Page 53 of Girl, Unmasked
The change in Jeff’s demeanor was instant.He shook his head like he was trying to rattle something loose.‘Martina?Is she okay?’
‘Have you seen the news recently, Mr.Hollister?As in, the past ten hours?’
Jeff held up his hands like he was fending off an attack.'Hey, I've been here since late last night, pulling a double.Ain't exactly had time to catch up on current events.What’s this got to do with Martina?'
And staring into those wide, guileless eyes, Ella believed his story.‘She was your girlfriend, correct?’
‘Yeah.Well, sometimes.Very Ross and Rachel, if you know what I mean.’
Ella read him like an open book.There was no easy way to deliver this kind of news.In Ella's experience, it was best to just rip the band-aid off and deal with the aftermath.And there was always some part of the interviewee that suspected the worst, anyway.
‘Mr.Hollister, we have some bad news.I’m afraid Martina was found dead last night.’
Jeff held her stare, as if she might pull out a camera and hit him with agotcha.
‘We’re sorry,’ she continued.
‘No,’ Jeff moaned.‘That can’t be right.I just spoke to her yesterday.I just…’
Then the man’s knees buckled.He pitched forward like a felled oak, and Ella braced to catch the 200-pound slab of a man.She somehow managed it, and in her arms he began to cry.
Ella had come here looking for a potential lead, maybe even her angel-making serial killer.But all she’d found was another victim.
***
Jeff Hollister's trailer was a pressure cooker of stale air.The man in question sat on a fold-out chair, while Ella perched herself on the edge of a rickety table.
‘I just can't believe she's gone,’ Jeff mumbled for the umpteenth time since nearly passing out.‘We were supposed to go to Coney Island next weekend.She loves...loved the Cyclone.’
Ella’s cop senses catalogued Jeff’s body language, all while the human side of her ached for the poor man.Everything about Jeff screamed innocent, from his genuine shock to the way he kept slipping between past and present tense when talking about Martina.This wasn't the carefully constructed grief of a killer.This was the other side of the victim coin.
But he knew Martina better than anyone, and that might just unblock a few avenues.
‘Tell me about Martina,’ she said gently.‘What was she like?’
Jeff blinked at her like he was surfacing from deep water.‘Marti was...a firecracker.Quick as a whip.Sarcastic as hell.Way too smart for me.Real glass-half-full kinda woman.’
‘How long were you together?’
‘We'd been on-again, off-again for years.Could never seem to make it stick, but we couldn't stay away from each other either.Like magnets, you know?Even when we were apart, we'd always end up back together eventually.’Jeff swiped at his tears.‘Marti always said she preferred laughing to crying, 'cause crying gave you a headache and that was a bitch to teach through.’
‘So she was a teacher.’Ella already knew as much from her on-scene recon, but she wanted to see if Jeff would keep the story straight.
‘Yeah.English Lit over at Spaulding High.She loved those kids.Said molding their squishy little minds made her feel like Michelangelo.’
Ella filed that tidbit away.‘Jeff, did Martina ever mention any particularly troublesome students?Anyone who might have held a grudge?Maybe someone named Drago?’
The tear tracks on Jeff’s cheeks had smudged into salty streaks.‘Drago?No, doesn't ring a bell.She had her share of problem kids, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary.Mostly just typical teenage stuff, you know?’
Ella felt the familiar thud of another lead hitting a dead end.But there had to be something.A woman like Martina with a life like hers – there was always something lurking at the edges.Grudges.Obsessions.Secrets with teeth.
‘What about enemies?Anyone who might have wanted to hurt her?’she pressed.
Jeff assumed a thousand-yard stare.His gaze drifted toward the chrome kitchen, and for a moment, Ella thought he might pass out again.She hadn't yet exposed Jeff to the finer details of Martina's demise and wasn't sure if doing so was a good idea.He was clearly in touch with his emotions, and learning that your girlfriend had been dropped from a balcony was something even the most hardened mind would struggle with.
‘Enemies,’ he said.‘So, you mean, Martina was… murdered?’
Sugar coating was for donuts.Maybe she could be honest but keep the details vague.‘Yes.Someone killed her.’
