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“Is everything okay?” Her smile lingered.
“Yeah, thanks.” He waited for her to sashay away and finished his meal, leaving a generous tip.
As he left, he cast another glance at the sheriff. Some part of him felt sorry for her. If, by chance, she discovered someone had murdered Jacobs, she’d never pin it on anyone no matter how hard she tried. He smiled to himself. No evidence, no witnesses, no case.
Sixteen
The young woman at the counter of the college office tossed back her long blonde hair and looked up at Kane with an interested expression, and then looked over at Jenna. She smiled at her.
“We’re looking for Owen Jones. He’s a junior.”
“Oh, everyone knows Owen; he was on the football team and he’s back this semester. We have a new system here. We issue students with a swipe card and they scan them as they enter each lecture hall or the library. It’s so we know who is inside each building should there be an emergency of some kind.” She pointed down the hallway. “If you go down to security, they’ll look him up on the computer and find his location, and then they’ll escort you to him.”
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“Okay.” Jenna turned and headed down the hallway.
“Weird security system.” Kane fell into step beside her. “The students log in and out of lectures or whatever but there’s no security to stop anyone wandering in.”
“It’s not a prison, and it’s normal for students to have free access to common areas.” Jenna chuckled. “I guess you’d have them all frisked before they passed through the gate?”
“I’d have airport-type security scanners on every darn gate at all schools if I had my way.” Kane narrowed his gaze. “Carry weapons all you want but don’t take them into schools.”
“I’m sure that’s every parent’s dream, but do you know how long it would take to scan every student in a school?” Jenna slowed her pace as they reached the security office. “It will never happen.”
After discovering Jones was in the library, they followed a security guard through the building.
“I’ll do the talking.” Jenna looked up at Kane and smiled. “We don’t want him running for the hills, and he will if you lean on him.”
“I was going to take the sports angle to ease him into spilling his guts.” Kane frowned. “Leaning on him would work too.”
“Like I said.” Jenna narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll do the talking.”
The security guard asked them to wait in the hallway and he went inside the library to collect Jones. The hallway led out to a landscaped garden with benches set under trees. A couple of students sat on the lawn chatting. When Jones came out with the security guard, Jenna took in the muscular young man, tall and strong with chiseled features. She pulled out her notebook and looked up at him then introduced herself and Kane. “We understand you had a fight with Alex Jacobs and a few of his friends; can you tell us what happened?”
“The fight was ages ago, why drag it up now?” Jones gave her a disinterested stare. “I did my time and I’m back now. Why? Is someone causing trouble again?”
Jenna shook her head. “No, but the ME has left his cause of death open on Jacobs, and we’re speaking to anyone who may have had a reason to cause him harm.”
“He don’t hurt that easy.” Jones snorted. “I busted a finger punching him, and he didn’t go down.” He gave her a direct stare. “Do I care he died? No, I don’t. He and Seth Lyons are both liars like the rest of those animals. Lyons’ daddy buys him out of trouble, and trust me, he’s gotten in more trouble than any man I know.”
“Maybe you should explain what happened to cause the fight?” Jenna led the way outside to a secluded bench. She sat down and he dropped reluctantly onto the seat beside her.
“Lyons and Jacobs wanted me off the team.” Jones shrugged as if reluctant to talk about it.
“Why?” Kane dropped onto the grass and raised one eyebrow. “They must have had a reason.”
“I can’t go into it. Let’s just say I didn’t want to move out of the student halls and into their house.” Jones pushed both hands through his unruly hair. “So they went to Coach and told him I tried to sell them drugs. The dean organized a search and they found a pipe in my room. I wanted them to test me but that didn’t happen.” He stared into the distance and anger flashed in his eyes. “They set me up, and Coach told me I had a choice: sit on the bench for the season or he’d call the cops and have me charged, which would mean the end of my scholarship.” He looked at Jenna. “I took the penalty but went postal on Seth; Alex was never far away, and after he got involved, things got nasty. I was suspended for the rest of the semester.” He gave her a wry smile. “I’m still on the bench.”
Jenna scanned his expression and the flash of annoyance. “So, you went on the coaching trip on Sunday. What did you do on Monday night after you got off the bus?”
“I didn’t go on the bus but I like to run and usually try and fit a session in each afternoon.” Jones rubbed the back of his neck. “I worked in the library all day and needed to loosen up, so I ran some and then I went back to my room and slept.”
“What time was that?” Kane’s voice was conversational.
“Darned if I know.” Jones shrugged. “Around ten maybe.”
Jenna made a few notes. “Did you see anyone during this walk, or stop and talk to anyone?”
