Chapter Three
Their first interview was with Stella Barnes. She arrived a few minutes late, dressed in black pants and a flashy pink blouse that shimmered in the light whenever she moved. Her black hair hung freely around her shoulders. She had traffic-stopping good looks and she knew exactly how to use them. Every eye in the room was on her when she waltzed into it. There was an air of sorrow about her but she didn't seem particularly sad.
As she sat down in the chair across from Nick and Warrick, she gave them a weary smile. "So, how can I help?"
"We'd like to know a little bit about your relationship with Jack Moyer." Nick told her as he leaned forward a bit, his arms resting on the table between them.
Stella's smile faded a bit. "Ah, yes! Poor Jack. He was such a sweetheart and a good friend. I'm going to miss him so much! You can't imagine how difficult all of this is for me, but I shall try to muddle through."
She sighed and began to speak again. "I met Jack through my dear friend, Rebekah. She and I were next-door neighbors and playmates as children. We did almost everything together. We were quite the pair. Rebekah was so level-headed and she kept me grounded as I was so flighty when I was younger. Anyway, Rebekah met Jack during our freshman year and then she introduced me to Jack and the rest, as they say, is history!"
Stella smiled at Nick. She seemed to get lost in thought while staring his face.
In an attempt to get Stella to re-focus her thoughts, Warrick spoke up, "We understand that Jack was meeting someone last night. Was that you?"
Stella shook her head. "No, I didn't even get a chance to speak to him last night. It's a pity. There's so much I wanted to say to him."
"Was there anyone who might have had a reason to kill Jack?" Nick asked.
"Oh no! Everybody loved Jack!" Stella cried.
"Somebody wanted him dead." Nick pointed out the obvious.
"I can't imagine who! We were all so close! We knew each other's business! Jack got along with everyone!" Stella said. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
Warrick pointed this out. "You don't seem so sure about that."
Stella shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well, I'm not one to spread gossip, but since this is a murder investigation, I guess it's okay. Something happened between Rebekah and Jack. About a month before graduation, Rebekah stopped hanging out with us. I mean, she stopped hanging out with Jack."
Finally they seemed to be getting somewhere. Nick pressed forward. "Why do you think that is?"
"I don't know. There was always this tension between them - sexual tension, I mean. Nothing ever happened between them though. Rebekah had very high morals. Not like me." she laughed lightly.
She seemed to think better of what she had said and rushed on. "Don't get me wrong. Rebekah wasn't a tease or anything like that. She had a great deal of respect for Jack and would never have intentionally hurt him. She just didn't want to let herself get involved with someone who didn't have the same beliefs she did."
"By beliefs, do you mean religious faith?" Warrick asked her.
"Rebekah was very involved in her church. She had a very strong faith, one which Jack did not share. Not that she didn't try to convert him. She tried to convert the whole lot of us. She managed to get us to some church events, but that was about it. She wasn't one of those pushy fanatics though. Rebekah's a wonderful person." Stella informed him.
Nick nodded in understanding. "So you don't know why they quarreled."
Stella shook her head. "No idea. Rebekah wouldn't talk about it. Believe me, I tried to get her to talk about it, but that girl stubbornly refused to tell me. I wanted to know so bad."
She paused as if she was considering something. "It's funny. When Rebekah left the group, we kinda fell apart. We managed to stay together until graduation, but that was it. After that, we didn't spend anymore time together. I guess Jack and Rebekah were the glue that held our odd, little family together."
A silence fell between the three of them. Nick didn't think they were going to get much more out of Stella so he thought he'd wrap up their conversation by verifying some of Stella's personal information.
"You own a theater company, correct?" Nick asked, checking the paper in front of him.
"Yes, it's called 'Flight of Fancy'. It's located just off the Strip. We sell out almost every weekend, performing everything from Shakespeare to Arthur Miller. It's quite a lucrative undertaking. I don't actually run the theater because I have no head for business, but I do some acting and directing."
Stella fixed Nick with a thoughtful eye and said, "Your eyes say so much about you. I feel as if I'm glimpsing into your soul. I can sense that you, like me, are deeply in touch with your emotions. And you have such lovely, chiseled features. Have you ever considered a career in the theater? I could have women lining up around the block to catch a glimpse of you on stage. Can you act?"
She paused as if she intended to allow Nick to respond but rushed ahead before he had the chance to. "Honestly, with looks like yours it doesn't matter if you can act or not."
Nick was completely taken aback and had appeared to lose the capacity to form words, so Warrick decided to play hero and rescue his buddy from the situation. "Well, thank you for coming down Ms. Barnes. If we have any more questions, can we contact you?"
"Of course!" Stella said with a smile and she got up, swivelling her hips as she left the room.
The two CSIs sat in silence for a moment. Nick let his head sink to the table in embarrassment and Warrick let out a small laugh.
"Well it's nice to know that if you don't make it as a CSI, you can have a prosperous future in the theater." he teased.
The interview with Freddie McFarlane went nothing like the Stella Barnes interview. Freddie was an imposing figure, stood a good two inches over Warrick. He had retained his muscular, athletic form throughout the years. He had a surly attitude and it was apparent by his body language that he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Let's just cut the crap, okay? I didn't kill Jack and I don't know who did. I didn't even talk to him last night." Freddie told them.
"So you didn't see or hear anything? You don't know anything?" Warrick asked.
"Nope." Freddie said, wrapping his large hands behind his head.
"You don't know anyone who would want to hurt Jack?" Nick asked. He tried to push away his feelings of mounting dislike for Freddie so as to stay objective.
"I already told you that I didn't." Freddie snapped. "Look, you're wasting your time with me. Jack and I were friends. We were equals. I'm not your guy."
"What do you mean by that?" Nick asked.
"We were both popular, had a high-status in school. We had the respect of every one of our classmates. You want a suspect? Look to someone who doesn't fit that role." Freddie said.
"Like who?" Warrick asked in curiosity.
"Like Linton Elwell." Freddie supplied rapidly.
"Linton Elwell? You think he killed his cousin? I thought he was one of your friends." Nick asked, amazed that Freddie had come up with an answer so quickly.
"We were never friends. I put up with him for Jack's sake. Jack was always looking out for Linton because he felt sorry for him. The guy was a total loser but nobody messed with him because of Jack. Linton idolized Jack, wanted to be just like him. But he was never going to be like Jack and deep down, he knew it." Freddie slammed a fist down on the table in frustration.
"You really think he's capable of murder?" Nick asked, unable to completely hide his disbelief.
"I don't know. How long would you be able to live in someone's shadow?" Freddie asked.
Freddie looked down at his fist and watched as he opened it and laid his palm down on the table. He raised his head to look Nick in the face. "What won't a man do if he's properly motivated?"
There was something in his tone that struck Nick like a ton of bricks. He considered the man before him and then leaned forward, fixing Freddie with a piercing gaze. "What would it take to motivate you to kill Jack Moyer?"
Freddie did not back down under Nick's gaze. "Tell me, could you ever end the life of your friend here in cold blood?"
Nick had never been asked a question like that. For a moment, he forgot that Warrick was in the room with him. His eyes were locked on Freddie's intense face. "No. Never."
Freddie nodded. "And why not? Not just because he's your friend. He's your partner. That's the way it was between me and Jack. Only it was stronger than that. He was like a brother to me. You don't betray a bond like that. Period."
Warrick broke in on this unsettling conversation. "Jack was your best friend. You guys must have talked a lot. Did he tell you anything about the falling out he had with Rebekah Prescott?"
"No. We're guys. We don't talk about stuff like that. Frankly, part of me wasn't sorry that she was gone. She was all into God and all that. My idea of a good time and her idea of a good time were not the same at all. When she was gone, we got to have more of my kind of fun." Freddie said.
"What kind of fun you talking about?" Warrick asked although he was pretty sure he already knew.
"Partying. Drinking. You know, stupid high school kid stuff." Freddie said, slumping against the back of his chair.
"We got them impression that there was something romantic between Jack and Rebekah. You know anything about that?" Warrick asked.
"Jack could have had any girl in school, but he only casually dated a few of them. He seemed fascinated by Rebekah and I never understood that. It's not like she was all that hot or that she'd sleep with him or something like that. I mean, there were some things that I liked about her alot. She never pretended to be something that she wasn't and she was really nice - not fake nice, but genuine nice. She helped me with a school project once. I never wanted to date her though. She just wasn't my type, you know?" he said, folding his muscular arms in front of his chest.
Changing topics, Warrick asked, "You got a full-ride scholarship to play baseball at UNLV, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but I got in an accident my sophomore year and messed up my knee and my shoulder. Couldn't play anymore so they took my scholarship away." Freddie told them bitterly.
"That accident caused the death of two people, including your buddy who was driving under the influence. You're lucky to be alive." Warrick pointed out.
"I guess you could say that." Freddie said sarcastically. "Working one of the craps tables at the Tropicana is just as good as playing 3rd base in the Majors. Yeah, life really is beautiful."
Victoria Winston arrived ten minutes ahead of her scheduled interview, dressed smartly in a silk blouse with a navy jack and matching skirt. Her blonde hair was drawn up in a rather tight bun. Being instructed to wait, she seated herself in the lobby. She crossed her legs, allowing the casual viewer to get a better look at their slender shape, and contented herself with reading an issue of Psychology Today that she had brought with her.
A few minutes later, she was escorted to the interrogation room where she greeted Nick and Warrick with a confident handshake.
"Thank you for coming to speak with us, Miss Winston." Nick said by way of greeting.
"I prefer Dr. Winston." she told him matter-of-factly.
"Yes, of course. I apologize." Nick said. He masked his annoyance at the belittling way in which she had corrected him. It had made him feel like a school kid.
"No harm done. Now, how can I be of service gentlemen?" she asked. The smile on her face was meant to convey a sense of warmth, but it just made Nick feel colder. He could not shake the feeling that Victoria Winston was as hard as nails.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions about Jack Moyer. We understand that you were good friends with him." Warrick said.
"Yes, Jack and I were close." Victoria nodded in assent. "And I was close with Freddie McFarlane, whom you've already spoken too."
"What about Linton Elwell, Stella Barnes, and Rebekah Prescott? Were you close with them? We understand that you spent a lot of time with them." Warrick said. He wondered if Victoria was going to respond in a similar vein as Freddie. He was willing to bet big money that she would.
"There's a difference between spending time with someone and being close to them. Stella, Linton, and Rebekah weren't really on the same level as me, but we let them hang with us." She told them.
"So I take it that you weren't too fond of them." Nick replied. He was not surprised by this. He didn't know if Victoria was particularly fond of anyone other than herself.
"Well, Stella and Linton were okay in some ways, but Rebekah was a cruel-hearted girl." Victoria said with a small scowl.
Nick sat back a bit in his seat and shot Warrick a look. This was different. They hadn't heard anything bad about Rebekah from anyone else. Did Victoria know something the others didn't?
"What do you mean by that?" Nick asked curiously.
"She knew that Jack cared for her. She wouldn't date him and yet flirted with him shamelessly. She wreaked havoc on his poor heart in the way that only a perceived 'good girl' could, using her so-called faith as an excuse to refuse him." Victoria's tone grew with increasing ferocity as she spoke about Rebekah.
Nick was struck by how Victoria's entire demeanor had changed so quickly by the mere mention of Rebekah Prescott. She had lost her cool composure and adopted an attitude of angry hostility. It struck him as odd and he could tell by a slight change in Warrick's posture that his partner was feeling the same way.
Warrick had been a bit taken aback by her remarks, but his face mask-like when he said, "We got the impression that Rebekah was completely honest with Jack about everything, totally above board with him, and that she would never have hurt him like that because she cared about him."
Victoria scoffed at Warrick's words. "Oh please! Anyone who rold you that Rebekah Prescott was some kind of saint is a fool. She knew exactly what she was doing to Jack and enjoyed every minute of it."
Nick leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "We know that Jack and Rebekah had some falling out towards the end of your senior year. Do you know what that was all about?"
Victoria shook her head. "Believe me, I asked but Jack wouldn't tell me. My guess is that he finally had enough of her and told her off about it. She was too ashamed or too angry to show her face afterwards. We were better off without her though."
Deciding that maybe it was time to change the topic, Nick asked, "Do you know anyone who would want to kill Jack? Any former classmates holding grudges? That sort of thing?"
"No. Everybody liked Jack. He was a great guy. A good friend." Her voice had lost its hostility and had become twinged with sadness.
"Did you have much contact with Jack after high school?" Nick asked. He wanted to see if her version matched what he had heard so far.
"No. Not really. We all kind of went our own ways after graduation. That's why I was looking forward to this reunion. I found out that everybody was going to be there and I wanted to go and reminisce." She told them, her face growing a touch warmer.
"It's my understanding that you studied psychology at Harvard, is that correct?" Warrick asked.
"Yes. I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard. My parents spared no expense for my education and I put their money to good use. I turned my doctoral thesis into a best-selling book." Victoria said with a smile.
"Really? What was it about?" Nick asked.
"It's entitled, 'You Are Who You Were.' In my book, I assert that we are still the same people we were in high school. The jocks are still reveling in their glory days; the popular kids are still the center of attention; the wannabes are still trying to achieve that which they never will; and the nerds are still getting picked on by those cooler than them. High School is the place where most people are first labeled by their peer group and I believe that label sticks. It's with us for the rest of our lives and defines who we are." Victoria tapped her perfectly-manicured fingernails on the table as she said this.
"That's an interesting premise." Nick told her honestly. "Going back to your reunion and seeing your classmates probably provided you with a lot of interesting observations. What does your theory tell you about yourself in relation to your classmates?"
A somewhat arrogant smile crossed Victoria's face and it matched her tone as she replied, "It told me that I'm still the most intelligent person in that room and that I have the most to show for myself. No one's garnered as much fame as I have. I'm in the process of creating my own talk show based on the success of my book."
"How nice for you." Warrick said unenthusiastically.
Nick fought the urge to laugh at his partner's comment, but managed to hold it back. It was obvious that Warrick thought as little of Victoria as he did. Deciding to wrap things up, he said, "Dr. Winston, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. If we have any more questions, may we contact you?"
"Of course." she answered.
Victoria got up to leave and Nick escorted her out of the room. At the end of the hallway, Nick saw Rebekah Prescott standing by the receptionist's counter. She turned her head and saw Victoria heading her way. Rebekah gave Victoria a small smile and Victoria nodded her head in acknowledgment. Nick thought he felt the temperature of the room drop ten degrees as Victoria passed Rebekah by without a word.
Rebekah approached Nick and said, "Mr. Stokes, I know my interview is supposed to take place a bit later, but I have to take my mother to the doctor and I was hoping that we could do it now."
"Sure. We've just finished with Dr. Winston so we have time." Nick told her with a smile. He ushered her in the direction of the interrogation room.
"So I'm assuming that you want to know about my relationship with Jack and everybody else." Rebekah said as she seated herself in the chair and folded her hands on the table.
Nick nodded. "Yes ma'am." He noticed that she was dressed very comfortably in jeans and a polo shirt, which gave her a very wholesome look. She looked like a nice, normal person - the kind of person who shouldn't be sitting across from him in an interrogation room.
"Jack and I got to be good friends during our freshman year. Linton introduced us." she told them.
"How would you describe your relationship with the other members of your group?" Warrick asked.
"Well, I was especially close to Stella as we grew up together. Linton was such a sweetheart so he was a joy to spend time with." Rebekah allowed a smile to play across her lips and she looked as if she were remembering the good times they had shared.
"What about Freddie McFarlane and Victoria Winston?" Warrick was curious as to what her response would be. Stella and Linton seemed to think that they were all good friends while Freddie and Victoria had made it sound like they only tolerated the others in order to hang out with Jack. Rebekah, Warrick sensed, appeared to be a sharp girl and most likely would have picked up on their true feelings.
"Freddie was okay at times. For the most part, Jack had a good influence on him, but there were times when he could be difficult. He was good to Jack though and I appreciated that." She paused for a moment and appeared to be choosing her next words very carefully.
"I'll be honest with you. Victoria and I were never close. I tried at the beginning to be her friend, but it became apparent that she was not interested in my friendship. For my part, I tried to behave kindly to her regardless of how she treated me. It was difficult at times, given that we hung out together, but I viewed it as a test of my ability to suffer through persecution." The faintest trace of an amused smile crossed her lips as she said these last words.
Nick cleared his throat and shifted in his seat a bit. "Miss Prescott, we got the impression that there was something between you and Jack - something romantic. Can you tell us about that?"
Rebekah blushed a bit. "Well, like I said, Jack and I got along very well. I respected him quite a bit for a variety of reasons and he was very handsome, but we never dated. I wasn't going to date someone who didn't share the same beliefs as me. My Christian beliefs are the cornerstone to the way I live my life and if I can't share those with a potential love, then I can't be with that person. It would be too hard."
Nick nodded in understanding. "And did Jack know this?"
"Yes." she stated simply.
"According to your friends, you and Jack had a falling out before graduation. Do you mind telling us what that was about?" Nick asked.
Rebekah fidgeted a bit in her seat and tucked a loose strand of her red hair behind her ear. "That was a long time ago and I don't believe it's relevant to your investigation."
Nick studied Rebekah carefully. Obviously, she didn't want to talk about what had happened between her and Jack but that didn't make her guilty of anything. They seemed to have made up though because Rebekah had referred to Jack as a dear friend and Nick didn't believe that she was lying about that.
Having no good reason to force the issue at this time, Nick decided to ask Rebekah a question that he had not asked anyone else up to this point. "Would anyone from your group of high school friends be capable of killing Jack?"
Rebekah fixed him with a look, but instead of dismissing the question with a simple no, she paid Nick the courtesy of actually defending her answer.
"No, I don't think so. Linton would never hurt anyone, especially Jack. He does not have that capacity for violence in him. Stella, though I love her dearly, is flighty when it comes to anything other than acting. I don't see how she'd be capable of staying focused long enough to plan and pull off a pre-meditated murder of one of her closest friends. Freddie was Jack's best friend. They had an unmistakable bond. I know his life hasn't been the easiest, but I cannot see how that would drive him to kill Jack. And while Victoria and I may not have been the best of friends, I always perceived her affection for Jack to be genuine and I have no reason to suspect her of his murder."
She sighed and looked away. "I wish that I could help you. I do. I just don't know of any reason why someone would want to kill Jack. I know how popular people can be perceived as being liked by everyone when, in fact, they are hated by most everyone, but that just wasn't true of Jack. He was never deliberately mean to anyone and always treated people with respect no matter who they were. I have no idea who would do this to him or why."
Sensing that they weren't going to get much more out of Rebekah, Warrick said, "You live in Arizona where you teach the fifth grade, right?"
"Yes, my grandparents lived there and I moved there right after high school in order go to college there. I haven't been back to Vegas much. My parents usually to visit me in Arizona." she informed them.
"So I guess you haven't had much contact with your friends after graduation." Warrick reasoned.
"I spoke a few times with Stella on the phone right after I left, but that's it." Rebekah answered.
"Well, we want to thank you for coming down to talk to us." Nick said as they stood up.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help. Please let me know if you have any more questions for me." she said with a smile and walked out of the room.
Nick and Warrick stood in the doorway and watched her leave.
"It's interesting. The friendship between Jack and Rebekah fell apart and then, one month later, the entire group fell apart. I can't help but think all of that has some relevance to our investigation somehow." Nick confessed to Warrick.
"Think so? I don't know, man. It might be nothing - some stupid high school argument or something." Warrick said dismissively.
"My gut's telling me there's something there." Nick shook his head in frustration. "They did everything together for four years and then the group completely dissolves. Why? There has to be a reason. And I don't think it's a coincidence that they all happen to show up for the reunion and one of them ends up dead."
"Don't jump the gun, Nick. People drift apart after high school. How many of your close friends from high school do you keep in touch with?" Warrick asked.
Nick knew that his partner had a point, but he could shake the feeling that the reunion of this group of former friends had lead to the death of Jack Moyer.
Author's Note: Thanks to all of you who left feedback. I really appreciate it.