Don't Touch Me! - 9

 

Brent and Detective Walter Milburn were friends, having roomed together for a year while in college when Brent had been a sophomore and Milburn a senior. Milburn had been majoring in criminal justice at that point, while Brent hadn't been certain what he'd wanted to do. He'd only known he didn't want to be a police officer despite Walt's having suggested he might make a good one. Then, the summer following his sophomore year, Brent had gotten a job as a security guard, in spite of his father's demeaning comments about being a 'door shaker'. That had whetted his interest in stopping crime, so he'd taken a few of the courses Milburn had recommended then started working full time with a security firm before deciding to strike out on his own—setting up his private detective agency.

Now, the morning after Brent had visited Cody, the detective looked up when Brent approached his desk. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"I want to pick your brain?" Brent replied, sitting in the chair beside Walt's desk.

"Again? What's got you stumped this time?"

"Therein lies the rub, to misquote Hamlet."

Walt leaned back, hands behind his head. "Talk."

"I've been hired to try to prove my client didn't commit a murder. Before you ask, he hasn't been charged yet, but he's sure he will be."

"So you want me to find out what the chances are that will happen?"

"I suspect you already know, since it's your case."

Straightening up, Walt looked hard at Brent. "Which one? No, let me guess. The Paige murder." When Brent nodded, Walt said, "That kid is the killer, so drop him fast."

"If he is, why haven't you arrested him already?"

Walt's mouth tightened. "I'm still putting together the case against him."

Lifting an eyebrow, Brent said, "Not enough evidence?"

"Let's put it this way. He did a pretty good job of mimicking the serial killer who is running around right now. But there are a couple of details he didn't know, since we held them back."

"Such as?"

Walt shook his head. "Uh-uh. I may trust you, but I am not revealing that."

"Like the method used to strangle her?" When Walt didn't reply, Brent tried again. "Did the killer come in through a basement window?"

"It looks as if that's what happened."

"You don't agree."

Again, Walt remained silent.