Asylum (Asylum, #1)(39)
“Hey, I resent that,” Abby said, yanking her arm out of his grasp. “I might be a little on the petite side—”
“Tiny.”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter, Dan, I’m stronger than I look. And it’s not like you’re some kind of muscle-bound hulk, so I don’t see why you’d be a suspect and I wouldn’t.”
“Why are we arguing about this?” he whispered. “You’re Wonder Woman, okay? You’re . . .”
“Say I’m Black Widow.”
“Abby—”
“Say it.” She crossed her arms, cocking one hip to the side.
“You’re Black Widow. Times ten. Happy now? And Jesus, why aren’t you more freaked out?”
“I am freaked out,” Abby squeaked, giving him a little shove. “I’m seriously freaked out. This is what I do when I’m freaked out. I babble. Inanely. I babble inanely to distract myself from the freaking out!”
“Okay, okay.” He hoped nobody had heard that. They both sounded guilty, even if they weren’t. Well, not guilty of murder, just guilty of having poor judgment and a blatant disregard for the loose curfew rules. He knew that at least. Right?
“Poor Felix. I hope he’s not too traumatized,” she said, turning to search the crowd. “Do you see him?”
“No,” Dan said. “I’m sure he’s being questioned by the police.”
“Gird your loins.” Yi was back. He slid up to them, talking out of the corner of his mouth. “I got Mulder and Scully on my six.”
Dan took a deep breath, preparing to unleash a whole mouthful of bullshit on officers of the law. They separated him from Abby, the policewoman taking her aside while Dan went with the tall guy. The whole process was surprisingly quick and painless. He was asked standard questions—where he was, what he heard and saw, if he could remember any strangers around the dorm that day. Dan answered vaguely, mentioning he was on the second floor with his friend, that he had seen Joe “earlier that day” but hadn’t noticed anyone suspicious loitering in Brookline.
“Thanks,” the cop told him when the questions ran out. “If you see anything strange, anything at all out of the ordinary, you tell someone. Okay, son?”
“Okay. Thanks, sir.”
Dan wandered away, numb. He had just lied through his teeth to a cop. Why? Exploring the basement wasn’t the same as murder, it just wasn’t. He had to keep reminding himself of that over and over again. Forget about your freaking alibi, whoever did this is still out there.
The officer finished speaking to Abby a moment later. As Dan waited for her, he heard one of the cops talking to another in low tones.
“Probably some bum,” he was saying. “They’re always getting blind drunk and wandering up on to campus. We’ll find him in a bush outside, just you wait.”
Dan wondered how a stranger could get into the dorm, considering the front doors locked automatically from the outside.
“Could I have your attention please?” Dan recognized the director from the first couple of days. He had been all smiles then. Now he looked ragged, still rumpled from sleep, and shaken to the core.
“If I could have your attention,” he repeated, standing on the first step of the entranceway. The students quieted down and the police officers moved away.
“Thank you. All right, I know it’s been a difficult night for everyone. First thing in the morning, your parents will be notified of the situation. Right now, we need to do what’s best for you, our faculty, staff, and of course what’s best for Joe McMullan’s family. The police will conduct a full search of the building tonight, and an officer will be stationed on each floor to make certain you are all safe. I’m sure many of you have questions, and I’m happy to stay and assist you however I can. To the rest of you, be safe and vigilant, and cooperate fully with the Camford Police. And let us keep Joe’s family in our thoughts tonight.”
At this, the sound of crying rippled through the crowd. In front of Dan, two girls clung to each other, sobbing. Students swarmed around the director, shouting questions until he ordered them to calm down and speak one by one.
Dismissed by the policewoman, Abby walked over to Dan.
“I don’t think she even wrote down half of what I said. Whatever, I’m so ready for bed it’s not even funny, although I don’t suppose there’s any way I’m going to fall asleep.” She shuddered. “I wish this were just a nightmare that we could wake up from. Anyway, see you tomorrow?”
She took his hand and squeezed it. Dan squeezed back. “Yeah. Try to get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow. Text if you need me.”
With heavy steps, Abby followed a police officer who was leading the students to a back staircase to their rooms, since the main stairs were cordoned off with police tape. The body had been moved, but for the time being it was still a crime scene. Dan trudged up the stairs behind her, beyond exhausted, wishing he had a moment to properly remember their kiss and forget that he was at Brookline altogether. At Brookline where a murderer was wandering free.
Felix was not in the room when Dan got there. Still being questioned by the police, Dan thought. He was just wondering if they’d let Felix come back that night at all when the door opened, and Felix walked in. He immediately went to his bed, curled up on it, and hugged his knees to his chest. He was still wearing a T-shirt and running shorts. He looked vulnerable and scared.