Page 34 of The Perfect Obsession
“No worries,” Jessie told him.“Better safe than sorry.”
Tinker nodded and spoke into his walkie-talkie.A few seconds later, a second armed guard appeared.
“This is Perry,” Tinker said.“He’ll escort you to Mr.Carroway’s office.I assume you don’t want me to call ahead to let him know you’re coming?”
“We’d prefer not,” Ryan said.
Perry, lanky with straw-colored hair, gave them a thin smile and waved them over.They walked down a long hallway with elaborate decorative tiles adorning the floor.Jessie almost felt bad for stepping on them.Photos of the town of Camarillo, dating back to the 1910s, lined the walls.
“You’re lucky,” Perry said, glancing at his watch.“It’s 11:10.Mr.Carroway’s morning classes ended about ten minutes ago.He has his office hours now.Otherwise, you’d have had to wait around.”
Since it was moot, Jessie didn’t say that if they’d arrived earlier, they would have had no compunction about pulling Carroway out of his classroom for questioning.She could tell from Ryan’s scowl that he felt the same way.
“What do you think of Mr.Carroway?”Jessie asked, hoping to get some off-the-record dirt.
Perry gave her a sidelong shrug.“He’s okay, I guess.Why?Did he do something bad?”
“We’re just hoping he can help us out with a case we’re working on,” Jessie said as blandly as possible.“What makes you think he might have done something bad?”
“I don’t,” Perry said quickly.“I mean, I could see him getting into trouble for like, starting an argument with someone that could spin out of control.He’s a little impatient, short-tempered even.But as far as something serious that would bring the LAPD all the way out here, that seems like a lot, even for him.”
The guard stopped at a wooden door with a frosted-glass window that they couldn’t see through and knocked.
“Office hours appointments need to be scheduled in advance!”came the barked reply from inside.
“Dr.Carroway, it’s Perry from security.I have visitors who would like to speak with you.”
“Have them make an appointment,” Carroway shouted dismissively.
“They’re not those kinds of visitors,” Perry replied.“They’re with the police.”
Jessie heard a loud thud, then the sound of scrambling.She glanced over at Ryan, wondering if he was thinking what she was: that it would be a wild move for the man to try to sneak out.But if he was their guy, he might get desperate.Ryan had the same look of apprehension that she felt.
“Step back, Perry,” he whispered as he unholstered his gun.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Jessie saw that the guard hadn’t fully processed the instruction and grabbed him by the shoulder, tugging him away from the door.
“Stay here.”Her voice was hushed as she undid her holster and rested her hand on her gun.
“Should I take out mine too?”Perry asked.
“Absolutely not,” she hissed.
Ryan took a step back into the hallway and was about to kick in the door when a shadow appeared in the frosted window.A second later, the door opened.
“What the hell is this all about?”Carroway demanded before he’d even fully come into view.
Ryan quickly holstered his gun, though he left his hand on it.Once the door opened wide, they got a good look at Dr.Marcus Carroway.He seemed like he’d had better days.
The man’s thinning hair was gray and haphazardly combed.He had bifocals, which dangled from a thin chain around his neck.He wore rumpled khaki slacks and had missed a button on his wrinkled button-down dress shirt.His tie had been loosened and dangled below his belt buckle.His eyes were bloodshot, and his skin was blotchy.If Jessie hadn’t already known that he was 59, she would have guessed that he was closer to 70.
“Dr.Carroway,” Ryan said, projecting calm in the face of the teacher’s agitation, “I’m Detective Hernandez with the LAPD.This is my partner, Ms.Hunt.We need to ask you a few questions.”
Carroway squinted at them both and then at Perry.“Tinker authorized their presence?”
“He did,” Perry said nervously.
