James took a business card from his wallet and handed it to her. “My number is on there and so is my e-mail address. Send them to me, and if you think of anything else, you can text me or give me a call.”
“Will do.” Her fingers moved quickly as she entered the number into her phone. “Oh, wait.” She paused. “There was this one guy who was looking for her, or at least someone with the same name. Blond, tall, super handsome. I think he said his name is Alex. No, Alek. I was with him all last night, but he left this morning in a huge hurry to find her. Whatever he needed her for was pretty important.”
“Alek? With a C or a K?”
“No idea. Probably wasn’t looking for the same Eva. He might have even been high on something. Was definitely weird. But cute.”
James wrote the name on his notepad.
“Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Miss Falling. We’ll take care of everything from here,” said Schilling.
“Anything you need. Just make sure you find her. I don’t think Lori could go on if Eva never came back. She’s all she has. I don’t know what I would do either.” Bridget went back to her phone and walked to the porch to sit by Lori.
“I’m going to go radio in the info about this, uh…” Schilling looked back at his notes. “Spencer Burke. You want to go tell Ms. Kostas we’re leaving?”
It was the last thing he wanted to do. Her sadness clung to him. He knew how it felt to have the person closest to you disappear. “Sure, I’ll let her know.”
Lori rocked in the chair, staring blankly. “Ms. Kostas, we’re going to go follow up with a few people. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out anything. I’ve given Bridget my card in case either of you hear from Eva or remember anything that might be able to help us.”
“Thank you,” she said flatly.
“Detective, I sent you the pictures of Eva,” Bridget said quietly. “There were a few of them, so they might take a minute to get to your inbox.”
“Thanks. They’ll be a big help.” He hurried to the car and got in as Schilling finished his call.
“Think it’s anything?” James asked.
“Seems fishy, but I can’t put my finger on it yet.”
“You know what I can’t figure out?” James mused. “If Alek spent the night with Bridget, why was he looking for Eva?”
“Could be a different Eva. Or…” Schilling looked past James to Bridget sitting with Lori on the porch, holding one another. “This may be one of those keep your friends close and your enemies closer scenarios. Let’s check out Ms. Falling as well.”
Thirteen
The resonant wriggling in Alek’s chest pressed him forward down a bike path bordering a luxurious field. The bright green grass stretched between two sets of matching apartment buildings. Someone had sprayed “University of Tulsa” into the grass in gold, stenciled letters.
A group of shirtless guys threw a ball back and forth at the end of the lawn, while a cluster of girls sat chatting only a few yards away. Alek sized up the situation, deciding the best course of action was to blend in. He peeled off his sweat soaked shirt, threw it over his shoulder, and jogged up to the four women without questioning his game plan.
“Tell me, where is Eva?” he demanded.
The young women paused in their conversation and stared up at him from the shade of their large umbrella. They wore matching blue strapless cotton dresses with three identical triangles embroidered in gold across the chest. Oversized dark sunglasses sat on the tip of each of their noses and their hair was pulled up in perfect ponytails—one blond, one red, one black, and one brown. Except for their hair color, Alek couldn’t tell them apart. Alek recognized the letters they wore and felt a surge of confidence. The women would be allies.
“Excuse me?” Brown asked, arching her eyebrows above her sunglasses.
“I do not have time for your pleasantries,” Alek said impatiently.
“I haven’t seen you on campus before,” Red chirped.
“And I think we’d remember someone with your,” Blonde lifted her sunglasses and scanned his naked torso, “amazing body. We don’t get many new athletes around here.”
“Our football program is garbage,” Black added. “But you didn’t hear that from us.”
“I am not concerned with your feet, nor am I interested in your balls. This matter is urgent. Where is Eva?” He shifted his weight and stared down at them.
Red’s lips twisted into a smile. “You’re funny.”
“And assertive,” Brown added.
“The guys around here can’t play sports, can’t shoot, can’t hunt, and the only time they drink is when there’s a sanctioned party. It’s like none of them are even real men. But I bet you are,” Black said with a giggle.
He glared at the dark shades covering their eyes. “I am weary of this talk. One of you must answer me. Do you know Eva?”
“Oh, look. He’s getting angry. His cheeks are even turning red.”