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“We’ve met him,” I told her. “I’m Dr. Graves. I performed Cami’s autopsy. She was stabbed thirteen times and dumped in Gambo Creek. You guys don’t live too far from Gambo Creek.”
Kevin froze and his grip tightened on his beer. “If Cami is dead we didn’t have anything to do with it. It sucks, but it sounds like you’re looking for a scapegoat so you can solve a case. And it’s not us.”
“Not a scapegoat,” Jack said slowly. “A murderer. We’re looking for a murderer. So where were you Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning?”
Keven saluted Jack with his bottle of beer. “Right here,” he said. “Thea was working.”
“And you always follow Thea to work?” Jack asked.
“When I can,” Kevin said. “Keeps the guys from hassling her.”
“You get a lot of guys hassling you?” I asked her.
“Not really,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Harmless stuff.”
“What time did you get off?” Jack asked Thea.
“Two,” she said.
“And then where did you go?” Jack asked.
“Home,” she said. “I mean, this is King George. It’s not like there’s an exciting nightlife. Besides, I had to be at the library early Wednesday morning to study, so we went straight home from here.”
“What time did you get there?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “By the time I closed everything down here it was probably half past two. Me and Robbie were the closers and we left together. So maybe fifteen minutes after that? It’s not a long drive.”
“Did you see any of your roommates when you got home?”
“Yeah, actually,” Thea said, her brow furrowing. “We saw Cami. She was in the kitchen. Said she was having trouble sleeping and was out of wine in her apartment. We told her good night and headed upstairs.”
“She seem bothered by anything?” Jack asked. “Upset?”
“No,” Thea said. “She was in a good mood. John always keeps good wine on hand. He’s kind of a snob about it. But she was holding one of his favorite reds.”
“How was she dressed?” I asked.
“Why does that matter?” Kevin asked belligerently. “Perv.”
“Thea?” Jack asked, ignoring Kevin.
“Umm…she was in her robe,” she said, glancing at Kevin. “Like usual. She was always wearing that thing around the house. It’s a white fluffy robe. Makes her look like a marshmallow. It was just a regular night. Nothing special. We live together, but we all lead our own lives. I’m sorry she’s dead. Really, I am. I’m not callous to the fact that we live in a terrible neighborhood and it could have been me or Toby instead of Cami. We’ve asked John to put in cameras for safety, but he says he’s not ready for that expense yet. Kevin and I have been talking about moving out and getting our own place anyway. Once I pass the bar my salary will increase and we’ll be able to afford something.”
“Geez, Thea,” Kevin said, scowling. “Why don’t you give them your life story while you’re at it. How are you going to pass the bar when you haven’t even learned to keep your mouth shut.”
“Shut up, Kevin,” Thea said. “You’re drunk.”
“Why do you need to keep your mouth shut?” Jack asked, leaning in close to Kevin. “Do you have something to say?”
“Get out of my face, man,” Kevin said. “Only thing I feel bad about is that Cami’s murderer will never get caught because she was murdered in this dumb hick town and you’re a dumb hick cop.”
Jack moved in even closer, but didn’t touch him. “Did you kill her? A drunk like you won’t be able to hide his stupidity. Killers are usually stupid you know. They always leave something behind. We’ll find it.”
“I said get out of my face,” Kevin said, pushing back from his stool and swinging at Jack. His fist glanced off Jack’s chin.
Jack smiled and said, “I was hoping you’d do that.” And then he twisted Kevin’s fingers and jerked his arm behind his back, pushing his head down on the bar.
“Geez, Kevin,” Thea said sweetly. “How’d you ever pass the bar? You should know better than to assault a cop.”
