who had killed Sibyl Adams.
Granted, Jeffrey was not prepared to be Ryan Gordon’s best friend, but there was something about the kid that set Jeffrey against him the minute they met. He had his eyebrow and both ears pierced as well as a ring hanging out from the septum in the middle of his nose. The ring looked black and crusty, more like something you would put in an ox rather than in a human nose. Jenny’s description of Ryan Gordon had not been kind, but in retrospect, Jeffrey thought she had been generous. Ryan looked filthy. His face was an oily mix of acne and healing scabs. His hair looked like it had not been washed in days. His black jeans and shirt were rumpled. There was an odd odor coming off him.
Julia Matthews was, by all accounts, a very attractive young woman. How someone like Ryan Gordon had managed to snag her was a mystery to Jeffrey. This said a lot about the type of kid Gordon was, if he could manage to control someone who could quite clearly do a hell of a lot better than him.
Jeffrey noticed the kind part of Lena that had earlier worked Jenny Price was long gone by the time they reached the study hall classroom. She walked purposefully into the room, ignoring the curious glances coming from the other students, mostly male, as she made a beeline for the kid sitting behind the desk in front of the class.
“Ryan Gordon?” she asked, leaning over the desk. Her jacket pulled back, and Jeffrey saw the kid’s eyes gave her gun a sharp glance. His lips stayed pressed into a tight, surly line, though, and when he answered, Jeffrey felt the urge to smack him.
Gordon said, “What’s it to you, bitch?”
Jeffrey grabbed the kid up by his collar and duck-walked him out of the room. Even as he did this, Jeffrey was certain there would be an angry message from the mayor before he got back to the office.
Outside the study room, he pushed Gordon into the wall. Jeffrey took out his handkerchief, wiping the grease off his hand. “They got showers in your dorm?” he asked.
Gordon’s voice was just as whiny as Jeffrey had expected. “This is police brutality.”
To Jeffrey’s surprise, Lena gave Gordon an open-palmed slap.
Gordon rubbed his cheek, his mouth turned down at the corners. He seemed to size Lena up. Jeffrey found the look he gave her almost comical. Ryan Gordon was thin as a rail, about Lena’s height if not her weight. She had attitude on him in spades. Jeffrey had no doubt that Lena would rip his throat open with her bare teeth if Gordon tried to push her.
Gordon seemed to understand this. He took on a passive posture, his voice a nasally whine, perhaps from the ring in his nose, which bobbed when he spoke. “What do you want from me, man?”
He held his arms up defensively as Lena’s hand reached out to his chest.
She said, “Put your hands down, you pussy.” She reached down into his shirt and pulled up the cross hanging on a chain around his neck.
“Nice necklace,” she said.
Jeffrey asked, “Where were you Monday afternoon?”
Gordon looked from Lena to Jeffrey. “What?”
“Where were you Monday afternoon?” Jeffrey repeated.
“I don’t know, man,” he whined. “Sleeping, probably.” He sniffed, rubbing his nose. Jeffrey fought the urge to cringe as the ring in his nose moved back and forth.
“Up against the wall,” Lena ordered, pushing him around. Gordon started to protest, but a look from Lena stopped him. He spread his arms and legs out, assuming the position.
Lena patted him down, asking, “I’m not going to find any needles, am I? Nothing that would hurt me?”
Gordon groaned, “No,” as she reached into his front pocket.
Lena smiled, pulling out a bag of white powder. “This isn’t sugar, is it?” she asked Jeffrey.
He took the bag, surprised that she had found it. This would certainly explain Gordon’s appearance. Drug addicts weren’t the most conscientious groomers in the world. For the first time that morning, Jeffrey was glad to have Lena around. He would never have thought to frisk the boy.
Gordon glanced over his shoulder, looking at the bag. “These aren’t my pants.”
“Right,” Lena snapped. Spinning Gordon around, she asked, “When was the last time you saw Julia Matthews?”
Gordon’s face registered his thoughts. He obviously knew where this was leading. The powder was the least of his problems. “We broke up a month ago.”
“That doesn’t answer the question,” Lena