Joe Court 1.5-The Girl Who Came Back by Culver Chris

Author:Culver, Chris [Culver, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, American Suspense, Police Procedural, Crime Thriller, Murder Investigation, Missouri
Published: 2023-01-17T05:00:00+00:00

9

I had interviewed Andrew Price in the Campus Center’s lobby, so I headed in that direction first. As expected, he wasn’t there, but an alumnus who knew him was lounging in the lobby and suggested I try the History Department’s lecture on the Mississippi River and illegal alcohol smuggling. That led me to the auditorium in the Wilson Center for Performing Arts.

The room held about 200 seats, each occupied by an alumnus. Around a dozen people stood at the back while a historian shared stories about moonshiners and smugglers who hid their illicit goods in the limestone caves that dotted the landscape around St. Augustine. The stories were funny, entertaining, and engrossing. The lecturer connected events on land owned by Waterford College to national struggles and even to Al Capone and the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago.

Fifteen minutes after my arrival, the historian, a tenured faculty member at the college, finished his lecture and “dismissed” the class to scattered chuckles and a standing ovation. I slipped out into the hallway before anyone else could leave and watched for Andrew as the crowd exited. Even as the last alumni left, I still hadn’t seen him, so I peeked inside. He and several lecture-goers were on the stage, talking to the professor.

I walked down the main aisle. Someone had turned on the room lights. When Andrew saw me, he furrowed his brow. I maintained direct eye contact, smiled, and motioned for him to come to me. He excused himself from the group and stepped off the stage.

“Detective,” he said, nodding. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“Me, either, but here I am,” I said.

His eyes scanned me up and down, his feet shuffled, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. His smile seemed forced.

“Yes, here you are,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

“How well did you know Gwen Adams?”

His smile faltered, and he cleared his throat as he shuffled backward. Then he furrowed his brow and shook his head.

“The name isn’t familiar. Sorry.”

“Are you sure?”

He frowned and took a deep breath.

“Yeah. I think so. I’m not familiar with the name.”

“Oh, really?” I asked, pretending to be surprised. “She was a petite young woman with brown hair, green eyes, and skin slightly darker than mine. She was pretty. You may have met her at the party at the Campus Center last night. If you don’t remember her, maybe your spouse does. Is she around?”

He placed a hand on my elbow and stepped closer to me. I pulled back.

“Don’t do that,” I said, smiling but injecting sharpness into my voice. He held up his hands defensively.

“I didn’t mean any offense,” he said. “I just thought we could talk.”

“We can. I’ll even have someone pick you up and take you to my station.”

He sighed and closed his eyes.

“Is that necessary?”

“Was it necessary to lie to me about your relationship with Gwen Adams?”

He glanced around before shaking his head.

“We didn’t have a relationship,” he said, smiling toward a couple on our right. “Can we talk somewhere more private?”

“Where?” I asked.

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