Page 44 of Nightshade

“Does she have family back there?”

“Well, she has a father back there who started raping her when she was thirteen. And a mother who let it happen. There’s an older brother somewhere but they lost touch after he left home. And that’s about it as far as she ever told me.”

“You were her family—while it lasted.”

“I guess so.”

“But that’s over. Correct?”

“Yes, correct. That’s what I’ve been telling you.”

“Well, what I’m trying to figure out is who she’s with now. If I know that, then I can leave you alone and go knock on that door. You understand?”

“I understand but I can’t help you. I have no idea who she’s with. I only know she’s not with me.”

“And that hurts, doesn’t it?”

Galloway shook his head and jumped up from the couch.

“That’s it!” he yelled. “You need to go. Now. I’m not answering any more questions.”

He pointed at the apartment’s front door. Stilwell didn’t move.

“Peter, sit down,” he said. “Please. This is a criminal investigation. You have to understand that you either talk to me here or I take you to the Hall of Justice, where we talk in a room with no windows.”

He waited and Galloway finally sat back down.

“Thank you,” Stilwell said. “Tell me what you know about Leigh-Anne’s job out on Catalina.”

“I don’t know anything about it,” Galloway said, “except that she works at a private club.”

“How’d she get the job?”

“I don’t know. She met some guy at a party and he told her about it.”

“A party here or on the island?”

“Here, I think. I wasn’t there.”

“Was this guy a member of the private club on Catalina?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask her. It wasn’t like I wanted to know all the details. All I know is she got a job over there.”

“And she never talked about it with you?”

“She just said it was this fancy club full of rich guys and that it was supposed to be a fishing club—men only—but these guys just go out there to get away from their wives and fuck around. That’s why she wanted the job.”

“She was looking for a hookup.”

“Wow, you must be some kind of a detective or something.”

Stilwell ignored the sullen sarcasm. “Did you ever get on an Express and go see her over there?”

“No, I’ve never been there. I told you, man, we aren’t together anymore. Why would I go?”

“Because you still want to be together?”

Galloway shook his head as though he were trying to shake off a bad dream. He looked away and didn’t answer. But in his silence was the answer.

---