The other two detectives looked at her. JoBabiak was suddenly alert. “Winnie,” she said.
“Yup. So I stopped and asked her about it,went all ‘Oh isn’t that adorable, so cute, it brings back my childhood - isthat from your childhood too?’”
They were looking at her, barely blinking. “Tell,”Buck said. “The suspense is killing me.”
Kerri gave a smug face, leaned forwardagain. “The girl – her name tag said Sue Riley - said, ‘No, Carl gave it tome.’ He told Sue a little girl had given it to him, and it was sweet but hedidn’t think Winnie looked quite right in his office.”
“A little girl gave him the Winnie the Pooh...”Jo said, clearly thinking about that wording. “Theoretically, circumstantial atbest, he could have considered Sasha a little girl. A needy and annoying littlegirl.”
“After the sweet young thing part woreoff.” Buck frowned thoughtfully at the tabletop. “Old story, huh?”
“This gets better,” Kerri said. “I got all impressed,went Oh, wasn’t that nice of him – then asked Sue when Finn gave it toher.” Kerri raised her brows. “Early last May. She’d been worried abouther exams and gone in to talk to him. He told her she was doing okay, then withhis huge munificence gave her Winnie saying the little girl had just given itto him. Sue said she almost fainted. ‘Carl’s so handsome, so brilliant, he didsuch a nice thing for me,’ she said - actually blushed as she said it.”
“Christ, early May?” Jo gaped at Kerri.
“Pinpointed exactly,” Kerri said. “I toldher oh gee, I had so much stress too - could I take a picture to help cheer me?And she said sure, take all you want, it’s really a comfort, having Winniesitting there right by me. So I took pictures. Close ups, plus mid distance ofher whole work station in the U’s lab.” Kerri held her phone up. “Got ‘em here,including one of her holding Winnie. Her name’s right on her plastic name tag.”
“So she can be subpoenaed,” Jo mused,checking her watch, glancing over as someone else ran in for a quick Styrofoamcup of coffee. “It’s something, but still circumstantial.”
“But a big breadcrumb on the trail,”Kerri countered. “Carl Finn knew Sasha, I feel it, he gave it away. Hismost deceptive behavior was when I asked about her being in his human biologyclass – which ran into a road block because next I called the U’s administrationclerk, who said there’s no record of Sasha taking his class. That has to bewrong – he was sweating bullets over that. I asked him twice, he squirmed worsethe second time.”
“Dead end there.” From Buck, with a headshake.
“Maybe,” Kerri said, “But this guy’s afocus like I haven’t before felt. Ever.”
They got up, started clearing their cupsand wrappers.
“Devil’s advocate,” Jo said, exhaling withthe mix of frustration and excitement that Kerri clearly felt. “What if youfind he knew her, even dated her? You’ve still got a whole lot ofcircumstantial.”
“No. If it turns out he knew her at all, that’sobstruction. I’d have him for that, at least. Take it from there. Keepdigging.”
27
At eight she woke witha jolt, trembling, remembering the battered girl and the drowning dream. Paul wassitting by her on the bed. He’d brought her coffee and toast, and made a painedsound when she said she’d had a bad night.
“How much did you sleep?”
“Maybe four hours.”
He grimaced. “I feel awful. I got youupset.”
Something déjà vu about this morning’sapology. He was dressed and showered; had cut his cheek shaving; touched wherehe’d put a dab of tissue to the place and shook his head. “Just when you’dstarted to sleep well again.”
“Tonight will be better,” she sighed.
The apartment smelled of burnt toast. Shereached to his cheek where his tissue dab was bleeding through. “Ouch,” shesaid.
“Yeah, I’ve gotta change it.” He went backto the bathroom. Liddy pulled on her blue kimono and went to the kitchen. Thetoaster was unplugged and pulled out from the wall. Two slices of burnt toast laystrewn on the counter next to it; also a fork, just left there. Liddy peeredinto the toaster’s dark recess. Subsequent bread slices had clearly toastedokay, but why did Paul leave the burnt ones just sitting there? Even rushing,that wasn’t like him.
In a minute he was in the kitchen with anew tissue dab on his cheek, pacing, checking his texts and voice mails,starting to text back.
“Wait,” Liddy said.
He looked at her.
She sank to one of the barstools; gesturedfeebly. “Last night-”
“I said I was sorry.”
“Right, this is something else.”
His look changed to, oh Lids, what now?
But she plunged, described fast andnervously what she’d seen. “Three in the morning. He hit her hard. It wasawful.”
“Terrible,” he said, scowling back to atext.
“Shouldn’t we do something?”
His phone dinged with another call. He raisedit to read and shook his head, though whether in reaction to the call or towhat Liddy had described, she couldn’t tell.
“People argue, Lids. People fight. It’s notour business.”
He headed out of the kitchen, going onabout the pitfalls of looking into people’s bedrooms at three in the morning. “They’reeither asleep or having their worst moments.”
“Wait, there’s more.” She followed him throughthe living room to the door, where he was grabbing his keys and laptop from aside table.
“For a second,” she blurted, “I thoughtthat girl might be her.”
“Who?”
“Sasha Perry.” She sounded ridiculous toherself, but out it burst. “At three I was tired, doubting myself, but now I’vegot this strong feeling it was her. She’s holed up across the streetwith some guy who’s abusing her.”
Paul stopped what he was doing. Grimly, heput his things back on the table, reached out and held Liddy’s shoulders. “Oh honey,”he said, much too gently. He pulled her closer and inhaled; said slowly, almostsorrowfully, “Remember, in the old apartment, you thought you saw a couple fightingacross the way? I looked out and there was no one there. Just shades pulled downto noisy air conditioners.” He reached one of his hands to smooth her hair back.His fingers were cold.
“But…” she said with her face working.
“That new couple you saw, they’ve
