Shoot Me Down

Part 15

Caleb nods, his expression is still smooth. The only way I can tell he’s nervous is that his right hand is clutching the sofa cushion tightly. “We saw her last Saturday night, the night of the party. A lot of people did. She came in, screamed at us, and left.”

            Officer Love’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, so you had a fight the night she went missing?”He scribbles something on a note pad, but Caleb keeps talking. “Yeah, she was really drunk. She was saying we only liked her for her money, and screaming that we weren’t her friends, I dunno.” He shrugs, frowning and shaking his head. “I’m never sure what kind of mood she’s going to be in next.”

            “Interesting.” Officer Holt leans forward. “Would you say that she’s prone to mood swings or unpredictable behavior?”

            I grit my teeth as Caleb nods. He’s trying to make it out like I’m some sort of crazy person. Where’s he going with this?

            “She’s a bit nuts,” Caleb says. “Fun to party with though. But she was always ranting about something. Her friends, or me, or her parents…”

            “She didn’t have a good relationship with her parents?” Officer Holt asks, arching one over-plucked brow at Caleb.

            Caleb lets out a snort of laughter. “Definitely not. She pretty much hates them. They’re too busy for her. Her dad’s some comic book writer or something, so they’re always off at some conference. They never have time for her.”

            At this point I’m so mad that there might be smoke coming out of my nostrils. I’m clutching the end of my sweater so tightly my fingertips have gone numb. Briefly I wonder if it’s an effort for him to speak about me in the present tense. I cross my fingers and hope that he’ll slip up and say “she was”. That would raise some questions.

            “And that upset her?” Officer Holt says, leaning forward intently. “Did she ever voice the desire to run away, or talk about it at all?”

            Caleb shrugs, he looks upset, and I want to scream in frustration. How can he be so good at lying? He’s so convincing. “She talked about it, sure,” he says, “but I never took her seriously.” He drops his head, running his hand through his hair. He looks distressed. “I should have listened.”

            Officer Love’s mouth is a straight line. He’s unimpressed with the theatrics. He turns to look at Nakia.“You’re very quiet young lady. What about you, did you ever hear Breanne saying she wanted to run away?”

            Nakia fidgets, she looks like she’s about to burst into tears. “She talked about it before,” she mutters, “but, like he said, I didn’t take it seriously.”

            There’s silence for a moment, and then Officer Love says, “You see anything suspicious that night? Anyone at the party you didn’t know? Any strangers that seemed interested in Breanna?”

            Caleb blinks in surprise and then blurts out, “What? Are you thinking she’s been kidnapped?”

            The officer shrugs, still studying Caleb’s face carefully. “We’ve got to cover all our bases. Any information you have could be a helpful lead.”

            “No, well…. I don’t think so,” Caleb says. “I knew most of the people at the party, but of course, it’s a party. Friends invite friends.”

            Officer Love looks disappointed, and his partner smiles and says, “Very good. Tell me, Caleb, was Breanne seeing anyone else at all? Besides yourself.”