Gone Too Far (Devlin & Falco #2) - Debra Webb Page 0,31
Might keep them out of an Ivy League institution.”
To a degree, this was true of any parent. Sykes should know that. He had three kids of his own. No one wanted their child to carry any sort of shame for the rest of their lives. At least not as long as unfair social stigma existed.
Kerri argued, “Then you can’t be sure Cortez didn’t know the students or play some part in their decision to, as you say, check out.” Was throwing another kid under the bus necessary to rule out the possibility of Tori’s involvement in this nightmare? The idea cramped inside Kerri.
Had she become that parent?
Could she do the same with Sarah Talley? A kid she had known for nearly a decade? Tori’s friend?
Nothing about this was simple and certainly not painless.
“Did Tori say something that suggested Cortez might be that kind of kid?”
The question Sykes posed was the same one Kerri would have asked had their roles been reversed. “No.” She opted not to mention the comment her daughter had made about how creepy the Cortez home was. “Tori’s statement hasn’t changed.”
Peterson eyed Kerri speculatively. “Are you and Talley’s mother close?”
She took a moment to consider the question. “We’re not close as in best friends or anything like that. We’ve known each other since our girls started kindergarten together. Our kids have had countless sleepovers. We’ve spent plenty of time together on the soccer field when our girls played. We’ve worked together at school fundraisers.” She shrugged. “I suppose that makes us mom friends. Why do you ask?”
“No reason,” Peterson lied. “Just another blank to fill. You know how it goes.”
If it was just another blank to fill, why the obvious lie? The untruth had shown in his flinch and the diverting of his gaze. Kerri couldn’t be sure if he’d been attempting to prompt some sort of reaction from her or if Renae Talley had maybe said something negative about Tori. The latter made no sense. What could she possibly say negative about Tori?
“We should get going.” Sykes moved around Kerri and reached for the jacket hanging on the back of his chair.
“Yeah.” Peterson skirted his desk and grabbed his own jacket. “See you later, Devlin.”
Kerri gave a little wave as she watched them go. Oh yes. Those two had wanted a reaction. She ignored the emotion coiling in her gut. She refused to give them any sort of ammunition.
She would ask Renae herself. They’d been friends for years. No reason they couldn’t talk about this.
“You ready?”
Falco’s voice snapped Kerri from the troubling thought. “Yeah. Sure.”
For now, she needed her mind on this double homicide. Tori would never hurt anyone. Whatever happened, the trouble lay with someone else.
The problem was the other girls’ families were likely thinking the same thing.
Leo’s Tobacconist
Oak Grove Road
Homewood, Noon
After a call from the Crime Scene Unit as they left the office, their first stop was a return to the residence of Leo Kurtz to meet the forensic folks. His home was like his Bronco. Vintage with a definite collector’s appeal. The place was small but elegant in an understated way. The sort of home, Kerri considered, perfect for a single man or couple who had no desire for the burden of a larger property.
Despite their second look, unless the forensic sweep underway turned up something, the place was clean of anything useful to the case. Definitely nothing to suggest any sort of tie-in on Kurtz’s part with drug activity or any ongoing relationship or connection to Walsh.
Thankfully, Kerri and Falco’s second stop proved a bit more fruitful. Tara McGill had come through like a champ. All eight employees of Leo’s Tobacconist, including McGill, had been seated around the bar. Officer Franklin had waited with them to ensure no one went into the stockroom or the office and that no one compared stories.
Franklin continued to babysit while Kerri and Falco used the employee lounge area for a sort of interrogation room. So far, every single person they had interviewed had said the same thing. Leo was a great guy, an amazing boss with no known enemies. There were no problems whatsoever. Until George Caldwell was up. Caldwell had worked for Kurtz the longest. When he joined Kerri and Falco in the stockroom, his unease was immediately visible.
As soon as the preliminary details and questions were out of the way, Caldwell blurted, “Leo was a little distracted lately. I can’t say why; I only know he seemed worried.”