The kid narrowed his eyes, tightened his grip on the impromptu weapon.
“Probably since Friday night, right?” I asked. “His boyfriend is missing too.”
That got the guy’s attention. “You know Frank?”
I nodded. “I know Frank. I know Angela too.”
Wrong answer. The kid raised the table again, ready to strike.
“Whoa, whoa!Hey!” I shouted.
“That bitch is psycho!”
“Listen….” I held my hands out, moving slowly. “I know how this looks, but I swear I’m here to help. What’s your name?”
“Jason,” he answered with a touch of reluctance. Jason lowered the table, then awkwardly crouched to set it on the floor. “Who’re you?”
“My name’s Sebastian. Are you a classmate of Daniel’s?”
Jason stiffly nodded. “Yeah, man. Dan’s been gone for days.”
“Have you notified the police?”
He snorted. “Nah.”
“Uh… why not? You seem concerned.”
“I am! But you smoke a little weed and suddenly no cop takes you seriously.”
I rolled my eyes and realized belatedly, as my adrenaline began to wane, that my jaw wasthrobbing. I gave it a gentle rub.
Jason pulled back the hood on his head. “You really lookin’ for Dan?”
“Really.”
“Do… do you think he’s dead?”
JASON DUMPEDcopious amounts of crushed red pepper all over the slice of pizza I bought him. “I knew it,” he said. He set the shaker aside, folded the pizza, and took a massive bite like he hadn’t eaten all day. And considering he was a grad student, that might have very well been the truth.
“You knew Daniel was dead?” I asked gently.
We stood at a tall table in a corner joint simply called Grandma’s Pizza. The overhead lights were twitchy fluorescents, and the wobbly table was still messy with a previous customer’s sprinkled parmesan cheese. But it was warm inside—the giant pizza ovens spitting out pie after pie—and the employees were doing a brisk trade like any good cheap-slice shop should.
Jason guzzled his can of Coke before saying, “Yeah. I mean, I guess I’m not surprised. You know?”
“No, I don’t know,” I said. A slice of pizza sat untouched on a paper plate in front of me.
Jason took another huge bite, grease dripping down his fingers. “Angela. You said you knew her.”
“Yes, but I only met her today.”
“She killed Dan.” He shook his head forlornly. “I know it,” he said for a second time.
“Why do you think so?”
Jason was already chewing on the crust. “She’s crazy. Dan said Frank was afraid of breakin’ up with her. Like, she’d threatened to kill herself.Thatkinda nuts.”
“I see.”
