Psycho Tangerine, yes, Estrella is supposed to be me. I did fictionalize her a little bit (Estrella Tryon is NOT my real name. Estrella isn't even my real first name, I just liked the name)
Welcome, Rich Hornby, and thank you for your review. There's actually a little bit more added to the "why" question…in this chapter, in fact. I'm not sure if you will think of it as a "plot twist," but I thought I'd mention it. As I said earlier in the fic, I will post a chapter a week barring some kind of technology trouble or other event that makes it so I can't get to my computer to post. If that happens, I will post the next chapter as soon as I can.
Thank you Cylon One and Monkwriter for your reviews!
"So?" Natalie asked as they left Estrella's house. "Where to now?"
"Back to Slugworth," Adrian replied. "I want to talk to his son."
"You again," Mr. Slugworth said as Adrian and Natalie came through the door. "What do you want now?"
"We want to talk to your son, Samuel," Adrian responded.
"All right," Mr. Slugworth said. "The sooner you talk to him the sooner I get you out of my hair." He turned. "Sam!"
A young man with brown hair came out of a back room, "Yeah dad?" he asked.
"The people I told you about are back and they want to talk to you," Mr. Slugworth said.
Introductions followed and then Samuel led them back to the office. "Dad told me about you coming by the other day," he said. "What can I help you with?"
Adrian had noticed something. "Just curious, but why are you wearing a ring on your pinky finger?"
"Oh that," Samuel said, glancing at the ring. "That's my girlfriend's class ring. It's traditional for a guy to wear his girlfriend's class ring on his pinky."
"And what is your girlfriend's name?" Natalie asked.
"It's…Alicia," Samuel said.
"Alicia Tryon, the victim?" Adrian asked.
Samuel looked down, "Yes," he said. Then he looked back up. "Do you think I killed Alicia?" he asked. "Because I didn't."
"Where were you the night she was murdered?" Adrian asked.
"I was here, in the shop," Samuel said. "Any of the other employees on that night can vouch for me."
"Was your father here?" Adrian asked.
"No," Samuel said, "He'd gone…out." He paused, fidgeted, looked away, looked back, and then sighed. "Alicia had told me that day that she was going to…she was going to…have a baby. Our baby. I told my dad about this and he was furious. He had never approved of Alicia and me dating. Frantic, I begged him for help. He went out that night saying that he would help me. When he came back he said that Alicia had been murdered in an alleyway. He'd found her there. He pulled out her ring and gave it to me 'as a way to remember her by,' he told me. I've had it ever since." After another pause, he asked "Is there anything else I can tell you?"
"No," Adrian said, "Thank you."
The three of them stood up, shook hands (after which Adrian again asked for a wipe), and then Adrian and Natalie left.
"So now what?" Natalie asked.
"Now we go back to the factory," Adrian responded. "I need some time to think."
"You're not going to clean the suite again, are you?" Natalie asked.
"No," Adrian said. "Last time Mr. Wonka offered for me to clean a storage room in the factory. I barely got into it before Mr. Wonka told me about his competitors. I'll clean in there."
"Okay," Natalie said. Then she asked, "What do you think about Samuel?"
"I think he's telling the truth," Adrian said. "There's no way he could have lied to us. He was obviously trying to hide part of his story and couldn't do that."