What Have You Done(40)

“My name is Detective Carpenter,” Don began.

“I’m Tina, and this is Megan,” the first young woman said, grabbing another tissue from the half-empty box.

Don pointed to Tina. “You were the one who left the messages on Kerri’s voice mail? The investigating officers pulled it from her home phone.”

“Yes. I called once at the club and once when we got home. We also left a bunch of messages on her cell. I even called her the other day, after they told us what happened. I know it’s stupid, but I needed to hear her voice again, so I called her cell and waited for it to go to her voice mail.”

“You stated you guys got into the club around nine o’clock?”

“Yes, around nine. We got something to eat in Center City at, like, six and had to wait on the line for about twenty minutes, so I think nine o’clock would be a pretty good guess.”

Don finished writing and turned his attention to the other girl. “Megan, tell me what happened when you entered the club. I know you already went through this with the other detectives, but think for a moment. Did you see anyone you knew? Did you go for a drink? Tell me what happened while you were all together.”

Megan rubbed Kerri’s picture as she rested her head on Tina’s shoulder. “We got in and went to the bar. We each had a drink and hung out for a few songs. We danced together, got another drink, and then these two guys came up to me and Tina and asked us if we wanted to dance. We said yes and went. That’s the last time we saw Kerri. When we got back to the bar, she was gone. We figured she was dancing. We spent the rest of the night dancing too, figuring we’d run into her eventually. The place is pretty big. It’s not unusual to get separated during the night. I guess we started to wonder where she was by midnight.”

“When did you start to look for her?”

“We hung out at the bar for, like, four songs and looked around the place from where we were. We didn’t see her. Then we went into the lounge and onto the dance floor to find her. We checked the bathrooms and even got a guy to check the men’s room. She wasn’t anywhere. That’s when I called the first time.”

“You didn’t call anyone else?”

“No.”

“What then?”

“Me and Megan spent the rest of the night looking for her. We checked the parking lot and in the backs of cars. We couldn’t find her anywhere. When the place closed, we got a bouncer to help us look, but he didn’t seem to care. He told us she probably hooked up and to go home and call her in the morning. I called when I got home that night. I didn’t want to wait until morning.”

“Did it ever occur to either of you to call the police?” Don asked.

Both nodded. “That’s what I said on one of the last messages,” Tina replied. “We wanted to call the police but decided against it. I mean, what if she did go home with someone? How embarrassing would it be to be having sex and the cops come knocking on your door because your friends got worried? I told her to call us. Next thing I know, the police came here to tell me what happened. I called Megan, and the police were there too.”

Tina began to cry again, and Megan held her. Don sat back and waited to ask his next question. This would indeed be a life lesson neither would ever forget. “Girls, do you remember seeing anyone there who looked familiar? Someone who might’ve had an interest in Kerri?”

Megan shook her head. “No.”

Tina did the same. “No.”

“Do you know if she had a boyfriend?”

“She was seeing some guy, but we never met him. Never even saw him before. We used to tease her that he never really existed.”

“So you have no idea what he looks like?”

“No.”

“Not even a name?”

“Sorry, no.”

Kerri had kept her affair with Liam quiet. To not even know his name was unusual. “Did she see this mystery boyfriend a lot?”

Tina blew her nose and shrugged. “Enough, I guess. Not every day, all day, but a few times a week. She said they broke up, but they still hung out sometimes.”

“Did you ever find it funny she wouldn’t tell you his name or introduce you to him?”

“The guy was having an affair with Kerri. He was married. That’s all she’d tell us and asked us not to pry. We let her keep her secrets.”

“Interesting,” Don replied.

“Do you think the boyfriend did it?” Megan asked.

“I don’t know.”

“The other detectives think it might’ve been the boyfriend. They said that was where they were starting their investigation. I wish we could tell you more about him.”

It was clear the girls couldn’t shed any new light. Don rose from his seat and gathered his papers. He handed them each a business card. “If you think of anything else, I want you to call me.”

Tina rose. Megan remained seated. “Thanks,” Tina said. “Please find the person who did this. I know Kerri won’t rest until they’re caught, and we won’t either.”

“We’re trying.”

Megan sighed and tried to steady herself. “Have you talked to Kerri’s parents yet?” she asked.

“No. I think the other officers are handling that.”