Till She Was Done by R. Barri Flowers

Author:R. Barri Flowers [R. Barri Flowers]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Level Best Books
Published: 2023-04-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty

“Stop the car,” Paige said to Garrison, “there he is.” She was referring to Jaden Porter, who attended the graveside service for Ben, whom he was friends with in high school. Jaden was also Quinn’s alibi for at least part of the time when Stefany was believed to have been killed. While Paige had no reason to believe Quinn wasn’t on the level with her, it was still standard procedure to verify alibis and officially cross people off the list. Jaden was walking unsteadily, looking as if he was lost.

Garrison pulled alongside the curb ahead of him. “Let’s see if Porter can vouch for Vogel’s whereabouts.”

They got out of the car and approached the man. Paige had not known Jaden well in high school, but recalled that he ran track and had potential, which he apparently never lived up to. He’d been in trouble with the law, mostly for minor drug offenses and, according to mutual friends, had been dating off and on Henry Cunningham’s younger sister Charlotte.

Garrison took the lead, saying to him, “Jaden Porter, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” He eyed him warily. “Who’s asking?”

Garrison flashed his badge. “Detective Stanton, Landen Creek PD. We just need to ask you a couple of questions.”

“What about?” he demanded uneasily, turning to Paige.

“Hey, Jaden.” She gave him a little grin. “Detective Lombard. We went to high school together.”

Jaden regarded her, straining for recognition. “Yeah, I remember. You were sweet on Ben Huxley.”

“Till I wasn’t,” she told him tersely, glancing at Garrison and back.

Jaden made a face in agreement. “I heard that.”

“Still, we both paid our respects at his funeral, if only for old times’ sake, right?”

He nodded musingly. “Yeah.”

“Unfortunately, Jaden, we’re looking into the death of one of our other former classmates,” Paige told him. “Stefany Judd.”

“Stefany’s dead?” He looked genuinely shocked. Or was it scared?

“I’m afraid so,” she said. “Sometime yesterday, after the funeral wake at Raquel’s house, someone shot Stefany to death in her apartment.”

Jaden’s eyes widened. “You think I killed her?”

“No.” Paige supposed she could imagine him following Stefany to her place and killing her in the process of stealing money for drugs. But since he wasn’t at the wake, as far as Paige knew, she felt this was a stretch. Besides, they were only questioning him to support Quinn’s assertion. “One of the last persons known to have seen Stefany was Quinn Vogel.”

“Quinn….” Jaden shuffled his gym shoes. “You’re blaming him for her death?”

“We’re not blaming anyone at the moment,” Garrison interjected. “But Vogel did say that after he left the wake, he saw you at Rawley’s Saloon. Is that true or not?”

“It’s true,” he answered without forethought. “We had drinks and got reacquainted.”

That was good enough for Paige to clear Quinn. And Jaden, for that matter. “That’s all we needed to know, Jaden,” she told him in a friendly tone. “We won’t keep you any longer.”

Jaden frowned. “First Ben and now Stefany. Hope someone’s not trying to send us a message.”

“What type of message might that be?” Garrison asked interestedly.

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