Page 336 of Sticks and Stones
The man stopped.
“Are you Derek Calloway?” Gene asked.
The man nodded as he looked back and forth in complete confusion over who was at their door.
And why.
“Did the RA call and tell you I was illegally using my crockpot?” he asked. “Because I swear I just use it to make food. I unplug it when I’m not in the room, so it’s not a fire hazard.”
Gene rolled his eyes.
“We’re not here because you’re cooking chicken in your downtime, Son. We’re here to talk to you about your once roommate, Elliot Graves.”
He looked confused.
“Oh. I told a cop all about that once. Wait? Did they find Elliot?” he asked.
They were aware that he’d talked to Corbin, but now, he was talking to them.
“That’s true, but it’s been passed off to the FBI, and we’d like to hear it again,” Ethan offered. “As for was he found, yeah, he was. Dead.”
The man blinked.
“Oh, man, that sucks. I’m sorry to hear that. Sure, I’ll help anyway I can. Come on. Don’t mind the mess. I’m a college kid,” he said, leading him in after that warning.
When the light was turned on, the room was definitely a mess.
Maybe mess was an understatement. It looked like a bomb went off in there. No wonder the resident assistant was worried about a fire.
That person should be worried about even more stuff too. Like rodents.
“I have a new roommate, but he doesn’t stay here often. Mostly, he’s with his girlfriend at her place,” he stated, sharing why there was a ton of shit all over the other man’s bed.
They moved some clothes that were tossed on the roommate’s bed to sit.
“Tell us about the day that Elliot went missing,” Gene stated.
And Derek did just that.
“He went out one night, and never came back. Elliot was a decent guy, but he was quiet and kept to himself. He didn’t talk about personal things, or share much,” Derek admitted.
Ethan was making notes—if they varied from what Corbin had learned.
“Did he have a significant other?” Gene asked, trying to cover his bases.
The kid shook his head.
“Not that I know,” he stated. “If he did, he kept it on the DL,” he added. “I know I asked, and he wasn’t interested in the ladies, if you know what I mean.”
Oh, Gene knew what he meant.
It was clear that Derek was not gay. There were more posters of women in this room per capita, and almost all were tits out.
Or ass out.
This was a horror room for him, and likely Elliot if he was, indeed, gay. Imagine waking up with some pop singer’s tits staring at you every day.
That would kill the morning wood.
