden, hard squeeze from cold, child-sized fingers.
The three of us headed west to the end of the block. Across the street was a vast stretch of asphalt- one of the University's off-campus parking lots serviced by shuttles. An idle blue bus was stationed near the entrance. Thousands of spaces, every one filled.
Milo said, “How about we walk through here? Should be pretty private.”
Cindy thought, gave three rapid nods. Her mouth had set grimly and her hands were closed tight.
As we entered the lot, she said, “When I was a little kid a policeman came to our school and warned us about darting out in front of parked cars.”
“Good advice,” said Milo. “We'll be sure to look both ways.”
The girl's laugh was constricted.
We strolled a bit before Milo said, “I'm sure you know why we want to talk to you, Cindy.”
“Of course. Professor Devane. She was- I'm really sorry what happened to her but it had nothing to do with Kenny and me.”
“I'm sure it didn't, but we have to check out everything.”
Suddenly, the girl's eyes grew merry. “That sounds just like on TV.”
“Then it's got to be real, right?”
She gazed up at Milo, then back at me. “I've never met an actual detective.”
“Oh, it's a real big deal. Somewhere between the Pulitzer and the Nobel.”
The girl squinted at him. “You're funny. What do you want me to tell you about Professor Devane?”
“Your experience with the Interpersonal Conduct Committee.”
The narrow mouth twisted.
Milo said, “I know it's hard to talk about, but-”
“No, it's not really hard. Not anymore. 'Cause it's over. Kenny and I have resolved things.”
We kept walking. A few steps later, she said, “Actually, we're dating.”
Milo made a noncommittal sound.
“No doubt it sounds bizarre to you, but it's working for us. I guess there was some… chemistry between us. Maybe that's what caused all the initial conflict. Anyway, it's all worked out.”
“So Kenny knows you're talking to us.”
“Sure, actually he-” She stopped herself.
“He asked you to talk to us?”
“No, no. It's just that I'm here in town and he's down in San Diego, so we thought I could clear things up for both of us.”
“Okay,” said Milo. “What's to clear?”
She shifted her book bag to another shoulder. “Nothing, really.” Her voice had risen in pitch. “It was a mistake. Filing a complaint. I should never have made such a big deal, but there were complications. Between Kenny and me- it's a long story, not really relevant.”
“Your mom and his dad,” I said.
She looked at me. “So that came out, too.”
“There are transcripts of the sessions,” said Milo.
“Oh. Great.” She looked ready to cry. “I thought everything was supposed to be kept confidential.”
“Murder changes the rules, Cindy. But we're doing all we can to keep it quiet.”
She exhaled and shook her head. “How blown-up is this going to get?”
“If it had nothing to do with Dr. Devane's death, hopefully not at all.”
“It didn't. At least Kenny's and my thing didn't.” She punched her chest. “
I said, “Someone reading the transcript could get the impression you had a valid claim against Kenny.”
“Well, I didn't. I told you, it was complicated. Yes, because of our parents. Not that Mom asked me to be her… defender. I just… I misread some cues. That's all. Kenny didn't behave himself perfectly, but he's no animal. We could have worked things out. Proof is, we
She shifted the bag again.
Milo said, “I'd offer to carry that for you but it's probably not PC.”
She started to say something, then shot him an amused look and handed over the bag. In his hands it looked like a lunch sack.
Rolling her shoulders, she glanced back at the Village as we continued to stroll between the parked cars. “Is this going to take much longer?”
“Not much. Your mom and Kenny's dad, how are
“Fine.”
“Dating again?”
“No! They're just friends. Thank God. That would be- incestuous. That was a big part of the initial problem. Kenny and I didn't realize the extent of the baggage. Plus his mother died a year ago. He's still hurting.”
“What about his kicking you out of the car?”
Cindy stopped. “Please, Detective, I'd know if I was a victim.”
Milo didn't answer.
She said, “That night, he- it was stupid. I demanded to get out, he opened the door for me, and I tripped.”
She laughed but she looked as if someone had died. “I felt like such a spaz. We needed to work on our communication, that's all. The proof is empirical: we're fine.”
“You're a good student, aren't you, Cindy?”
The girl blushed. “I work hard.”
“Straight A's?”
“So far, but it's just two quarters-”
“Kenny's not much of a student, is he?”
“He's
“Motivation.”
“Exactly. People move at different paces. I've always known what I want to be.”
“What's that?”
“A psychologist or an attorney. I want to work for children's rights.”
“Well,” said Milo, “we can sure use people doing that.”
We walked past three more aisles. A car pulled out, the driver a girl no older than Cindy. We waited til it sped away.
“So Kenny's in San Diego,” said Milo. “Thought he was at the College of the Palms in Redlands.”
She shook her head. “He decided not to go.”
“Why?”
“He needed to get his head straight.”
“So he's not in school in San Diego?”
“Not yet. He's interning at a real-estate office in La Jolla. Friend of his dad's. So far he likes it a lot. He's good at selling things.”
“I'll bet.”
Cindy stopped again and snapped her head up at him. “He didn't sell anything to me, if that's what you're implying! I'm not some gullible jerk and I wouldn't settle for a relationship without equity.”
“What do you mean by equity, Cindy?”
“Balance. Emotional fairness.”
“Okay. Sorry if I offended you.” He scratched his chin and we reached the rear of the lot. The fence was backed by tall trees and a soft breeze blew through them.
Cindy said, “I feel good about Kenny and me. The whole reason I agreed to talk to you is because I wanted to do the right thing. Professor Devane's murder was horrible, but you're really wasting your time with me. She wasn't
