ached and he told himself not to start crying. April, decomposed? He just wanted to go home, go to his room, lock his door, lie on his bed, stare at the ceiling, then go into a coma and wake up in a year.
“We’ve talked to her mother,” Slater said softly, with great patience and compassion, “and she tells us that you were April’s best friend. You guys talked all the time, hung out a lot. That true?”
Theo shook his head but could not speak.
Slater glanced at Capshaw who returned the glance without stopping his pen.
“What we need, Theo, is any information about what April might have been wearing when she disappeared,” Slater said. Capshaw added, “The body at the crime lab has the remains of some clothing on it. It could help with identification.”
As soon as Capshaw paused, Slater moved in, “We’ve made an inventory of her clothing, with her mother’s help. She said that perhaps you’d given her an item or two. A baseball jacket of some sort.”
Theo swallowed hard and tried to speak clearly. “Yes, sir. Last year I gave April a Twins baseball jacket and a Twins cap.”
Capshaw wrote even faster. Slater said, “Can you describe this jacket?”
Theo shrugged and said, “Sure. It was dark blue with red trim, Minnesota colors, with the word TWINS across the back in red-and-white lettering.”
“Leather, cloth, cotton, synthetic?”
“I don’t know, synthetic maybe. I think the lining on the inside was cotton, but I’m not sure.”
The two detectives exchanged ominous looks.
“Can I ask why you gave it to her?” Slater said.
“Sure. I won it in an online contest at the Twins website, and since I already had two or three Twins jackets, I gave it to April. It was a medium, kid’s size, too small for me.”
“She a baseball fan?” Capshaw asked.
“Not really. She doesn’t like sports. The gift was sort of a joke.”
“Did she wear it often?”
“I never saw her wear it. I don’t think she wore the cap either.”
“Why the Twins?” Capshaw asked.
“Is that really important?” Mrs. Boone shot across the table. Capshaw flinched as though he’d been slapped.
“No, sorry.”
“Where is this going?” Mr. Boone demanded.
Both detectives exhaled in unison, then took another breath. Slater said, “We have not found such a jacket in April’s closet or anywhere in her room, or the house for that matter. I guess we can assume she was wearing it when she left. The temperature was around sixty degrees, so she probably grabbed the nearest jacket.”
“And the clothing on the body?” Mrs. Boone asked.
Both detectives squirmed in unison, then glanced at each other. Slater said, “We really can’t say at this time, Mrs. Boone.” They may have been prohibited from saying anything, but their body language was not difficult to read. The jacket Theo had just described matched whatever they’d found on the body. At least in Theo’s opinion.
His parents nodded as if they understood completely, but Theo did not. He had a dozen questions for the police, but didn’t have the energy to start firing away.
“What about dental records?” Mr. Boone asked.
Both detectives frowned and shook their heads. “Not possible,” Slater said. The answer provoked all manner of horrible images. The body was so mangled and damaged that the jaws were missing.
Mrs. Boone jumped in quickly with, “What about DNA testing?”
“In the works,” Slater said, “but it’ll take at least three days.”
Capshaw slowly closed his notepad and put his pen in a pocket. Slater glanced at his watch. The detectives were suddenly ready to leave. They had the information they were after, and if they stayed longer there might be more questions about the investigation from the Boone family, questions they did not want to answer.
They thanked Theo, expressed their concerns about his friend, and said good night to Mr. and Mrs. Boone.
Theo stayed in his seat at the table, staring blankly at the wall, his
“We’ve talked to her mother,” Slater said softly, with great patience and compassion, “and she tells us that you were April’s best friend. You guys talked all the time, hung out a lot. That true?”
Theo shook his head but could not speak.
Slater glanced at Capshaw who returned the glance without stopping his pen.
“What we need, Theo, is any information about what April might have been wearing when she disappeared,” Slater said. Capshaw added, “The body at the crime lab has the remains of some clothing on it. It could help with identification.”
As soon as Capshaw paused, Slater moved in, “We’ve made an inventory of her clothing, with her mother’s help. She said that perhaps you’d given her an item or two. A baseball jacket of some sort.”
Theo swallowed hard and tried to speak clearly. “Yes, sir. Last year I gave April a Twins baseball jacket and a Twins cap.”
Capshaw wrote even faster. Slater said, “Can you describe this jacket?”
Theo shrugged and said, “Sure. It was dark blue with red trim, Minnesota colors, with the word TWINS across the back in red-and-white lettering.”
“Leather, cloth, cotton, synthetic?”
“I don’t know, synthetic maybe. I think the lining on the inside was cotton, but I’m not sure.”
The two detectives exchanged ominous looks.
“Can I ask why you gave it to her?” Slater said.
“Sure. I won it in an online contest at the Twins website, and since I already had two or three Twins jackets, I gave it to April. It was a medium, kid’s size, too small for me.”
“She a baseball fan?” Capshaw asked.
“Not really. She doesn’t like sports. The gift was sort of a joke.”
“Did she wear it often?”
“I never saw her wear it. I don’t think she wore the cap either.”
“Why the Twins?” Capshaw asked.
“Is that really important?” Mrs. Boone shot across the table. Capshaw flinched as though he’d been slapped.
“No, sorry.”
“Where is this going?” Mr. Boone demanded.
Both detectives exhaled in unison, then took another breath. Slater said, “We have not found such a jacket in April’s closet or anywhere in her room, or the house for that matter. I guess we can assume she was wearing it when she left. The temperature was around sixty degrees, so she probably grabbed the nearest jacket.”
“And the clothing on the body?” Mrs. Boone asked.
Both detectives squirmed in unison, then glanced at each other. Slater said, “We really can’t say at this time, Mrs. Boone.” They may have been prohibited from saying anything, but their body language was not difficult to read. The jacket Theo had just described matched whatever they’d found on the body. At least in Theo’s opinion.
His parents nodded as if they understood completely, but Theo did not. He had a dozen questions for the police, but didn’t have the energy to start firing away.
“What about dental records?” Mr. Boone asked.
Both detectives frowned and shook their heads. “Not possible,” Slater said. The answer provoked all manner of horrible images. The body was so mangled and damaged that the jaws were missing.
Mrs. Boone jumped in quickly with, “What about DNA testing?”
“In the works,” Slater said, “but it’ll take at least three days.”
Capshaw slowly closed his notepad and put his pen in a pocket. Slater glanced at his watch. The detectives were suddenly ready to leave. They had the information they were after, and if they stayed longer there might be more questions about the investigation from the Boone family, questions they did not want to answer.
They thanked Theo, expressed their concerns about his friend, and said good night to Mr. and Mrs. Boone.
Theo stayed in his seat at the table, staring blankly at the wall, his
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