The Angel of Death by Alane Ferguson Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alane Ferguson
guess.”
“What do you know about him?”
Shrugging, she said, “Straight As, football, outdoorsy, hot-looking, super-smart—your basic perfect guy.”
Justin stopped moving now, so suddenly she almost ran into him. Turning, he looked down at her, his eyes intense, and Cameryn, who was almost a full foot shorter, was forced to look up. From this angle she saw how square Justin’s jaw was, and how his ears looked translucent in the light. She put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and waited, but Justin watched her, silent.
“What?” she finally said.
“I’ve never heard you talk that way before. Using my deductive powers, I’d say you have a thing for him.”
“Nobody says ‘thing’ anymore, Justin,” she whispered. “Let’s just say every girl would like to go out with Kyle, except he usually hits on girls from Ouray or Durango. We small-towners aren’t quite good enough, I guess.”
Justin signaled her to lean in close; suddenly his voice was low, conspiratorial. He placed his palm on the opposite wall, effectively blocking her off from the rest of the hallway, and when he spoke, his breath was warm on her cheek. “Well now, just so you know, I don’t like the guy.”
“Really? Why not?” Cameryn asked. “Do you think he had something to do with—?”
“No. Nothing to do with the case—at least, nothing I can put my finger on.”
“Then what?”
Justin hesitated. “There’s something off about Silverton’s wunderkind. He answers questions . . . but he doesn’t really. It’s like he’s programmed. You know what I mean?” He’d taken off his jacket, and Cameryn could see a sweat stain beneath his arm. Dark blue with a tiny edge of white, the salt from his sweat, a miniature wave on a shoreline.
“I’m afraid I don’t,” she replied.
“I’ve been talking to him for half an hour, and I feel like I’ve verbally gone in circles. I’m asking for your help. When we’re in the kitchen, I want you to try to get him to open up—you know, just to get the conversational gears moving. I’ll take it from there.”
She waited a beat before answering. “Except I’m assistant to the coroner, not assistant to the deputy. Interviewing witnesses is not in my contract.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “So how much will your help cost the fine citizens of Silverton?”
“That’s the thing—I don’t think they can afford me.”
“Just get him to talk, Cameryn. So far I haven’t been able to get inside his head. I don’t know, maybe he’s got a thing with authority figures.”
“You said ‘thing’ again.”
“So I did.”
He was looking at her, low-lidded, in a way she knew her father wouldn’t have approved, since Justin was twenty-one and Cameryn was still in high school. But her father was in the other room taping Mr. Oakes’s wrists.
“Here’s a thought,” Justin said softly. “Since you’re demanding payment, how about I buy you lunch when we’re done here? We could talk about the case, see what we come up with. You help me and get a lunch in the bargain, thereby killing two birds with one stone. What do you say?”
Cameryn pulled her hands from her pockets. She looked back to see if anyone was watching. No one was, so with her right hand she pushed against Justin’s arm, breaking free. There was no way she could complicate her life any further than it already was, because there was no more room inside her, not for anything.
“Thanks for the offer,” she replied, “but you’re right. I shouldn’t worry about my job description when you need help. I need to be more altruistic than that.”
“Altruistic? Wait—Cammie,” he stammered, “what are you talking about?”
“I mean I’ll try to talk to Kyle, no strings attached. Doubt it will do any good, but I’ll try.”
His eyes widened. “But what about lunch and killing two birds with one stone?”
“Some other time.”
As she headed for
“What do you know about him?”
Shrugging, she said, “Straight As, football, outdoorsy, hot-looking, super-smart—your basic perfect guy.”
Justin stopped moving now, so suddenly she almost ran into him. Turning, he looked down at her, his eyes intense, and Cameryn, who was almost a full foot shorter, was forced to look up. From this angle she saw how square Justin’s jaw was, and how his ears looked translucent in the light. She put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and waited, but Justin watched her, silent.
“What?” she finally said.
“I’ve never heard you talk that way before. Using my deductive powers, I’d say you have a thing for him.”
“Nobody says ‘thing’ anymore, Justin,” she whispered. “Let’s just say every girl would like to go out with Kyle, except he usually hits on girls from Ouray or Durango. We small-towners aren’t quite good enough, I guess.”
Justin signaled her to lean in close; suddenly his voice was low, conspiratorial. He placed his palm on the opposite wall, effectively blocking her off from the rest of the hallway, and when he spoke, his breath was warm on her cheek. “Well now, just so you know, I don’t like the guy.”
“Really? Why not?” Cameryn asked. “Do you think he had something to do with—?”
“No. Nothing to do with the case—at least, nothing I can put my finger on.”
“Then what?”
Justin hesitated. “There’s something off about Silverton’s wunderkind. He answers questions . . . but he doesn’t really. It’s like he’s programmed. You know what I mean?” He’d taken off his jacket, and Cameryn could see a sweat stain beneath his arm. Dark blue with a tiny edge of white, the salt from his sweat, a miniature wave on a shoreline.
“I’m afraid I don’t,” she replied.
“I’ve been talking to him for half an hour, and I feel like I’ve verbally gone in circles. I’m asking for your help. When we’re in the kitchen, I want you to try to get him to open up—you know, just to get the conversational gears moving. I’ll take it from there.”
She waited a beat before answering. “Except I’m assistant to the coroner, not assistant to the deputy. Interviewing witnesses is not in my contract.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “So how much will your help cost the fine citizens of Silverton?”
“That’s the thing—I don’t think they can afford me.”
“Just get him to talk, Cameryn. So far I haven’t been able to get inside his head. I don’t know, maybe he’s got a thing with authority figures.”
“You said ‘thing’ again.”
“So I did.”
He was looking at her, low-lidded, in a way she knew her father wouldn’t have approved, since Justin was twenty-one and Cameryn was still in high school. But her father was in the other room taping Mr. Oakes’s wrists.
“Here’s a thought,” Justin said softly. “Since you’re demanding payment, how about I buy you lunch when we’re done here? We could talk about the case, see what we come up with. You help me and get a lunch in the bargain, thereby killing two birds with one stone. What do you say?”
Cameryn pulled her hands from her pockets. She looked back to see if anyone was watching. No one was, so with her right hand she pushed against Justin’s arm, breaking free. There was no way she could complicate her life any further than it already was, because there was no more room inside her, not for anything.
“Thanks for the offer,” she replied, “but you’re right. I shouldn’t worry about my job description when you need help. I need to be more altruistic than that.”
“Altruistic? Wait—Cammie,” he stammered, “what are you talking about?”
“I mean I’ll try to talk to Kyle, no strings attached. Doubt it will do any good, but I’ll try.”
His eyes widened. “But what about lunch and killing two birds with one stone?”
“Some other time.”
As she headed for