Page 49 of Inherited Light
“So I’m cleared? I can go?” I asked, antsy to get out of this room and back to Cat.
“You can, but I was hoping you might help me brainstorm first. Do you have a few minutes?” he asked.
I took the icepack and held it to the back of my neck again. “If it means we figure out who did this before they hurt Cat again, I’ll help you any way I can.”
He nodded once and slid his notebook over by him. “What did Xavier say to you at the game this past weekend?”
I pictured us in the line and concentrated on his lips moving. I wanted to be sure I got it right. “He said there was a rumor I had a date with Cat. He warned me if I so much as looked at her, he would kill me.”
“But you did anyway?” he asked.
“I figured he was just being macho. You know how guys are. They’ll say something hoping their bravado is stronger than the other guy’s. I asked Cat about him Saturday night and she told me she used to date him. Used to, being the operative words. She can’t stand him,” I paused for a moment and let my eyes go closed. “Couldn’t stand him. She wanted nothing to do with him. Last night we were sure it was him who attacked us.”
He leaned forward on the table. “You know it still could have been him. We haven’t mapped his whereabouts for the time before he was killed.”
“Good point. I’m tired, my head hurts, and I’m trying to process as best I can.”
“I understand, Lorenzo. I’m frustrated something like this has happened to your family, again.”
I shrugged. “I guess we’re good at finding trouble.”
He shook his head and leaned back, tapping his pen. “No, I think you’re too good at helping people, and trouble finds you. You want to see the good in everyone, even when there isn’t any. The same thing happened to Tabitha. Granted, she took things too far, but in the end, she did the right thing.”
When he spoke about my sister I noticed something in his eyes which said more than his words. He hasn’t forgotten Tabitha. It made me wonder if he ever planned to act on the feelings of curiosity and wonder about her.
I shook my head and forced my mind back to the conversation. “Xavier and I have a long history of not getting along. It started in high school when he sat on the bench as a senior and I played in the ballgame as a freshman. It irked him, but I didn’t ask for special treatment. I played my heart out and the coach used me when he needed a solid hitter. Xavier couldn’t handle being overlooked. But since high school, other than an occasional Little League game, I haven’t had any contact with him.”
He leaned forward again and closed the notebook. “I would like to get your prints before you leave. I’ve sent the light bulb to forensics to check for prints. I’ll need yours to rule you out. Maybe we’ll get lucky, maybe we won’t, but we’ll give it a shot.”
“Sure, I’ll do it on the way out,” I said. That sparked my memory. “Oh, I also have a tire in the back of Cat’s van you should see.”
“A tire?” he asked, perplexed.
“The reason I took Cat home last night was because her van had a flat tire. I couldn’t change a flat in the parking lot on a full-size van, so I gave her a ride home with plans to get the van this morning. When I got there in the daylight, I discovered the tire slashed. Someone didn’t want her to leave the gallery last night.”
“You think the person would have grabbed her? Or?” he asked, leading me into an open question.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I pegged Xavier as the one to do it since he showed up at the gallery earlier in the night, Cat said. I pictured her coming out and seeing the flat, then him zooming in to rescue the damsel in distress.”
The ah-ha look crossed his face and he made notes on the notebook page, which he had opened. “Anything else you can remember about last night? Anything strange or out of the ordinary?”
“Other than being hit from behind by an unknown assailant?” He nodded. “No, but if I think of anything I’ll call you immediately,” I assured him. We both stood and he shook my hand.
“Let’s finish up with the prints and the tire and get you on your way back to Catalina.”
I followed him out of the door into the bustling station and walked with him to booking. “Did you know Tabitha is opening a new shop in the mall?” I asked nonchalantly.
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Last I visited with her she mentioned she was planning a new business, but was still working in marketing with SteakRound.”
“She’s working there for now while she plans the business, but will leave eventually. She still volunteers with the humane society. In fact, she’s going to be working at the carnival manning the booth for the new daycare and salon. If you’re not busy, we can always use all hands on deck.”
He worked his lips around as if he had to think about the offer. “I’ll see if I’m not on duty. When is it?”
“June twenty-ninth. We can always use extra security on the grounds. You know, in case you’d rather be there in an official unofficial position.”
He nodded for a few steps and held the door to booking for me. “I’ll let Foster know if I can make it. Thanks for the tip. When you’re done with prints we’ll get the tire and you can be on your way.”
I bit the inside of my lip to keep from smiling at the guy who obviously had a crush on my older sister. I let the uniformed officer take my prints and accepted the paper towel he handed me to wipe my fingers off.
