homemade, copycat version of the ending to
His eyes searched hers for a moment, as if he didn’t believe her. Then he got to his feet. Hannah stared at his back. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice raspy.
“I’m not absolutely positive,” Hannah admitted. “But I’m pretty sure. I don’t have the video anymore. It was stolen.”
Hannah noticed his head bobbing a little along with the tremors in his slightly hunched shoulders. She realized he was crying. She wanted to reach out to him, console him. But she held back and stayed seated on the little wooden bench.
Ben finally turned to face her. His blue eyes were bloodshot and a bit puffy. He took a deep breath. “Do you know Seth’s last name?” he asked.
“Um, Stroud,” she said. “Seth Stroud.”
“Well, let’s go find him and talk to him,” Ben said.
There was a “1/2” behind the number address on Aloha Street for Stroud, Seth. Hannah and Ben had returned to the coffeeshop and borrowed the phone book to look him up. Hannah thought it might be a basement apartment, and Ben guessed he lived over someone’s garage.
It was within walking distance. They didn’t say much on their way to the Aloha Street address. Hannah could tell Ben was still numb over the news of his friend’s death. She slid her arm around his. At the end of a couple of blocks, Hannah gently pulled away.
“That was nice,” he murmured. Then he didn’t say another word until they reached Seth’s block.
Ben had been right. It was a garage apartment at the end of the driveway to a large, slightly neglected Tudor estate. Though the lawn was mowed and the leaves were raked, the place still had a seedy grandeur. Water stains marred the yellowing wall to the Tudor-style garage. The stairs to the second-floor apartment were on the side.
Hannah and Ben climbed up the rickety steps and knocked on the door. Through the window in the door, Hannah could see someone coming. She saw his tall, lean build and the wild, wavy dark hair. It took her a moment to realize he wasn’t Seth.
A stranger opened the door. He was about Seth’s age, with olive-colored eyes, a large nose, and a goatee. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans. Those eyes shifted back and forth from Ben to Hannah. “Yeah? Can I help you?”
“Does Seth Stroud live here?” Ben asked.
“Seth?” the young man said. “What did you want to see him about?”
“We’re in his film class,” Ben replied. “I’m Ben Sturges.”
“Hi.” Hannah reached out her hand to the young man. “I’m Hannah.”
“Oh, well, hi.” He smiled and shook her hand. “I’m Richard Kidd, Seth’s roommate. Um, he’s not around right now. You want to leave a message?”
Hannah nodded. “Yeah, we really need to talk with him.”
“Wow, sounds urgent. PDQ. Is it an emergency?”
“Let’s just say it’s important,” Ben chimed in.
“Then, hell, man, we’d better write it down. Hold on.”
While Richard Kidd retreated to another part of the apartment, Hannah and Ben remained on the outside landing at the top of the stairs. She caught a glimpse of their living room: brick-and-wood bookshelves, furniture from garage sales and Pier 1 Imports, a big poster for
Richard returned to the doorway with a notepad and a pen. He handed them to Hannah. “Why don’t you write down the message yourself? I might be stepping out. I’ll leave it where he’ll be sure to see it.”
Hannah scribbled on the pad:
As they left Seth’s place together, Ben stopped at the end of the driveway. “Well, that was kind of a bust,” he said.
Hannah patted Ben’s arm. “We’ll just have to wait,” she said. “I think he’ll call. Seth likes me. If he knows something, he’ll tell us.”
Ben nodded glumly. “Listen, can I walk you home?”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
Aloha was a dark, winding, tree-shaded street. Fallen leaves blanketed patches of sidewalk. A few houses already had Halloween decorations out. Hannah was glad for Ben’s company. She thought about taking hold of his arm again, but decided against it.
“Did you recognize him?” Ben asked. “Did he look familiar to you?”
“Who? The roommate?”
“Yeah, Richard Kidd.”
“No, I didn’t recognize him. Did you?”
He shrugged. “Not really.”
She brushed her arm against his. “You’re like I was when this whole thing started. I suspected everyone.”
“Including me?” he asked lightly.
“Especially you,” she admitted.
“And now?”
“Now, I know you better,” she carefully replied. “And I like you, Ben.”
“I like you, too. But you didn’t really answer my question.”
“You noticed that, huh?”
Patting her shoulder, he nodded. “It’s all right if you still suspect me a little. You’d be crazy not to.”
When they reached her apartment building, Ben asked if he could come up. “I’d like to be there if Seth calls tonight,” he said. “I could also use a drink. If you could spare a glass of wine, I’ll buy you a pizza dinner—or Chinese.”
Hannah hesitated.
“It’s okay if you say no. I won’t be offended.”
She worked up a smile. “Quit giving me permission to not trust you. It makes me—not trust you.”
He chuckled. “All right. To tell you the truth, I’ll be hurt if you turn me away.”
Hannah sighed. “My little boy’s sick, and I want to spend some time with him. I also need to track down a coworker friend who could be in trouble. If Seth calls me, I’ll get in touch with you right away, Ben. I’m filling in for a coworker tomorrow. Why don’t you stop by the video store? I take my break at two.”
“Okay,” he muttered, looking crestfallen. “See you tomorrow, Hannah.” He seemed ready to hug her for a second, then drew back and awkwardly shook her hand. “Well, um, good night.”
Hannah opened the lobby door.
She wanted so much to let down her guard and invite him in. But she turned and started up the cold, cinder- block stairwell by herself.
