the Sci-Fi videos, she didn’t want to cry in front of this man. She just wanted him to go.
“I don’t know what else I can tell you,” she finally said, her voice raspy. “I wish I knew more, but I don’t. I’m very sorry.”
When the detective finished questioning her, Hannah had to give him her home phone number and address. She felt sick to her stomach, telling a policeman how to reach her.
The cop asked Tish if there were any other employees who knew Britt very well. Tish turned to Hannah. “Do you think Scott could tell them anything, Han?”
She quickly shook her head. “Not really. He didn’t know any of her friends. Plus he’s been in the hospital since yesterday morning.”
Tish turned to the detective. “His name is Scott Eckland,” she said, “In case you want to talk with him, he’s at Group Health Hospital—”
“I don’t think we need to bother him,” the detective said, slipping his little recorder in the pocket of his windbreaker. “But thank you anyway.”
After watching him step outside, Hannah wanted to retreat to the back room and have another breakdown. Instead, she stepped behind the counter. Tish came up to her and rested a hand on her shoulder.
“It just dawned on me,” she whispered. “Scott doesn’t know about Britt yet. Who’s going to tell him?”
“I can do it,” Hannah murmured, gathering up another stack of videos. “I’ll put these away first, then call him from the back room.”
As she came around the counter, Ben started following her.
“Hannah, what’s going on?” he whispered. “You told me over lunch you thought your friend was going to die like that—and she did! Why didn’t you say anything to that cop?”
Hannah couldn’t respond. She filed some movies in the Classics section.
“Listen, don’t pull the same shit with me you pulled with that detective,” Ben hissed. “I want you to stop and look at me and explain why you won’t go to the police about any of this.”
“It has nothing to do with you,” was all Hannah could say. She hurried down the aisle. “Can we please talk about this later?”
In the Children’s section, Tish stepped up to them and cleared her throat. “Sir? Can I help you with anything?”
Ben shook his head. “No thanks. I’m just talking to Hannah.”
“Well, we’re awfully busy right now,” Tish said, very cool and businesslike. “Hannah has work to do. I’m sure you understand.”
Ben turned and frowned at Hannah.
“I’ll talk to you tonight, Ben,” she said.
“Will you call me if you hear from Seth?” he asked.
She sighed. “Of course. I’ll talk to you later either way.”
Tish waited until Ben walked out of the store. “I hope I did the right thing chasing him away. Was he a friend of yours? He’s kind of cute.”
“He’s also married,” Hannah said.
“Then I say avoid him like the plague.”
Hannah shook her head. “It’s not like that.”
“Well, here.” Tish collected the stack of videos from her. “I’ll put these away. Why don’t you go in the back and call Scott? Get it over with.”
Hannah nodded and reluctantly started for the break room.
“Jesus, no,” Scott whispered. “It was like in the movie, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. The police were here.” Hannah was on the phone, hunched over the desk in the tiny room. She had a Kleenex in her hand.
“I don’t think they’ve talked with Webb yet,” she continued. “I doubt if he could tell them anything. I mean, you and I know what really happened.” She wiped her eyes and sighed. “Scott, I didn’t tell the police anything. I saw them here when I came back from my break, and I got so scared. All I could think about was saving my own skin. If I tell the police what’s happening, they only have to run a check on my name to know I’m a fraud….”
Hannah paused. She heard a strange, strangled rasping on the other end of the line. “Scott?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” he replied, his voice strained. He coughed a little.
She realized he was crying. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry,” she said.
“Well, at least you don’t have to worry,” he said finally, a tremor in his voice. “Once they talk to a couple of Britt’s burnout friends, they’ll just chalk it up as an overdose. You’re safe for now. The cops won’t be bothering you anymore.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. Did that sound snotty? I didn’t mean it that way. What are you planning to do, Hannah? How’s this gonna work itself out?”
She didn’t have an answer for him. Her only “plan” had been to run away. And for the time being, she couldn’t even do that.
“Hannah, I’m really worried about you,” he continued. “I hate knowing you’re alone in all this. I wish you had somebody to help you out.”
She thought of Ben. “There may be someone, a guy from my film class. But I’m not sure yet if I can completely trust him.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” Hannah said. “Only now, I think I’d better take a chance on him—before it’s too late.”
“Hannah?”
She was just leaving the store. She turned to see Seth Stroud coming up the block. It had been dark for a couple of hours and the streetlights were on, but Seth still wore sunglasses. He also had on a black jacket, black jeans, and a gray T-shirt. He always looked very cutting-edge.
“Hey, another minute and I’d have missed you,” he said. “I heard you and some dude stopped by yesterday. Was it Marlboro Man?”
Hannah didn’t understand at first, then she nodded. “Oh, yeah. I was with Ben.”
“I didn’t get the message until this morning. Anyway, I’m glad I caught you. In fact, it’s funny you stopped by last night, because I wanted to get ahold of you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I was wondering if they have any openings for a part-timer here at your store.” He nodded toward the storefront, then took off his sunglasses and replaced them with the designer glasses he usually wore in class. “Money’s a little tight lately, and I was just wondering….”
Hannah let out a sad, ironic laugh. “Well, yeah, we—we’ll be hiring for sure. Why don’t you stop in tomorrow morning? The manager will be there. Her name’s Tish.”
“Cool. Thanks. Could you put in a good word for me?”
She nodded. “Sure thing. Listen, do you have a couple of minutes?”
“Sure. There’s a bar in the Mexican joint down the block. You look like you could use a drink. Can I buy you one?”
“Actually, I need to get home. Would you mind walking with me? We could talk along the way.”
He shrugged. “Sounds cool.”
Hannah moved away from the storefront and its lights. Seth strolled beside her, his hands in his pockets. “By the way,” he said. “Please don’t tell Paul that you’re helping me get a job here. Otherwise, you’ll find my body parts in Puget Sound.” He laughed—until he glanced at Hannah.
She squinted at him. “Is it really as bad as that?” she asked. “Because that’s what I wanted to ask you about. The other day, you said Paul was ‘obsessed’ with me—or words to that effect. Does he talk to you about me?”
“God, no,” Seth replied, shaking his head. “Paul doesn’t confide in me about his personal life. But I know him. I’ve seen how he is when he wants a woman. Believe me, he’s got it bad for you. And Paul’s used to having his way. He gets pissed when that doesn’t happen. And FYI, he ain’t a very happy camper lately.”
