They were quiet for a moment, and something flitted through Sidney’s thoughts.
“Hey, Zoe?”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever thought about hiring security for Hope House?”
“I have. But the idea of big burley men hanging out around here might not be the best thing for our residents, you know? Some of them get quite spooked around strange men after what they’ve been through.”
Sidney nodded, still turning it over in her mind.
“Yes, I totally get that. But we could hire female security.” She perked up as the idea took shape. “I mean, we could request female security guards from whatever agency we hire.”
“Female security?”
Zoe sounded as though the idea had never occurred to her before, and Sidney smiled.
“To any irate spouse or boyfriend who comes charging in, they’d just think she was one more battered woman. Until she flattened him on his ass.”
Zoe looked intrigued for a moment, but that was replaced by skepticism.
“I don’t know, Sidney. Where would we find a security agency that employed women?”
Sidney shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know, but I bet they’re out there. I’ll ask Ike about it. Maybe he knows of a place.”
Zoe lifted an eyebrow at the mention of his name.
“So, about Ike. Everything’s really okay with you two? He’s not the reason you’re so gloomy?”
“I am not gloomy!”
“Yes, you are.”
Sidney sighed, her shoulders slumping.
“Fine. I’m gloomy. But it has nothing to do with my relationship with my fiancé. And yes… he is still my fiancé, and we are still very much in love.”
“Okay. I’ll stop prying then. As long as I know you’re all right.”
Sidney smiled, resigning herself to Zoe’s mother hen routine.
“I’m all right.”
Zoe nodded and left the office. And Sidney let out another long exhale.
4
On the university campus, Isaac and Pete entered the admissions building and went straight for the office. Flashing his badge at the young lady at the front desk, Isaac stared at her.
“Detective Sergeant Ike Taylor. Detective Pete Vega,” he said, motioning to his partner. “We need…”
“Oh, my God!”
The young woman looked at him with unbridled glee.
“You’re here about the body, aren’t you? I heard the crime scene was totes gross!”
Isaac and Pete shot each other an is-she-for-real exasperated glance before Isaac turned back to her.
“And where’d you hear that?”
He gave her his patented intensive intimidation glare, and it didn’t let him down. The young woman faltered, suddenly unable to look him in the eyes.
“Huh?”
“Who told you the crime scene was gross?”
“Oh. Well, the whole campus is buzzing about it, that’s all. I’m not sure who specifically mentioned it to me.”
“Right.” His flat tone was evidence he didn’t believe her explanation, but Isaac didn’t press the issue. “My partner and I were hoping to get our hands on some kind of list. A student roster, or something similar. Can you provide us with one?”
The young woman suddenly became intrigued again.
“Oh! Well, I guess that’s a matter of public record, so you wouldn’t need a warrant for that kind of thing.”
Isaac’s patience was running thin, and he slapped an I’m-one-second-away-from-putting-you-in-handcuffs smile on his lips.
“I know we don’t need a warrant. What we do need is access to your current student roster. Can. You. Provide me with one?”
A confused expression lodged on the young woman’s face, and Isaac wanted to scream.
“Yes, of course we can, Detective.”
The voice was efficient and clearly in charge, and Isaac looked from the girl at the desk to the older woman now standing behind her.
“I’ll see to it right away.”
“Thank you, miss…?”
“Ivan,” the woman offered. “Mrs. Sylvie Ivan. I’m head of the Admissions Office.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Ivan.” Isaac gave her a slight nod as something suddenly occurred to him. “Any chance that the gossip mill around here may have already identified our victim?”
When the two women looked at each other, he knew his hunch was correct.
“Well, there have been whispers,” Mrs. Ivan replied. “One of the girls who found the body… Kimberly something, I believe…”
“Kim Barns?” Pete asked.
“Yes. That’s right. She mentioned to someone that the victim was Bobby Cook, so that’s the name that’s been floating around this morning. But again, that’s only a rumor.”
“Thank you,” Isaac said. “We’ll still be needing that student roster, ma’am.”
“Right away.”
She walked off to another office, and Isaac turned to Pete.
“Seems like we need to have another talk with Miss Kim Barns.”
“Sounds that way, doesn’t it?” Pete nodded. “You want to do it nice or not so nice?”
“Well, she did withhold information the first time we met, so I’d say she’s earned a little not so nice.”
“Agreed.”
“You want to give patrol a call?”
“I’m on it.” Pete stepped away pulling out his cellphone. A minute later, Isaac heard him asking patrol to pick the girl up and bring her in for questioning, just as Mrs. Ivan reappeared.
She handed him a colored copy of the student roster.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
When he and Pete left the building to head for the car, they noticed several news trucks setting up around the campus.
“The vultures are circling.”
“Yep. I wonder if they’ve gotten wind of the possible ID of the victim.” Pete opened the passenger side door of the car.
“For the family’s sake, I sincerely hope not.” But as he slid behind the wheel, a sinking feeling began to swirl in Isaac’s gut.
As they drove back to the station, Pete flipped through the student roster.
“Robert John Cook. I think the rumor mill is right. That definitely looks like our vic to me.”
He held up the booklet so that Isaac could see, and pointed to a photo near the bottom of the page. Isaac glanced at it and shook his head.
“Why lie about whether or not you know the victim’s name?”
“I don’t know. All that does is make her look guilty to me,” Pete replied.
“Exactly.”
They drove on in silence.
By the time they got back to the station, up to the detectives pit, and over to their desks, Isaac’s work phone was ringing.
“Your witness is in interrogation one.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
They answered the passing patrolman in unison, and Isaac grabbed his ringing extension.
“Detective Sgt. Taylor.”
The
