know, he hadn’t been sexually involved with anybody—including me, we never were—but he had already gone through most of the self-recognition stuff,” Sullivan said. “You know, feeling this strong attraction toward some of his teammates, and he’d fantasize about them, instead of the girls in his class, and all the rest—checking out the scene on the Internet, maybe checking some gay porn.”
“Did he ever mention Jacob Flood to you?” Virgil asked.
Sullivan shook his head: “No. When I heard that Bobby was dead, and that he’d been arrested in the Flood case, I was amazed. We talked quite a bit, and he never mentioned Flood’s name.”
Virgil: “And nothing about Crocker.”
“Not a thing. Not even during the election.”
“Do you know if Flood or Crocker were active in the local Homestead gay culture? There must be a few more gay people here.”
Sullivan nodded. “Quite a few,” he said. “Maybe a hundred, or more? But not all of them are active around here, and I’ve never heard of those two. That doesn’t mean much, though—it’s not like we all hook up. I know maybe . . . a dozen gay people here? Something like that.”
“Did Bobby ever mention a girl named Kelly Baker?”
Sullivan, who’d been slumping in the chair, straightened, and tipped an index finger at Virgil: “Now her , we did talk about. Is she involved in this deal?”
“Wait,” Virgil said. “You say you talked about her. Did he know her?”
“Oh, yeah. He met her at the Dairy Queen. He used to give her a ride home, sometimes. I think he was hoping that he might, you know, get involved with her, find out that he really wasn’t gay. It didn’t work out that way. I think . . . I think —he didn’t actually tell me—that she picked up on the fact that he was gay. Didn’t bother her, and they became friends.”
“The Iowa people didn’t talk to him? The cops?”
“Not as far as I know. I mean, Bobby and Kelly were a summertime thing, when the Dairy Queen was open. After school started, she was gone, and then, you know, she was killed. He didn’t know anything, and they never really had a relationship, so . . . it just went away, I guess.”
“Doesn’t help much,” Virgil said.
“Let me ask a question,” Sullivan said. “Have you actually checked on Flood’s sexual orientation?”
“Not yet, but it’s on the list,” Coakley said. “We know he was married, but we also know that whoever killed Kelly Baker was into some extreme sexual behavior. Homosexuality might fit in there.”
“Doesn’t seem all that extreme to me,” Sullivan said. “Homosexuality.”
“You don’t know the details,” Virgil said. “But here’s the thing that hangs me up. Bobby wanted to talk to you. Not his father, or one of his pals. So, I have the feeling that you would already know something about what he wanted to talk about, and that most likely would have to do with sex. You say it’s not Crocker, not Flood, so it has to be Kelly Baker. But why would he want to talk to you about Baker?”
“I don’t know,” Sullivan said. “Maybe because I knew about the situation between them.”
“He never said anything to you about Baker being involved in . . . extreme sexual situations?”
Sullivan let a grin show: “That’s the second time you guys have used the phrase. . . . I’m starting to get interested. But no. He never mentioned anything like that.”
“Damnit. I was hoping for magic,” Virgil said.
“Let’s go back on the record, so I can get a few questions in,” Sullivan said, flipping open his notebook.
“Talk to Lee,” Virgil said. “I’ve got to make some phone calls before it gets too late.”
“I’m going to say that you were called in to work the case,” Sullivan said.
“That’s fine. Refer to me as the affable, good-looking, outdoorsy blond guy,” Virgil said.
“With a serious line of bullshit,” Coakley added.
VIRGIL CALLED Jacob Flood’s home number, got a woman
“Did he ever mention Jacob Flood to you?” Virgil asked.
Sullivan shook his head: “No. When I heard that Bobby was dead, and that he’d been arrested in the Flood case, I was amazed. We talked quite a bit, and he never mentioned Flood’s name.”
Virgil: “And nothing about Crocker.”
“Not a thing. Not even during the election.”
“Do you know if Flood or Crocker were active in the local Homestead gay culture? There must be a few more gay people here.”
Sullivan nodded. “Quite a few,” he said. “Maybe a hundred, or more? But not all of them are active around here, and I’ve never heard of those two. That doesn’t mean much, though—it’s not like we all hook up. I know maybe . . . a dozen gay people here? Something like that.”
“Did Bobby ever mention a girl named Kelly Baker?”
Sullivan, who’d been slumping in the chair, straightened, and tipped an index finger at Virgil: “Now her , we did talk about. Is she involved in this deal?”
“Wait,” Virgil said. “You say you talked about her. Did he know her?”
“Oh, yeah. He met her at the Dairy Queen. He used to give her a ride home, sometimes. I think he was hoping that he might, you know, get involved with her, find out that he really wasn’t gay. It didn’t work out that way. I think . . . I think —he didn’t actually tell me—that she picked up on the fact that he was gay. Didn’t bother her, and they became friends.”
“The Iowa people didn’t talk to him? The cops?”
“Not as far as I know. I mean, Bobby and Kelly were a summertime thing, when the Dairy Queen was open. After school started, she was gone, and then, you know, she was killed. He didn’t know anything, and they never really had a relationship, so . . . it just went away, I guess.”
“Doesn’t help much,” Virgil said.
“Let me ask a question,” Sullivan said. “Have you actually checked on Flood’s sexual orientation?”
“Not yet, but it’s on the list,” Coakley said. “We know he was married, but we also know that whoever killed Kelly Baker was into some extreme sexual behavior. Homosexuality might fit in there.”
“Doesn’t seem all that extreme to me,” Sullivan said. “Homosexuality.”
“You don’t know the details,” Virgil said. “But here’s the thing that hangs me up. Bobby wanted to talk to you. Not his father, or one of his pals. So, I have the feeling that you would already know something about what he wanted to talk about, and that most likely would have to do with sex. You say it’s not Crocker, not Flood, so it has to be Kelly Baker. But why would he want to talk to you about Baker?”
“I don’t know,” Sullivan said. “Maybe because I knew about the situation between them.”
“He never said anything to you about Baker being involved in . . . extreme sexual situations?”
Sullivan let a grin show: “That’s the second time you guys have used the phrase. . . . I’m starting to get interested. But no. He never mentioned anything like that.”
“Damnit. I was hoping for magic,” Virgil said.
“Let’s go back on the record, so I can get a few questions in,” Sullivan said, flipping open his notebook.
“Talk to Lee,” Virgil said. “I’ve got to make some phone calls before it gets too late.”
“I’m going to say that you were called in to work the case,” Sullivan said.
“That’s fine. Refer to me as the affable, good-looking, outdoorsy blond guy,” Virgil said.
“With a serious line of bullshit,” Coakley added.
VIRGIL CALLED Jacob Flood’s home number, got a woman
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