Silver Drive by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

4

Honey

“What?” I said.

Lawrence Cobb was dead?

“What?” I said again. “How did he die? I didn’t even know he was sick.”

“Preliminary results indicate that Mr. Cobb ingested a toxic substance last night,” said the oldest of the Homeland Security officers, a stocky lieutenant whose nameplate read FRANKLIN. “Are you Charlotte Mercer?”

“Yes, sir,” I said, playing the helpful, frightened civilian.

“Can you account for your whereabouts between eight PM and eleven PM last night?” said Franklin.

“I was at home, by myself,” I said. “I watched TV until ten, and then I went to bed because I had work the next day.”

None of that was true. I had slept in my van in a big box parking store lot to rest before stealing Cobb’s records. For that matter, none of the information I had created for Charlotte Mercer was valid. It would hold up to surface-level examination, but if the Homeland Security officers dug a little deeper, it would all fall apart.

Needless to say, this was bad.

“Can anyone corroborate that?” said Franklin.

“No, I was by myself,” I said. “I don’t really have many friends.”

Franklin only grunted and wrote in his notebook.

“How did Mr. Cobb die?” I said. “He seemed like such a sweet old man.”

Julietta’s lip crinkled. “You killed him! He spurned your advances, and you snuck into our party and poisoned him!”

“Mr. and Mrs. Cobb hosted a party at their home last night,” said Franklin. “Sometime around 10 PM, Mr. Cobb ingested a toxic substance and died before the paramedics could arrive.”

“I didn’t know they were having a party,” I said. “I don’t even know where they live.”

“Lies!” said Julietta. “Check her locker, officer. Check her locker. You’ll find the poison there, I know it. Lee saw her putting it in her locker, he told me!

Lee? Did she mean Lee Kerwin?

A dark suspicion started to form in my mind.

“What locker?” I said.

“Your employee locker,” said Julietta. “Don’t play coy! You have one.”

“I’ve never used it,” I said, which was the truth. “I just lock my stuff in my car.”

“I’ve seen you move stuff in and out of it,” said Julietta. “I demand that you search her locker at once!”

Franklin grunted. He had a perfectly neutral expression. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. If he played poker, I bet he won most of his bluffs. “Do you consent to a search, Miss Mercer?”

“It doesn’t matter,” snapped Julietta. “This is my property, I owned it with my husband. I give consent to search the premises.”

“Very well,” said Franklin. “If you’ll show us the way to the employee lockers, please. Miss Mercer, if you would accompany us?”

The two other officers moved between me and the door. I was pretty sure that coming along wasn’t voluntary.

“Sure,” I said.

Julietta led the way into the back. The employee lounge was much less lavish than the rest of the gallery, with a couple of folding tables, a coffee machine, and a row of metal lockers. I couldn’t remember off the top of my head which one was mine. Two doors next to the lockers led to the employee bathrooms, one for men, one for women.

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