Gun Games - Faye Kellerman [36]
Man, she was naive, didn’t even recognize a come-on. But she sure could kiss. He said, “Maybe not piano, but like the cliché goes, I bet we could make some beautiful music together.”
She blushed and turned her head to look out the window. He’d grown up with fast-tracked girls. This one was definitely a throwback to another age. “If I flirt with you, don’t get all nervous. I like you, but I know how to behave, okay?”
She nodded. A slow smile spread across her mouth. “Don’t behave too good.”
Gabe grinned and threw his arm around her delicate shoulders. “Your words are music to my ears.”
Chapter Eleven
An uneventful weekend gave way to a hellish week, as if everyone saved their felonious activities for working hours. By four-thirty Tuesday afternoon, Decker was finally ready for a lunch break when Marge came into the office, a black purse slouched over her shoulder, keys in hand. She said, “Off to see Kevin Stanger.”
“Who?”
“The bullied boy who transferred out of Bell and Wakefield. Why I’m bothering is another question. First of all, the tox came back on Gregory Hesse. None of the regular drugs were in his system. He did have a .05 BAL, which for a kid his size is probably a few beers.”
“Maybe he was steeling himself to do the deed.”
“Could be,” Marge said. “But the fact remains that he shot himself and he wasn’t doped up to the point where he didn’t know what he was doing.”
“We all agree it was suicide. The question is why?”
“A question we may never answer because it seems that Wendy Hesse had a change of heart. She hasn’t called back since my visit last Thursday. Has she called you?”
Decker shook his head no. “Maybe we shouldn’t bother with Kevin Stanger.”
“The kid agreed to talk to us, Pete. The police would look like idiots if I said never mind.”
“I’m not too busy right now. Want company?”
“You sure? I know you’re busy.”
Decker picked up his jacket. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve been here since six and have yet to see daylight.”
“You’d better hurry. The sun is going down fast.”
“Yeah, even an inanimate star knows when to call it quits.”
By his stature alone, Kevin Stanger didn’t look like the type of kid that could be easily bullied. He was around five ten, one fifty, with a fair amount of muscle across his back. His face told a different story. It was round and weak chinned with cheeks spangled with acne. He wore braces. His hair was unruly, and his brown eyes were hooded under thick brows. Even before hello, his expression exhibited a defeatist attitude.
The boy led them into the living room and seated them on the sofa. Then he glanced out the glass picture window and sat down, his leg shaking a mile a minute. He said, “We have to make it quick. My mom’ll be home at six.”
Marge’s watch read ten after five. She said, “You told me your mom was okay with this.”
“Well, kinda. She didn’t say no.” Kevin wore a sweatshirt and a pair of pajama pants. His face was flushed. “I wasn’t feeling well so I decided to skip my last two classes. I mean, I told one of the school’s VPs, Mrs. Holloway. She said I could go home if it was okay with my mom. So I pretended to call my mom and then told Mrs. Holloway it was okay with mom. I mean, I don’t know that it’s not okay with my mom because I didn’t call her. ’Cause I wanted to talk to you guys and I didn’t want to ask. Sometimes it’s easier to leave parents out of it.”
Decker nodded and said, “What can you tell me about Greg?”
“He was a good guy.”
“Nobody seemed to have had a problem with him,” Marge said.
“Yeah, I thought Greg held his own.” He scratched his head. “Maybe not. If he was going through hard times, I wish he told me. He never said anything.”
“Could you talk about what you went through?” Decker asked.
“It’s hard to talk about.”
“Do the best you can,” Marge told him.
“I thought I could ride it out, but after a year of it, I had enough. My mom wanted to go to the administration, but I put my foot down. We still live in the area.”
“What’d they do to you?”
“It’s not the physical stuff.” Kevin looked