Page 39 of Random in Death

“Jake did that. He did that only a handful of minutes after whoever hurt her walked away. The medicals arrived only a couple minutes after that, and they couldn’t help her, either.”

“Why did he do it? Why did he kill her? She never hurt anybody. We’re only sixteen years old.”

“We’re going to do everything we can to find out why, to find out who, and to put him away where he can’t hurt anyone else. Can you think back again, earlier? Did anyone try to pressure Jenna to dance?”

“We danced with some guys, some other girls a few times. Mostly everybody just bops, right?” Leelee’s brow furrowed as she tried to think. “I guess we all said ‘no, thanks’ a couple times because we were doing something else? Like we wanted a drink or had to pee or whatever. Mostly we danced together.”

“Did anybody get, ah, snarly?”

The girls looked at each other, both shook their heads.

“How about farther back, before last night. Anyone she dated who wanted more than she did?”

“She’d have told us that for sure, and she didn’t. She didn’t have the mood to date-date yet. She wanted to stay loose because she had plans. Songwriting, practicing, putting an act together. She figured to solo artist because she didn’t know anybody who wanted what she wanted, or not enough.”

“Someone who wanted to go out with her, and she said no?”

“I can’t think of anybody.” Chelsea looked at Leelee, got another head shake. “I mean if somebody asked, and she wasn’t into something, she’d go out. We’d probably make it a group. Leelee’s got a guy.”

“We’re not wrapped.” Leelee spoke quickly, with one sidelong glance at her mother. “We mostly hang. But he’s on vacation with his fam, so he couldn’t go last night. Anyway, if you mean like back in school, she never had a solid, didn’t want one. But she got along, you know? She wasn’t a wheeze, or like the weebs some of the bruisers pick on, or the tots who flaunt it.”

“Or a teaser or geek.”

“Maybe sort of a music geek.”

Chelsea managed a smile. “Yeah, maybe sort of.”

“All right. If you think of anything—any little thing, any incident, anything—you can contact me or Detective Peabody.”

“Lieutenant,” Maddie began, “both girls would very much like to see Jenna’s family. When it’s appropriate.”

“We’ll see them later today. I’ll let them know. I’m sure they’ll contact you. Again, we appreciate you coming in, appreciate all your help. Do you need transportation?”

“No, we’re fine.” Audrey rose, offered her hand. “It’s hard for us, and we appreciate your understanding. I know your reputations. I’m going to say please find him, Lieutenant, Detective. Please find him.”

They walked the group as far as the bullpen, waited while they caught a glide down.

“What the hell is a dooser?” Eve demanded.

“Oh, a cross between a dick and a loser.”

Eve considered. “That’s a good one. Do I need to know weeb and tots? The rest was self-evident.”

“No, but basically boring or awkward for weeb and tots are slutty types.”

“All right then, we’re looking for a dooser in, probably, black baggies, maybe shortish, no further description.”

“It’s more than we had.”

“It is that. And she didn’t react, not violently ill, at least for a couple minutes. Time for him to book it, for the song to end, for the three girls to separate. Jenna very likely thought the elbow jab initially. What kid’s going to think that dooser stuck me with a needle full of heroin and whatever the fuck else he could think of?”

“And she was riding on The Smile. It plays out. She’s excited, head-spinning giddy. It’s hot, she’s breathless. She’s sixteen and going to live forever anyway.”

“It probably didn’t really kick in until she was headed back to the table. Felt floaty, okay, The Smile, the heat, the dancing. But now, feel sick, feel wrong—turn off for the ladies’, but it’s bad, and there’s that line ahead of her.”

“Try for the alley,” Peabody continued. “Can’t make it before her stomach heaves up.”

“By then her arm’s probably burning, and some part of her thinks about the jab. Sick, confused, hurting, she stumbled out into the alley.

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