Bone Box. Faye Kellerman

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Chapter Three

      Rina was early, but Tilly Goldstein was even earlier. That was a good thing. Vegan Palace was already crowded and it was good that Tilly had snagged a table. The woman had blue eyes, short curly gray hair, and glasses that hung down from a chain around her neck. Today she had on a yellow, summery dress with short sleeves exposing thin arms and baggy skin. Rina slid into the chair opposite Tilly. Immediately they were handed menus by a young woman with blue hair who was studded with piercings and inked with tattoos. She told Tilly and Rina that her name was Sarah and she’d be back with water and pita bread.

      When she left, Tilly said, “She has such a pretty face. Why would she want to walk around with pins in her like a voodoo doll? And the tattoos? Do you understand tattoos?”

      “Kids get them to be unique. But when I see them, I immediately think of my parents, who were Holocaust survivors with tattooed numbers. What are you going to have?”

      “What are you going to have?”

      “I was thinking about the tofu curry or the vegan burger deluxe.”

      “Get the curry. I’ll get stir-fry. I like soba noodles.”

      Ten minutes later, Sarah came over to take the order. They made small talk until the food came. Then Tilly put her napkin on her lap.

      “So what’s this about finding a body at Bogat Trail?”

      “They found bones. Actually, I found bones.” Rina brought her up to speed. “Of course, the immediate thought was that it might be one of the missing girls from the colleges. Since you’ve been there for a while—”

      “Don’t remind me.”

      Rina pulled out a small pad. “What can you tell me about them?”

      “I remember Delilah better than Yvette because Delilah was more recent. It was very sad. She was coming home from a party about three years ago and never made it to her dorm at Clarion. Her disappearance caused this whole brouhaha about lax campus security especially at night. The colleges agreed to post more guards. The board also instituted this walk-home policy that if anyone—male or female—felt the need to be accompanied anywhere on the campus at any time, day or night, there would be someone available to them.”

      “Is the service used?”

      “All the time. It was said that Delilah had to be the sacrificial lamb before the colleges wised up that sometimes campuses can be unsafe places.”

      “I agree. But it seems like they’d have to hire an awful lot of guards to keep up with the demand.”

      “No, no, no. It’s like Uber. We have a huge list of students from all the colleges who are willing to walk other students to and fro for pocket change. A person calls the office and we check around to see who is available at that time. We usually have at least forty to fifty students on call.”

      “And how well are the students vetted?”

      Tilly looked perturbed. “Honestly, they probably aren’t vetted. But the security office does have a list of the students from the call logs. If there’s a problem, someone knows who was called out.”

      “Have there been problems?”

      “I haven’t heard, but if there were, I’m sure they’re not publicized.” Tilly dug into her stir-fry. “Hmmm … good.”

      “Yeah, the food’s really good. I can’t get my husband interested in vegetarian food.”

      “That’s just men,” Tilly said. “You know, your husband could probably talk to the colleges about the Delilah Occum disappearance.”

      “I’m sure he will.” Rina smiled. “What do you remember about Yvette Jones?”

      “She also disappeared at night. I don’t remember the circumstances, Rina. Just that she never made it back to her dorm room.”

      “I heard she was coming back from a lecture.”

      “A lecture?”

      “Something about socially conscious investing?”

      “Ah … that sounds like Hank Carter. He gives free lectures bi-monthly. They’re usually packed.”

      “This happened over seven years ago. He was giving lectures back then?”

      “He’s been at Morse McKinley for years. I’ve gone to a few of his talks. He’s a great speaker.”

      Rina wrote down the name. “When you say packed, like how many people?”

      “They’re at Murphy Hall, which holds at least three hundred students. He’s not the only one who gives free talks, but socially conscious investing is his topic. He’s been mining that pipeline for years.”

      There was a lull in the conversation as Rina scribbled a few notes.

      Tilly said, “Bogat Trail. That isn’t far from town.”

      “About fifteen minutes,” Rina looked up. “The hike isn’t exactly strenuous, either. It’s around two miles before you hit a fork. Then there’s a switchback or you can go farther, and I think that one trail is a four-mile loop. I’ve never taken that road. It’s too deep in the woods for my taste.”

      “I think you’re fearless just walking out there by yourself.”

      “I had a gun in my purse when I found the bones, but to tell you the truth I forgot about it.”

      “You carry a gun?”

      “It’s for protection, Tilly. The woods have critters. Haven’t you ever read Stephen King?”

      Tilly smiled. “You actually know how to shoot a gun?”

      “I do.”

      “You could actually shoot another human being?”

      “I’ve never been tested so I don’t know. I probably should go to the range, though. Hone my skills.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ