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“No.”
“You know we have to ask,” Vince said apologetically.
“I understand that, yes.”
“Can you tell us where you were Monday night through Tuesday midday?” Mendez asked.
“I was at home Monday night. I left early Tuesday morning-around five-to drive to Sacramento.”
“We’ll talk to your wife, of course,” Vince said.
“Of course. I don’t have anything to hide.”
“You didn’t get back until last night?” Mendez asked.
“That’s right.”
“Did you know your daughter had found the body?”
“Yes. Sara-my wife-called and left messages at my hotel. I spoke with her later that evening.”
“But you didn’t come home.”
“I was in the middle of some very important business regarding funding for women’s shelters,” Morgan explained. “Wendy seemed to be fine, considering. Sara was shaken up but able to handle the situation. It didn’t make sense for me to drop the ball and go home.”
“You’re very dedicated to the center,” Vince said.
“They do important work that saves women’s lives and helps them make their lives better.”
“But you’re a man.”
Morgan raised his eyebrows. “Therefore I shouldn’t care about battered women? That’s a hell of an attitude.”
“I only meant that it isn’t often men get involved in women’s issues,” Vince said.
“Abuse isn’t a women’s issue, Detective. Abuse impacts families. Families aren’t gender specific.”
“Does it bother your wife that you give so much time to the center?” Mendez asked.
“Sara is very supportive,” Morgan said, checking his watch. “I’ve got a client coming in five minutes. Is there anything else, gentlemen?”
“You know Karly Vickers,” Mendez said.
“I’ve spoken with her. She was supposed to start work here Tuesday as a receptionist and file clerk. We were closed Monday. Don Qui
Morgan rose to his feet, signaling the meeting was over. “If I had any idea about any of this-Lisa’s murder, Karly Vickers-I would certainly tell you.”
“If anything comes to mind,” Mendez said, handing him a business card, “please call.”
“What do you think?” Mendez asked as they returned to the car.
“I think he couldn’t get us out of there fast enough,” Vince said. “I think you need to have a chat with Mrs. Morgan.”
29
Mr. Alvarez, who had played minor-league baseball, had chosen baseball for their gym unit. Mr. Alvarez liked a theme. During the baseball playoffs, they would play baseball. During the football playoffs, they would learn about football, and so on.
Tommy, who was the ultimate baseball fan, didn’t like playing baseball for gym, because they didn’t really play. Mr. Alvarez took time with each batter to help improve each one’s skills-a tall and tedious order for most of the girls, except for Wendy, who could catch and throw because her dad taught her. For Tommy, it was boring. They mostly just sat around.
He sat on the bench next to Wendy, watching Mr. Alvarez encourage the hapless and scrawny Kim Karloff to try to hold the bat upright. She looked like she was going to fall over from the weight of it.
“This is so lame,” he said.
Wendy didn’t comment. She had been very quiet all morning. Tommy reached over and poked her to make sure she was still alive. The words “quiet” and “Wendy” didn’t go together.
“What’s the matter with you?” Tommy asked.
“My dad came home last night.”
“You’re usually excited when your dad comes home.”
“He got home really late,” she said, “but I heard him. So I got out of bed, but when I got to the stairs, he and Mom were having a fight.”
“Oh,” was all Tommy could think to say. His mom was always trying to pick a fight with his dad.
“She was yelling at him for not coming home the night we found the dead lady. And he said he just couldn’t. And she said, ‘And where the hell were you?’ She said she tried to call him at his hotel, and they said he wasn’t even registered there. Then he said, ‘You know that was a mistake. I called you back.’ And then she said that the mistake was his and he should have covered his tracks better.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think she thinks he’s having an affair,” Wendy said. “You know, a love affair with some other woman, like on Dallas and Dynasty. People are always having affairs.”
Tommy didn’t know. He wasn’t allowed to watch very much television, and never anything like the shows Wendy was always talking about. He sometimes got to watch MacGyver, but MacGyver wasn’t interested in girls. He was too busy saving people. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know,” she said, exasperated. “Why do people do anything? Why did somebody kill that lady?”
“My dad says nobody really understands why someone turns into a serial killer.”
“That’s scary,” Wendy said. She looked past the end of the bench to where De
Tommy looked over at him. “Probably.”
“What do you think Miss Navarre did to him?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Miss Navarre is nice. She probably tried to talk some sense into him.”
“Ha! Like that could ever happen.”
De
“Don’t let him, Tommy. Stand up to him.”
No sooner had she said it than De
“And get my head knocked off?” Tommy said.
De
“Look,” he said. “It’s the lovebirds. Are you having sex yet?”
Tommy ignored him.
Wendy’s eyes flashed. “Shut up, De
“Is your gay boyfriend go
“You’re such a moron,” Wendy snapped. “You’re such a moron even other morons don’t want you hanging around.” She glanced meaningfully at Cody, who was bent over throwing up on the grass.
De
“If you weren’t such a moron that you got held back a year and now you’re bigger than everybody, somebody would kick your butt.”
De
Wendy stood up on the bench so she was taller than he was. Tommy looked to see if Mr. Alvarez had heard the C word.
Wendy was furious now, her hands clenched into fists. “You’re stupid. You’re stupid and everybody hates you!”
De
“I’m go
The tissue fell away, and Wendy screamed. De
Tommy lowered a shoulder and ran into De
Tommy took his fist and used it like a hammer on De
“You fucking little faggot!” De
Tommy tried to curl into a ball. He put his hands over his head to protect himself as De
Then suddenly his assailant was gone, dragged backward by the scruff of his neck by Mr. Alvarez, who was shouting something Tommy couldn’t understand. Stars spun before his one good eye.