Free Elaine Orr - Jolie Gentil 07 - Vague Images by Elaine Orr Page B

probably.”  The door to the inner office opened and Lucas walked out with Sergeant Morehouse. “Gotta go, George.”
    “Whaddya talkin’ to him about?” Morehouse asked . He let Lucas follow him to where I sat.
    “He called me . Someone in here spies for him.”
    “Humph.”  Morehouse looked at the young officer at the front counter, who raised her arms in mock surrender . He turned back to me. “Your young friend going to keep in touch with you?”
    I looked at Lucas . “For now. Right, Lucas?”
    He nodded without saying anything.
    Morehouse nodded. “Good. We might need more help on the hospital thing.”  He turned and walked back into the secure area.
    “You okay?” I asked Lucas.
    “Yeah. We can go, right?”
    The temperature had dropped at least five degrees while we were in the station, and the sky was getting cloudy . Lucas opened the car door for me and took the crutches to place in the back seat. “Guess it’s good I won’t be sleeping outside tonight.”
    I started the car . “You want to talk about it?”
    He shrugged . “Not a lot to say. They showed me a couple of the security photos and I said it was definitely me. They have cameras at some of the places where hallways cross, but not covering every inch of the halls.”
    “So not one of you near the restroom?”
    “No, but I was walking toward it in one of the photos. Or so they say. I can’t tell one hallway from another.”
    “Were you able to help them?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I remembered seeing her near the cafeteria a few minutes before the time they think she died, but I only remember because of her purple cape. They kept asking if I had seen anyone suspicious, but they didn’t say what that meant.”
    We drove the rest of the way to my house in silence . I’d been a bit nervous about Lucas talking to the police about his time at the hospital. It didn’t sound as if they had any real leads, and I worried they might focus on him simply because he was in some security camera’s field of vision. That didn’t seem to be an issue.
    We just made it onto my front porch as huge raindrops started plopping onto the sidewalk . And everything else.
    Jazz bounded to the front door as I unlocked it . Pebbles waddled behind her until she saw Lucas. Then she turned and made for my bedroom.
    Lucas stooped to pick up Jazz . “What’s with that skunk?” 
    “Who knows?  She was the former owner’s pet and I inherited her.” 
    Lucas placed Jazz on the floor as I sat on the couch and stretched my injured foot in front of me.
    “Jolie, do you have an umbrella I can borrow?”
    “You’re going out in this?”
    He stared at me very directly . “If she’s out there, I should be too.”
    “Sure . It’s in the closet with Pebbles’ litter box.” 
    “I’ll let the rain wash off the smell.” He grinned.
    We exchanged mobile phone numbers and he left, refusing my offer to use my car.
    Now what?   I needed to stop thinking about Tanya Weiss’ murder. I had found her and it rattled me, but she had nothing to do with my life, so I needed to let go of my temptation to look into her death. As if.
     

 
    CH APTER SIX

     
    ON FRIDAY MORNING, Scoobie and I were careful not to clang pots or drop silverware as we fixed breakfast. Now that Lucas had been to the police, Scoobie seemed okay about Lucas continuing to stay with us.
    I glanced at Scoobie, who was expertly flipping pancakes as he stood at the stove . When he moved in a few months ago, we’d been kind of awkward around each other. I wondered if we’d get closer than best buds. I’m pretty sure he thought about this, too. After a week we achieved an undemanding coexistence. I still wonder, but I’m glad we didn’t rush into anything. George and I were able to get back to a friendship footing because we hadn’t been together, heck known each other, all that long. With Scoobie, I figured I had to be sure. Nothing would be the same if we broke up.
    I did