Page 54 of Silencing Stolen Whispers
“We’re not going to get anywhere,” Alex said as he noticed an older woman taking a seat behind the large counter that served as a barrier between students and their advisors. “Sienna is going to call her father, and then we’re going to have to deal with him.”
“Not if we play our cards right.” Kinsley tapped his knee as she stood from the bench. “I was thinking about that, as well. If we use the right approach, we’ll get the information we need. Also, I spoke with Hannah’s advisor. She couldn't offer us anything beyond what we've already gathered from others.”
“Address for Webster?”
“Apartment complex about a mile from here. Upscale, security building.”
Kinsley waited for Alex to stand before approaching the reception desk. The nameplate identified her as Ms. Harmon, Administrative Services.
“May I help you?” Ms. Harmon asked with a neutral expression.
“Detectives Aspen and Lanen, Fallbrook Police Department.” Kinsley placed the warrant on the counter. “We would like a printout of Jade Patel's class schedules—future and past semesters, please.”
Ms. Harmon picked up the document before pushing her chair back. She stood and explained how she would need to notify the interim dean of such a request.
“We understand,” Kinsley replied as Ms. Harmon reached for the receiver of her desk unit. “We'll wait over there.”
They stepped away to give Ms. Harmon some privacy. There was protocol for this type of thing, and Alex was confident the university would adhere to the letter of the law.
“I ran into Haugen at the station this morning,” Alex said as they reclaimed their seats on the bench. “Did you know that Shane put in for some personal time? He’s out until Wednesday.”
“Personal leave?” Kinsley couldn’t suppress the surprise in her voice. Alex had only mentioned it because Kinsley had pointed out Shane’s odd behavior the day before. “Aren’t they in the middle of an active investigation?”
“That was my thought.”
“Any reason given?”
“None.”
“That’s not like Shane at all.” Kinsley’s gaze drifted toward the reception desk as she set her purse next to her on the bench. “I noticed Chloe wasn't at the game yesterday.”
“Maybe things didn't work out between them.”
Kinsley's expression remained neutral, but Alex noticed the slight tension in her jaw.She might say that she was fine with Shane dating someone else, but she couldn’t hide her true feelings from Alex.
“Did I tell you that I ran into Shane on Saturday? He seemed fine then. I was headed upstairs to help CID interview Rebecca Chambliss, and he was getting off the elevator. I asked him to take our raffle money over to Wally, but he texted afterward that something came up, and he never got around to it.”
“The envelope was still in my desk drawer when I got back to the office that day. I ended up walking it over to Wally.” Kinsley sighed audibly and crossed her arms while monitoring Ms. Harmon on the phone. “Well, now I just feel guilty. I never meant to hurt him, you know.”
Before Alex could respond, Ms. Harmon summoned them back to the desk.
“The interim dean has been notified that you have a warrant to access Ms. Patel's records. I'll need a few minutes to print everything out for you.”
“Thank you,” Alex said, offering a smile in return.
After another five minutes of waiting near the counter, Ms. Harmon materialized with a thin manila folder. “You’ll find Miss Patel’s course history, current summer enrollment, fall enrollment, and financial statements.”
“Thank you for your cooperation,” Kinsley said, accepting the folder.
Alex followed Kinsley toward the exit, stopping only to toss his empty disposable cup into the trash bin. He squinted against the sudden brightness, wishing he hadn’t left his sunglasses in his car. He had opted to check out one of the cruisers at the station, which he had parked in the front row.
“You can leave your Jeep in the parking lot of the library. We’ll take the cruiser over to Sienna Webster’s place. Are we eating lunch before or after?”
“After,” Kinsley chose as she stepped off the curb. She had already opened the folder, but she was squinting worse than Alex. She closed it before handing him the file. “I can’t see a thing.”
A groundskeeper methodically watered a nearby flowerbed, the spray catching sunlight and transforming into ephemeral rainbows. The man nodded in their direction as he continued his task.
“Straight ahead,” Alex said while Kinsley rummaged through her purse. How she found anything in that endless pit was beyond him. Kinsley matched his stride as she pulled out her sunglasses and slipped them on. “Here. Take this back. You can look it over while I drive.”
