Page 339 of Sticks and Stones
That was pretty common.
Derek continued.
“What I know is that he didn’t want to let his grades slip at all. If they did, they got a call from the scholarship committee.”
Ethan made notes.
This was information they didn’t have before from Corbin’s questioning.
“Whenever Julian called, Elliot tended to get twitchy. The one time his GPA dropped a little, because he had Mono, so he had to go to the committee and explain it.”
Yowza.
That was strict.
That explained the kid always studying.
“And does this Julian have a last name?” Gene asked, already knowing about the guy from Ethan’s research.
The kid nodded.
“I think it’s Mercer. All I know is that the dude was very hands-on when it came to the scholarships. They were always in contact. Elliot had him in his phone and on speed dial. I told him to just get student loans. It was stressing him the hell out way too much.”
Yeah, they could see that.
What they also knew was this wasn’t anything surprising.
Julian Mercer was on their interview list for later today.
Unfortunately for Gene and Ethan, when it came to finding information, it was time to bounce.
This kid didn’t have much for them to use.
“We appreciate your help,” Gene said, standing up, when he and Ethan were done.
“No problem,” Derek said. “I’m sorry about Elliot,” he added. “Really, I am.”
They didn’t doubt that.
Outside of the room, they walked toward the elevator before talking.
Once inside it, they shared what they were both thinking about what they’d learned.
“The kid sounded stressed,” Gene admitted. “What do you think we should do about the Julian dude?” he asked. “That he was in touch with him and the kid was calling him…”
Ethan thought about it.
“I mean, we know he’s wealthy, and from what the five, dipshit bikers said about the supplier, he had a nice car and money. That tracks with the scholarship guy. I don’t think we can skip a step, so we have to talk to him and maybe ask what kind of car he drives. It is weird he was in the kid’s phone, and up his ass about grades.”
Gene knew his partner was onto something. He had that look on his face like something about the case was bothering him.
“Like I told you guys yesterday, I had a lot of scholarships, and I never once heard from the people who awarded me with it. I had classes which dropped my GPA from time to time, but nada. That’s unusual. With a scholarship, you just had to stay above a certain GPA or lose eligibility.”
Yeah, he figured.
It had sounded weird to him too.
“We should ask the rest of the interview people about Julian Mercer, and then hit him up after the last interview,” he suggested. “Well, him and the professor. They’re neck and neck with being on my suspicion list.”
