Time of Death

21

Jessica Ellerbee lived with her parents in a well-tended middle-class suburb of Denver. She was dressed in an oversized white bathrobe when she opened the door to Ren. Her blonde hair was wet and combed back with a side parting. There were traces of mascara under her eyes. She was wearing glasses with brown rectangular frames. There was an intelligent prettiness about her.

‘Hello, Jessica. My name is Ren Bryce. I’m with the FBI.’ She held up her badge.

Barely a flicker.

‘Can I come in?’ said Ren.

‘Sure,’ said Jessica. ‘I’m sorry, I’m just out of the shower.’

‘That’s OK.’

She brought Ren into the living room and curled up on the sofa, pulling her legs under her and making sure her bathrobe was tucked in everywhere.

‘I’ll have to sit beside you to show you something.’

‘Oh…’ Jessica sat up and put her feet on the floor, elaborately fixing the bathrobe again.

‘Jessica, I’m with The Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and we’re trying to find Gavino Val Pando.’

‘Uh…who…?’

Bless your heart. ‘This guy,’ said Ren. She took out her laptop and opened it on the table in front of them. It was already on and the DVD was ready to play.

‘We have a great audio-video department at the office,’ said Ren. ‘They can take video and turn it into DVD so quick, it saved me having to drag you all the way in to the office to have your memory jogged.’ She surprised Jessica when she turned to look at her. Neither of them had realized how close they were sitting. Ren shifted back a little. Away from the startled teen.

Ren hit the space bar. The screen went from black to snowy to the inside of the Brockton Filly. Jessica went very still.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Ren, hitting pause. ‘But I’m under a little time pressure with these cases and I want to stop you from having to lie when I know you don’t really want to. I also understand that this video is probably a reminder of a night at the sheriff’s office that you’d rather forget.’

Jessica let out a breath, but said nothing. Ren let the footage play a little longer and paused again. ‘This looks like you and Gavino are punching each other’s numbers into your cell phones…’ she said.

‘We were playing a computer game,’ said Jessica. There was sweetness in her delivery. But none in the lying.

‘OK…’ Ren played the tape. ‘Wow — a thirty-second computer game? Who won?’

Jessica shifted again in her seat.

‘And this is you leaving,’ said Ren, pointing to the screen. ‘And being ushered back in by the sheriff’s department and taken in for under-age drinking.’

‘I’m sorry, I can’t really remember,’ said Jessica.

‘That’s understandable,’ said Ren. ‘It looks as though you’d had a lot to drink.’ I had the same problem myself in that bar. And screwed up on a grander scale. But there you go. I’m twenty years older than you. And I have a badge.

‘OK — I met him once,’ said Jessica, pointing at Gavino. ‘It’s all there on the tape. We got separated at the sheriff’s office. And I never saw the guy again.’

Ren put a photo of Gavino on the table. ‘He’s not just “that guy”, though, is he?’

Jessica looked at the floor.

‘I think I can understand your position,’ said Ren. ‘You were in trouble last year and I’m sure your parents were mad at you and you swore you’d never give them any trouble again? And now your boyfriend’s connected to Denver’s Most Wanted list…’

‘My parents don’t even know that he-’

Bingo.

Jessica started to cry when she realized what she had said. She took off her glasses and wiped her tears with the sleeve of the bathrobe.

‘Are you and Gavino together?’

Jessica shook her head. ‘He…we weren’t…I didn’t sleep with him.’

‘That doesn’t concern me.’ So there’s no need to lie about that either.

‘I really didn’t,’ said Jessica. ‘He’s…so sweet. Was.’

‘So, you’re not together? I’m a little confused.’

Jessica shook her head, tears streaming down her face. ‘No. He left Denver when you guys brought out that list. He left because of me. He knew that my parents would kill me if they found out I was with him…if they found out anything about his family.’

‘I can understand that.’ Ren nodded. ‘It must be very difficult for you.’

Jessica glanced at her to check for sincerity.

‘Hey,’ said Ren. ‘I may be over twice your age, but-’

‘You’re over twice my age?’

Ren nodded. ‘But I do know what it’s like to break up with a boyfriend. It’s the worst feeling in the world. And with you and Gavino…well, things are even more complicated.’

Jessica nodded. ‘He’s not a bad guy. I don’t know why you guys are looking for him.’

‘Gavino is not safe,’ said Ren. ‘That is why we really need to find him. He’s eighteen years old, Jessica. That’s not as old as it sounds. He’s vulnerable.’

‘Why?’

‘For reasons I can’t get into. But if you could help me at all, I would be very grateful. When was the last time you were in touch?’

‘Two weeks ago.’

Ren let out a breath. ‘I really wish you hadn’t said that.’

Jessica stared at her. Nervous eyes.

Ren slid a list of phone records from a file. ‘These are phone records.’ Not yours, but hey.

‘OK, OK…’ said Jessica. ‘So you know we talked this week. But we don’t want to break up. We love each other. We don’t know what to do…’ She cried harder.

‘Where is Gavino now?’

‘He’s gone,’ said Jessica. ‘I don’t know where. I promise.’

‘Are you sure you don’t know where?’ said Ren. ‘This is really important for him. To make sure he is safe.’

‘The worst part is, I really don’t know,’ said Jessica. ‘He wouldn’t tell me where he was going.’

‘When was the last time you saw him?’

Jessica dropped eye contact. ‘Just before you came. He…saw you coming up the path. He said he knew you.’

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Jessica looked up. ‘He went out the back door.’