himself, spelled his last name. He read Noah his rights.
Noah ignored him.
“Thank you for coming, Cheryl Beth.” He reached a manacled hand across the table toward her and a female deputy instantly intervened. “Prisoner! Hands in your lap.”
Noah cringed and dropped his hands. He looked shrunken in the inmate garb. She searched his face: Noah Smith from Corbin. Somebody’s son, brother, cousin? Nothing. He didn’t look like anyone she had known there. And it was a place she had tried very hard to forget.
“I don’t need to tell you that you’re in a lot of trouble, Mr. Smith,” Brooks said. “You can make things easier on yourself if you tell me what happened out there.”
“I didn’t…”
“Noah,” Cheryl Beth said. “You’d better not say anything until you talk to a lawyer.” She didn’t look Brooks’ way, felt his cosmic annoyance flooding her.
“I didn’t do anything.” His voice shook.
“Tell me about the two girls, Holly and Lauren?” Brooks asked it in a confidant’s voice. “I can help you, Noah, if you’ll help me. Lawyers are going to get in the way of that. Now’s the time to work with me, before things get more complicated. Tell me about the girls.”
Noah swallowed hard enough that his Adam’s apple, his laryngeal prominence her interior voice said, bobbed up and down. He said, “We were drinking in town and went back on campus to party some more.”
“Noah!” Cheryl Beth stared at him. “Wait for your lawyer before you say anything.”
He shook his head. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Brooks said, “You all were together?”
“Sure. We were together at the bar.” He gave the name of the place, a popular hangout for students.
Cheryl Beth wanted to slap him silly. He was a fool to be talking or to trust Hank Brooks.
Brooks asked, “Why?”
He looked bewildered.
“My point is, did you all have plans? Did one of them go there with you on a date? Did you pick them both up? What?”
Noah said they had met up at the bar. “We were drinking and having fun. First Holly and me, and then we saw Lauren and she joined us.”
“Drank too much?”
“Maybe”
“And you expect me to believe these two good-looking girls, both of ’em, left with you.”
“They did.”
“Must be nice,” Brooks said. He made some notes. Noah’s eyes beseeched her, but all Cheryl Beth could do was give a small, soothing smile she had perfected over the years. At the moment, she was doubtful of its comfort. She mouthed the words: “shut up.” He looked away.
“You’re kind of old to be hanging around campus bars, Noah,” Brooks said. “My information says you’re twenty-five. These girls were both twenty.”
“I was in the Army,” he said. “After my discharge, I went back to school.”
“An honorable discharge?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ll check on that.” Brooks put down his pen and stared at the young man. Then his voice resumed its friendly tone. “What time did you leave the bar?”
“I don’t know. Maybe around midnight.”
“You’re sure of that.”
Cheryl Beth turned to Brooks. “He already told you he wasn’t sure.” She turned back to Noah. “You should shut up.”
“I’m innocent.” He said it, looking incredibly boy-like and vulnerable.
“Then how do you know it was after midnight?” Instantly she wished she hadn’t asked it.
“I got a call around midnight, let it go to voice mail. I saw the time then. We left awhile afterwards. The place was getting pretty crowded.”
“Who called you?” Brooks twirled his pen in his fingers.
Noah hesitated. “A friend.”
“Female friend?”
Noah nodded.
Brooks stood and paced toward the wall, his shoes squeaking on the waxed floor.
“You’re a popular guy,” Brooks said. “So you and the two girls walked to the Formal Gardens? Did you do drugs?”
“Noah,” Cheryl Beth said.
“It’s okay,” he said. “We did some E.”
“Ecstasy,” Brooks said. “You always bring
Noah ignored him.
“Thank you for coming, Cheryl Beth.” He reached a manacled hand across the table toward her and a female deputy instantly intervened. “Prisoner! Hands in your lap.”
Noah cringed and dropped his hands. He looked shrunken in the inmate garb. She searched his face: Noah Smith from Corbin. Somebody’s son, brother, cousin? Nothing. He didn’t look like anyone she had known there. And it was a place she had tried very hard to forget.
“I don’t need to tell you that you’re in a lot of trouble, Mr. Smith,” Brooks said. “You can make things easier on yourself if you tell me what happened out there.”
“I didn’t…”
“Noah,” Cheryl Beth said. “You’d better not say anything until you talk to a lawyer.” She didn’t look Brooks’ way, felt his cosmic annoyance flooding her.
“I didn’t do anything.” His voice shook.
“Tell me about the two girls, Holly and Lauren?” Brooks asked it in a confidant’s voice. “I can help you, Noah, if you’ll help me. Lawyers are going to get in the way of that. Now’s the time to work with me, before things get more complicated. Tell me about the girls.”
Noah swallowed hard enough that his Adam’s apple, his laryngeal prominence her interior voice said, bobbed up and down. He said, “We were drinking in town and went back on campus to party some more.”
“Noah!” Cheryl Beth stared at him. “Wait for your lawyer before you say anything.”
He shook his head. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Brooks said, “You all were together?”
“Sure. We were together at the bar.” He gave the name of the place, a popular hangout for students.
Cheryl Beth wanted to slap him silly. He was a fool to be talking or to trust Hank Brooks.
Brooks asked, “Why?”
He looked bewildered.
“My point is, did you all have plans? Did one of them go there with you on a date? Did you pick them both up? What?”
Noah said they had met up at the bar. “We were drinking and having fun. First Holly and me, and then we saw Lauren and she joined us.”
“Drank too much?”
“Maybe”
“And you expect me to believe these two good-looking girls, both of ’em, left with you.”
“They did.”
“Must be nice,” Brooks said. He made some notes. Noah’s eyes beseeched her, but all Cheryl Beth could do was give a small, soothing smile she had perfected over the years. At the moment, she was doubtful of its comfort. She mouthed the words: “shut up.” He looked away.
“You’re kind of old to be hanging around campus bars, Noah,” Brooks said. “My information says you’re twenty-five. These girls were both twenty.”
“I was in the Army,” he said. “After my discharge, I went back to school.”
“An honorable discharge?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ll check on that.” Brooks put down his pen and stared at the young man. Then his voice resumed its friendly tone. “What time did you leave the bar?”
“I don’t know. Maybe around midnight.”
“You’re sure of that.”
Cheryl Beth turned to Brooks. “He already told you he wasn’t sure.” She turned back to Noah. “You should shut up.”
“I’m innocent.” He said it, looking incredibly boy-like and vulnerable.
“Then how do you know it was after midnight?” Instantly she wished she hadn’t asked it.
“I got a call around midnight, let it go to voice mail. I saw the time then. We left awhile afterwards. The place was getting pretty crowded.”
“Who called you?” Brooks twirled his pen in his fingers.
Noah hesitated. “A friend.”
“Female friend?”
Noah nodded.
Brooks stood and paced toward the wall, his shoes squeaking on the waxed floor.
“You’re a popular guy,” Brooks said. “So you and the two girls walked to the Formal Gardens? Did you do drugs?”
“Noah,” Cheryl Beth said.
“It’s okay,” he said. “We did some E.”
“Ecstasy,” Brooks said. “You always bring
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