Even if I was one once. And by the way, for future interview techniques, stuff those reaction comments like the one about the sea urchin or whatever it was. Never let them know what you’re thinking. Give them room to hang themselves. Capish?”
Though the cliché added unintentional comedy, Holly felt her face warm. “Right. So now what?”
“I’m going to give this one more day. It’s a rat’s nest anyway. Someone drowns at the back of beyond. No forensics to speak of, and probably for good reason. It was a bloody simple-minded accident.” Letting a bored sigh communicate his feelings, he turned to Holly. “Did you talk to this Lindsey girl?”
“No, that was Constable Singh.”
“Well?” Whitehouse turned to the young constable.
Chipper’s voice cracked. Clearly he was as nervous as she was.
“Just for a few minutes. I didn’t think... I mean, at the time—”
Whitehouse held up a hand like a traffic cop. “You didn’t think. And we’ll need two thousand officers a year for the next five to fill the ranks. If you two are any indication...my god.”
Neither spoke, but their heavy swallows were nearly audible. Whitehouse moved on. “As my father used to say, I don’t like the cut of this young man. He’s an insect, no matter how big he is. Get that Lindsey girl in here.”
Chipper leafed through his notebook. “She lives on Henlyn.” Whitehouse shot his cuffs and scowled at the numbers on his heavy metal watch. “This is getting impossible. Tomorrow I’m due in Victoria for a conference with the crown attorney about my testimony at a very important trial. We’re about to bring down a drug ring. You’ll see it in the papers.”
“Perhaps I should talk to Ms Bass, sir.” Holly jutted her chin towards Chipper. “If nothing else comes up here that the Constable can’t handle.”
Whitehouse pondered this for awhile, then he threw up his hands. “I hate to open that can of worms, but we can’t leave it now that it’s been raised. A woman might respond better to you. Take a subtle approach. We don’t want any harassment charges from the Lilac Brigade, even if it’s pure bullshit from Pasquin.”
Holly nodded. If the woman were gay, she was either utterly dedicated to the parochial system or taking the world’s biggest chance. However, Angie’s crush on her, unsubstantiated at this point, wouldn’t be the first time a straight teacher had been targeted by a gay student.
“We could bring Lindsey Benish in on Friday, if you’re free then,” Holly said. She was learning to follow Whitehouse by leading him.
In the foyer, he adjusted his French cuffs, silver shell cufflinks winking at the bottom, and reached for his raincoat. “I’m totally tied up next week, too. The province just got financial support for a crime squad to coordinate efforts all along the south island. I’m helping with the initial organization. In a few years, we’ll have seventeen people.”
“That sounds big-time.”
“Damn straight. We’re talking nearly a million a year.”
“Damn straight. We’re talking nearly a million “Don’t integrated units already operate?”
“Sure, in dive teams, safety, organized crime and child exploitation. But not in property crime. A full-time analyst is going to crunch the stats and match career criminals with their targets.”
“I hear you. The same five predatory bastards make the rounds of the parks every summer and steal everything that isn’t nailed down and some that is.” It was important that her territory be safe in appearance and reality for tourists and locals. One bad experience could make a negative impression that circulated like the flu.
He passed her a card and walked away, calling over his shoulder, “You and Singh handle everything. Do it right this time. Call me if anything turns up, which it won’t.”
Major Crimes. No wonder he was ticked at the bush-league assignment. Was it the lack of dedication to this case, or a prioritizing of tasks that took Whitehouse off down the road?
His card had a cell phone number, but it had been crossed out, as if they were second-class citizens. Holly gave him a one-fingered salute as the door shut. As she looked out the window, his unmarked car, a comfy Buick, pulled away, spitting small stones. Ann seemed to be smiling as she shut a file cabinet. Was she laughing at Holly or with her?
Chipper looked at her, his face troubled. “That was rough.”
“You can say that again. I wonder what he’s like when he’s really mad.” That got a grin from Chipper.
An hour later, deep in paperwork, Holly heard Ann answer the phone.
“I’ll transfer your call to Corporal Martin.”
Holly found Vic Daso on the line, and the news made her spill a tsunami of coffee from her “B.C.: The Most Beautiful Place on Earth” mug. “The last tox reports show signs of crystal meth.”
“Why so late? I thought you did blood scans.”
“Meth stays in the blood for only four to six hours, so we didn’t twig, but it can remain in the urine even after forty-eight hours.”
“I don’t believe it.” Suddenly chilled, Holly envisioned the fine young girl lying on that cold metal slab. “She didn’t look like a user. This makes no sense.” A wall poster campaigning against crystal meth flashed a graphic picture of the haunting signs of the addiction. Picking at the face, dangerous weight loss, and the signal feature of rotting teeth that were the stuff of nightmares. Angie had been a star athlete. Could scans lie? Was there room for misinterpretation?
“Are you sure? What about a clerical error?” She didn’t like to insult the man or his methods.
“Positive. I double-checked it myself.” He let the idea sink in before continuing. “Could be it was administered without her knowledge. The drug can be snorted, smoked, injected, eaten, even injected into the vagina.”
“What a horrible thought.” A mental pebble sent widening ripples across a pool. Was this proof that Angie hadn’t been alone? Way too many suspects. And that included the two boys outside of the group. What were their names? She reached for her notes. “Chipper collected an empty condom packet in the vicinity. We haven’t done anything with it yet. You said she was no virgin. Could there be a connection?”
“There wasn’t any sign of rough sex, nor any semen. If anything happened, she was a willing partner.”
“I’m no prude, but her background doesn’t sound like—”
“Don’t discount the effect of meth. It increases sexual drive, leading to high-risk behaviour. People do things they wouldn’t normally dream about. And afterwards, memory is sometimes impaired.”
“Did she get the meth at the beach or at the campsite? How could she have been in any condition to ride that bike to the beach?”
“It’s possible. If she left right away.”
“The drug could explain her disorientation. Maybe she did fall.”
“Or
