when he saw a seal right in front of him. It would be so easy to plunge the knife into his exposed neck.
Stallings was frustrated and whipped the BlackBerry back to the kid with more force than he’d intended. He looked at Patty, then over to the boys, and said, “Where was he going tonight?”
No one answered.
This time Stallings slammed his hand down on the pool table, grabbed a nine ball, and slammed it into some loose balls at the other end of the table. “This isn’t a game, fellas. I need to speak to Bobby Hollis tonight. Now where the fuck is he?”
One of the boys blurted out, “He’s over at the J Tavern, off University.”
Stallings looked at Patty.
She said, “Call me when you see him over there. I’ll wait here with this nice young man to make sure no one calls him and warns him. Then I’m quite certain one of them would be nice enough to give me a ride over there.” She turned her laser-like eyes on the boys and said, “Isn’t that right?”
All three boys nodded their heads vigorously.
Bobby Hollis tucked his phone back into his pocket and hesitated in the open parking lot of the J Tavern. He could feel just a mist of rain start. He had intended to head back to his apartment, but the call from the cop had spooked him. He forgot all about the woman at the car and started to walk back toward the Tavern for another beer with his friends.
He knew the cops would catch up to him eventually. He had no idea how much he should disclose. Kyle Lee had told them all to hang tough and keep quiet. He didn’t want to be the one who broke and got everyone in trouble. On the other hand he didn’t want to be one of the ones who ended up dead. No one said anything about the curse, but everyone knew it was somehow related to that night two years ago. He couldn’t believe no one had ever put it together before. It was no secret their party was the biggest in the city on Halloween.
He had a lump in his stomach that made him feel like he might vomit. He took a quick look around the parking lot and noticed the woman was closer to him. He didn’t want to turn around and spew right in front of her.
He knew he had to stay here at least for another hour or two. He could figure out what to do tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.
Stallings knew the bar the boys were talking about. It was only five minutes from the apartment complex. There was almost no traffic on the roads and the falling temperature and rising moisture created a wintry effect on his windshield. It had only snowed in Jacksonville a couple of times since he was a kid. But it always seemed to be cool and clammy during December and January. This was the kind of night he used to love to light the fireplace and sit with the kids playing a board game. He wondered what was going on at his house tonight. He could picture Maria in one of her pretty nightgowns, watching a movie with Charlie. Then he thought of what Grace told him to do. He had to focus on this case before he could focus on anything else. She was right. He pressed the gas on his Impala a little harder and switched on the blue light after the turn on University.
Bobby Hollis was going to talk no matter what Stallings had to do to make it happen.
Lynn looked at the young man standing in the middle of the parking lot and wondered if he was so drunk he was disoriented. He just stood there, motionless, facing the bar.
Her eyes scanned the parking lot. Amazingly it was still empty. There didn’t seem to be any cars on either of the streets next to the bar. It had to be a sign that it was time to move and move decisively.
As she was about to spring on him, Bobby turned slightly and looked at her, then looked across the entire parking lot. He wobbled on his feet. She thought he might be about to vomit.
It was time to move.
Then Bobby took one hesitant step away from her. And another. And another until he was walking in a relatively straight line back to the building. She hesitated just long enough for him to get out of her range.
Damn it.
Now she would have to wait until he came out again.
FORTY-FIVE
Patty turned, leaned down, and spoke through the open passenger-side window to the fraternity brother who had driven her to the J Tavern. The other two brothers who had been playing pool with him were crammed into the back seat of the beat-up, eight-year-old Camaro.
Patty said, “I think you fellas understand how important it is to keep all this quiet. That is, unless you want Detective Stallings and I to come back out and visit you.”
All three young men nodded and the driver mumbled, “I swear we will all try to forget this evening as quickly as possible.”
Patty couldn’t help but smile as she patted the car and sent the boys on their way. She had made them drive her over here as soon as Stallings called to say he had secured Bobby Hollis at a corner table inside the local tavern. She was surprised the place didn’t have TVs or music blaring. It had a nice, homey atmosphere. Stallings sat at a round table in the far corner of the low-ceilinged room. The only other patrons sat at a high top near the bar, three college-age boys who kept looking over their shoulder at Stallings. They were probably the friends Bobby had been visiting before Stallings showed up.
Patty slid into the chair next to Bobby as Stallings said, “You remember Detective Levine.” Stallings looked at Patty and said, “We were getting to know each other and setting up the ground rules for our conversation. So far it hasn’t sunk into Mr. Hollis’s head how important this is.”
Patty saw Stallings nod and knew that he wanted her to take over the interview. She took a moment to let Bobby calm down and ordered a pitcher of Miller Light from the plump waitress who came from behind the bar to take their order. The place stank of cigarette smoke and that meant they didn’t serve food.
After a couple of minutes of silence, and having served a mug of beer to each of them, Patty got Bobby Hollis’s attention with a warm smile. She knew Stallings would sit there silently like a big dog on a chain ready to be released. She liked toying with hostile witnesses. She let Bobby’s imagination consider all the things Stallings might do while he sat there silent and still. It was an act the two partners had used a hundred times before.
When it was time, Patty said, “You lied to us, Bobby.”
Now the boy looked her in the face and said, “What did I lie to you about?”
“You know there’s a lot more to the accidents that have been going on with your fraternity brothers.”
Bobby hesitated, then said, “You mean the curse?”
Now Stallings barked, “Cut that curse bullshit out. It’s embarrassing to the Florida public school system.”
Bobby swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. He looked from Stallings to Patty, but didn’t say a word.
Patty said, “What are you worried about?”
Still the was no response.
“Why this code of silence? I know there’s a certain brotherhood in fraternities, but you guys are taking it to the extreme. Don’t you understand that we don’t think your friends died from accidents?”
Bobby grabbed the mug of beer and took two big gulps. It was hard for him to set it back on the wooden table without showing how badly his hand was shaking. But he still didn’t say a word.
Stallings changed his tone and leaned forward, saying, “I can see you’re scared about something. I would be too. And I think you’re worried that you and your friends are going to get in trouble for something. I swear to you, Bobby, we’re just interested in getting to the bottom of these deaths. I don’t care what else you guys did. I don’t care if you sell pot, if you launder money, or if you cheat on your fucking final exams. I’m going to give you immunity for anything you say.”
Patty gave him a look to make sure he didn’t go too far with his promises.
Stallings acknowledged her look with a subtle nod, then faced Bobby again, focusing on the boy. “I will not let
