“Where did you think Sloan was all that time?”
“I had no idea. We weren’t hanging out that much, so it’s not like we were in constant touch. Austin said after they closed up the cabin and came down the pass, they dropped her off downtown and then went straight to his house.”
“To do what?”
“They goofed around, playing Ping-Pong and Foosball. I know they watched TV because I remember him describing a couple of the shows.”
“Would have been mostly reruns, wouldn’t it?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Meaning he mentioned the shows to lend credence to his story. If he’d already seen episodes, he could rattle off enough details to be convincing.”
“Oh.”
“Did it occur to you they might have done something to harm her?”
“Not really. I was kind of bothered about the dog. She must not have thought she’d be gone long because she left Butch in the backyard. When it got dark, the next-door neighbor heard him howling and she took him in. She’s the one who called the police. Sloan never would have left him like that. She’d have come back for him no matter what.”
“So you did or didn’t believe Austin’s account?”
“I didn’t have any reason not to. He was as worried as the rest of us when it turned out she was missing.”
“What made them decide to kill her?”
“I don’t know. I’d already left by then. Anyway, I don’t think they decided to do anything. It just happened.”
“You’re saying four guys in the woods at night with a loaded handgun, and the girl who accompanies them just ‘happens’ to die?”
“But that’s how it was. It all came out at the trial. It wasn’t premeditated or anything like that—except for the hole Austin dug, and he only did that so she’d take him seriously.”
I could feel myself squinting in disbelief. “Austin dug a grave before he took her up there that night?”
“I wouldn’t call it a grave. It was a hole he dug at the campsite where she was shot.”
“If it was the hole they buried her in, wouldn’t you call it a grave?”
“Sure, if you put it like that.”
“Who found the body?”
“Hikers.”
“As I understand it, the murder weapon was never recovered.”
“It wasn’t, but everybody knew the gun was Austin’s because he had it at the cabin, waving it around.”
“I’m assuming the police questioned all of you when the body came to light. Austin, in particular.”
“Sure, but they didn’t have enough to charge him. He told the cops the same thing he told us. He said they dropped her off on State Street and that’s the last they saw of her. I guess he was pretty torn up by then since he’d dated her.”
“I’m sure he put on a good show,” I said. “And then what?”
“The two detectives just kept after them and after them.”
“This was at the police station?”
“Some of the time and partly at Austin’s house. This was two or three days running, but they hadn’t been booked or anything like that. I know they separated the guys and talked to them individually, but they all said the same thing.”
“I’ll bet, alibis being what they are,” I said. “Did the police read them their Miranda rights?”
“They weren’t under arrest.”
“Didn’t anyone ask for an attorney?”
“Austin said they didn’t need attorneys since she was fine when they dropped her off.”
“And his parents didn’t object? I thought he came from a family of hot-shot lawyers.”
“He did, but he said if they hired one, it would look like he needed one.”
“He did need one. He still does. You’re talking about homicide.”
“I think it was more like an unfortunate accident. Fritz didn’t know anything about guns. Austin had to show him how to take the safety off.”
“Were you aware that Austin intended to leave town?”
She shook her head. “I think he acted on impulse the minute he got word Fritz had told on him.”
“‘Told on him’? Like they were little kids?” I knew I sounded outraged, judgmental, and condemnatory, but I couldn’t help myself. I watched her and wondered why she wouldn’t meet my eyes. Probably because I was talking to her like the idiot she was. I took what I hoped was a deep, calming breath. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
“Not really. Except Iris and I were scared to death.”
“The two of you were scared? How so?”
“Well, what if Austin showed up again? What if he’d come after us? We were there at the cabin the day she was killed. We were, like, witnesses.”
“To what?”
She closed her mouth. She waved a hand in front of her face as though a gnat had singled her out for pestering. “Nothing. I hope we’re done here because I have work to do.”
I knew I’d pressed her to the point of defensiveness, which is seldom productive. “I guess this covers it for the time being. If any other questions come up, can I come back and talk to you?”
“I think I’ve said enough.”
“Not quite, but I’m sure I’ll find a way to fill in the blanks.”
She murmured something.
I said, “Sorry, I missed that.”
“I said your information’s out of date. Sloan’s mother decided it was time to empty her room and pack up her stuff, which she did a couple of weeks ago.”
“How did you hear about Sloan’s room being emptied?”
“I didn’t hear about it. I helped.”
14
Wednesday evening, September 20, 1989
I was home later than usual and after the usual hassle found a semi-decent parking spot at the end of the block. When I reached the gate, I pulled the mail from the box, surprised that Henry hadn’t yet collected it. It wasn’t until I rounded the studio to the backyard that I realized something was wrong. Henry, in a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, stood on his back porch as still as stone. Pearl, suspended between her crutches near the clothesline, appeared to be anchored to the spot. In the kitchen window, Ed the cat was puffed up, his white fur looking like dandelion fuzz, every hair standing on end.
The pup tent was in its usual place, the opening flap zipped shut. In front of the tent flap, a massive black dog chewed on a rubber baby doll. His coat was short-haired except for his shaggy buff-colored tail and an incongruous golden ruff at his throat. He had a huge head and a dark, deeply wrinkled face with a small gold dot over each eye. His brown eyes were focused intently on his toy, which he gnawed on vigorously without doing serious harm. The minute he caught sight of me, he rose silently to his feet, his head low, his ears back. His tail was tucked in close to his body and oddly kinked. A growl rumbled through his chest like an engine turning over. He fixed me with a look, snarled once, and then barked. While my body froze, my heart was doing double time.
“Well, he’s a charmer,” I remarked.
Pearl said, “I wouldn’t make a move if I was you.”
“Not to worry. How long has this little standoff been going on?”