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“No. They were passed out. I was about to wake them up so we could go.”
“Passed out?” Brooks cocked an eyebrow and stroked his mustache. “I didn’t think ecstasy made you pass out. I thought it made you feel all full of peace and self-acceptance and shit like that.”
“We’d had a lot to drink.”
“But not too much for you to have sex with them.”
“We had sex.”
“Your DNA’s going to be in those bodies, Noah. Why did you kill them?”
“I didn’t kill them!” His face was red and he was crying.
“Because somebody hit you.”
“That’s right. When I came to, I felt like hell. Holly and Lauren were gone. It was raining, but I passed out again. The next thing I know was when you guys… Wait. Holly and Lauren were gone because I wasn’t in the Formal Gardens when I woke up. I was off in some bushes. Like somebody dragged me over there.”
“That ‘somebody’ again,” Brooks said.
“Noah,” Cheryl Beth said, “When you three were together, were you alone in the gardens? Did you notice anyone else?”
He hung his head, shaking it slowly. “I don’t remember.”
His story seemed implausible. But Cheryl Beth also knew that many of the behaviors Noah exhibited, from the loss of focus, impaired attention, and even paranoia were after-effects of Ecstasy, otherwise known as MDMA.
She turned to Brooks: “Did you notice any marks on the grass as if he’d been dragged?”
Brooks glared at her.
“Has anyone examined the back of his head?” she asked.
“This is bullshit,” Brooks said,
“May I?” She stood. “I’m an R.N.”
The deputy seemed unsure.
“Go ahead,” Brooks said. “What the hell.”
She walked behind Noah and felt above his neck into his hair. There was no bleeding but a noticeable lump. “There is a hematoma there,” she said. “A big bruise. A blow from the back could have made it. He needs to be checked for a concussion.”
“That’s what I’m telling you.” Noah said.
“It could also have come from the arrest,” Brooks said. “Or maybe you fell. Killers are stupid that way.” He stood and walked to the door.
“I’ll see you in the lobby, Cheryl Beth. You,” he pointed at Noah. “You and I are going to have more talks.”
After the door shut, Cheryl Beth faced Noah. His face was wet with tears. He didn’t dare raise his hands to wipe them away.
“Why did you ask for me?”
“I don’t have anybody,” he said. “You seem kind.”
She watched him carefully. Was he manipulating her? She couldn’t be sure. He seemed sincere. “Who can I call for you? Parents? Brothers or sisters?”
He shook his head. “I don’t have anybody.”
She thought about bringing up Corbin, but didn’t. The place held too many ghosts and heartbreaks. That he was from there unsettled her further. She made herself look him in the eye. “I don’t know how to help you. I could ask around about lawyers.
