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A knock on the door interrupts us, pulling our attention that direction. Two men enter the room. As they approach, I notice Detective Randel and an officer in a uniform. The kind smile I’m familiar with greets me. It’s strange to be familiar with a police detective but I suppose that’s who I am now.
“Good to see you awake, Sophia. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve had better days, Detective.”
Chuckling, he shifts to the end of the bed and motions to the tall officer behind him. “This is Officer Gage Castillo. He was first on the scene tonight and I wanted him here so we could hopefully piece together what happened.”
I flick my gaze to Officer Castillo and lift the corner of my mouth in a small smile in way of a greeting. What I get in return is a blank stare and slight head nod. Clearly he’s the silent type and not interested in making this less awkward. Morgan is probably already crushing on him. She’s all about the clean-cut guys with a certain level of arrogance.
“I don’t know that I’ll be much help. My brain is a little fuzzy.”
Detective Randel drags a chair from next to the empty bed and sits down. “We’ll keep this short; I promise. Tell me what you remember from tonight.”
Morgan helps me adjust the bed so I’m sitting up more. Once I’m settled and have another sip of water, I recap my night for everyone. Or at least what I remember. It’s obvious Detective Randel is displeased with the fact that I was alone but he is gracious enough not to say anything.
“You didn’t see the individual when you went to the garage?”
Shaking my head, I say, “No. For the first time in months, I wasn’t scanning my surroundings or afraid of what might be out there. That should have been my first clue the night was going to go to shit. The first time I saw him was after I had finished with the sprinkler.”
“You said him,” Officer Castillo says from the shadows.
“I did. It was a man.”
“How can you be sure?” he challenges.
Detective Randel opens his mouth to speak but I beat him to it. “If you’re going to be part of this conversation, could you move closer? I’m not much for talking to people who lurk in the dark.”
Morgan coughs in an effort to cover her snicker while Detective Randel shifts uncomfortably in his chair. The tall officer steps forward, the same blank expression on his face. Do they teach them that at the police academy? Show no emotion and people will be intimidated.
“Miss Brooks, you said it was a man but also said the individual was in the dark. How are you certain it was a man?”
“The trashcans are on that side of the driveway. I could see enough to know that he was at least double the height of the cans. We have a women’s basketball team at the university but I don’t think those ladies would be lurking around my house.”
He seems to accept my explanation and doesn’t ask a follow-up question. Detective Randel confirms a few more things with Morgan about our housemates and significant others before standing from his seat.
“One last question, Sophia. Do you know a Reginald Anderson?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Flipping his small notebook, he says, “He goes by the nickname Rowdy.”
“Oh, yeah. I know Rowdy. He works with Campus Safety.”
Morgan snorts and inserts, “And he has a crush on Soph.”
I shoot her a “shut up” look. When I turn my attention back to Detective Randel, he’s exchanging a look of his own with Officer Castillo. It’s clear they are having an unspoken conversation.
“Miss Brooks, Mr. Anderson was with you when I arrived on scene. He was the one who called it in.”
“Okay. Well, that’s his job, right?”
Officer Castillo moves forward, sharing another look with Detective Randel. With his hands resting on the footboard of the bed he says, “Mr. Anderson was holding you and asking you to forgive him when I approached. He was also wet and in all black.”
“Well, people get to wear black and if he was holding me, the ground was wet. Sounds like he was being a good friend.”
“Miss Brooks, do you have any reason to believe Mr. Anderson would be the one who has been stalking you? Miss Valencia just said he has a crush on you. It’s possible he has fabricated a relationship with you in his mind and if it wasn’t reciprocated he may be angry. Lashing out at you for attention.”
I hear his words but they make no sense to me. Rowdy has never been anything but kind to me and, no matter how hard I try, my brain refuses to accept the suggestion. When I don’t offer a response, Detective Randal clears his throat and moves next to Officer Castillo.
