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She sees me doing it in the reflection of the glass in front of her, and spins around. “What the hell was that?” she demanded. “Were you just taking a picture of my ass?”
“Relax, Becca. Your ass is nothing to write home about,” I scoff. “What I’m taking a picture of is your jeans. They have distinctive heart-shaped pockets. You were wearing the same jeans the other night when you and these idiots broke into Professor Nass’s apartment.”
“No, I wasn’t,” she says indignantly. She pauses. “I mean... I wasn’t because I wasn’t there. And I wasn’t wearing them.”
I cock my head to the side. “You know, if it comes to it, I bet there are security cameras on campus that would have caught you on that day too, wearing those jeans. Enjoy jail.”
She shoots Nick a panicked look and starts to say something. He shakes his head vigorously.
I hurry off, with Kennedy and Clair at my heels. I’m hungry, and I’m going to have to get back in line and pay for the soda I threw at Nick, but I’m cool with that.
I whip Detective Ahearn’s card from my purse and call him.
“Hello, this is wanted criminal Ruby James,” I say to him. It’s much easier to have a sense of humor when you’re not stuck in a police station facing arrest.
“Fight the power,” Kennedy leans over and shouts into the phone.
“Your friends are with you, aren’t they?” He sighs.
I step away from them and make shooing motions with my hand. Kennedy smirks. “How did you guess?”
“So, how long have you and Paxton been dating exactly?”
“That’s not really relevant to the investigation. Anyway, moving on. Becca Winchester is the girl who broke into Professor Nass’s apartment. She has a huge crush on Nick. She’d do anything he told her to.”
“That’s an interesting accusation.”
“It’s not just an accusation. I have proof,” I say triumphantly.
“Which is?”
“She was wearing jeans with heart-shaped pockets in that video. I do not have jeans with heart-shaped pockets. Because I’m not twelve. But she has them! She’s wearing them again today and I just took a picture of her in them. I’m going to send it to that email on your card.”
“Okay. You do that.” He doesn’t sound as excited as he should.
“That proves it, doesn’t it?”
He sighs. “It may help your case. We’ll have her come down to the station and interview her.”
“Thank you.” I sound a little huffy as I hang up. He should be thanking me, for doing his work for him.
I forward the picture to his phone number.
Then Clair and Kennedy and I go to get back in line. Even though the line is now up to about 25 people, we are waved to the front.
“I saw what you did for Shelly,” a girl says to me. “Legend.”
Shelly has a very big smile on her face as I pay her for the soda and grab a sandwich. It makes my day that she got to see that she really is appreciated.
As we’re walking towards the seating area, my phone chirps, and I quickly check it, hoping that it’s Detective Ahearn congratulating me on my genius, telling me I’ve cracked the case, and spewing out groveling apologies.
But no.
It’s another text from Paxton.
This is your new owner, Paxton Saul.
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