Break the Silence (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Kane nodded. “Does she own a vehicle?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “She got a ride but it wasn’t Seth who came by. He drives a red Mustang and I saw her getting into a sedan way down the road like it was all secret or something.”

“Did you notice the make or color?” Kane lifted his gaze from his notes.

“I think it was silver, could have been light blue. I don’t know the make. They all look the same to me.” Livi looked at him. “We’ve made friends with tons of guys and any one of them could’ve given her a ride.”

“Did she date any of them before meeting Seth?”

“Yeah, a few from high school, not many, and the only other guy she knows is Phil Stein, he was at high school with us.” Livi wiped her nose with a tissue. “Some of the freshmen can be pests, so we’ve been hanging with a few of the juniors. It was a surprise when one of the seniors asked her out.”

Kane frowned. From the get-go it was becoming obvious more than one person was involved. “Had she been seeing Seth for long?”

“No, she hadn’t been seeing him at all. He came up to her in the cafeteria on Friday, waited until she was alone then moved in.” Agitated, Livi picked at her fingernails. “He had her up against the wall, sweet-talking her like she was special. She told me he said, ‘You’re so my type, come to a party with me on Saturday night. Wear something short to show off those fine legs. Don’t tell anyone—we don’t want anyone showing up to spoil our fun.’” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, Chrissie almost fainted with shock and came back to the table all starry-eyed and madly in love.” She choked back a sob. “She told me in confidence, straight away. In fact, she wouldn’t stop talking about him. She even drooled over his picture on Facebook and now look what’s happened to her.”

After making notes, Kane observed her. She seemed to be angry and upset, which was a normal response. After the shock of finding the body of her friend, he was reluctant to push her any further, but he needed more answers and she seemed to be pulling herself together. “Did she speak to anyone else before she left for the party?”

“Yeah, we talked to the other girls over dinner as usual, and she sent a text to break a date with Phil—Phillip Stein, he’s a sophomore.” Livi frowned. “I figure he was disappointed; he was all over her before Seth moved in. After dinner, we went to our room and just chatted while she had a shower and dressed for her date. I walked out with her when she left and she didn’t speak to anyone else at all.” Her face crumpled. “I should have gone with her. I asked her but she didn’t want me to come.”

Kane made a note of the name then looked at her. The girl was becoming distressed again, and he wanted to wind up the interview as soon as possible. “No other phone calls? Texts, social media?”

“No, I

don’t think so.” Livi wiped her eyes with her fingers. “Is there anything else?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind?” Kane glanced down at his notes. “Do you remember what she was wearing when she left the dorm?”

“Yeah, white crop top and pink skirt, silver sandals.” Livi gave him a blank stare as if thinking. “Her shoes were missing.” She blinked a few times then spoke almost like an automaton. “She was wearing her clothes in the shower but her new shoes were missing and her skirt was torn up one side. Her lip was cut too and she had a bruise on one cheek.” She drew a shuddering breath as if all the puzzle pieces had fit snugly into place. “Did Seth hurt her?”

Kane cleared his throat. “I’m not sure. Could you identify her shoes?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Tears streamed down the girl’s face as she gave a description of silver sandals with rhinestones. “I t-told her not to go.”

“Thanks.” Kane waited a beat for the girl to settle down. “Could you give me a description of her cellphone—make, cover, or whatever you remember?”

“It had a silver cover.” Livi wiped her eyes. “She’d stuck a yellow smiley emoji on the cover. She used them all the time; it was like her logo.” She let out a wail.

“Look… ah…” Kane stood. He’d never been any good with tears. “That’s all I need for now. If you show me your room, I’ll go inside and collect some of your things.”

“No, I can’t go back in there.” Livi shook her head. “My things are all on the right by the window. Chrissie had the cupboard and dresser on the left.” She gave him a long, sad stare. “You know, I came here because Black Rock Falls is one of the few campuses which have separate bathrooms in their dorms. Most have communal bathrooms. Now I wish I’d gone somewhere else, and then I wouldn’t have found her like that.”

Kane nodded. “I’ll go get your things.” He signaled to Rowley to follow him and headed out the room.

In the hallway, he went straight to Rose Bishop. “Where can we find Seth Lyons?”

“The quarterback?” Bishop’s eyes opened wide. “Just a moment.” She walked to a noticeboard and scanned a list. “Yes, I thought so— Lyons and a few other members of the football team left early Sunday morning to complete a special coaching session; they’ll be back later tonight around nine.”

“Okay, thanks.” Kane made a note and turned to Rowley. “Show me the crime scene.” He pulled latex gloves and booties from his pocket as he walked. “Did you go through hazing in your time here?”

“Nope.” Rowley shrugged. “I didn’t live on campus, so they left me alone.” He glanced at him. “You?”

“I was full grown at sixteen.” Kane flicked him a glance. “I was lucky, I guess. I’ve not met a man yet who’s able to intimidate me.”

“How did I know you’d say that?” Rowley stopped at a door covered with crime scene tape and pulled out his cellphone. “I took some pictures of the scene. I don’t recall seeing any shoes near or in the shower.” He handed the cellphone to Kane.

Kane scanned the photographs, zooming in on the position of the body, the pocketknife and an open makeup bag on the vanity. They’d found no note, no fingerprints on the knife. The incisions on her arms showed no hesitation. He glanced around and shook his head. What happened to you, Chrissie?

Three