He said to him, “I guess now the question is who do I question? You?” He looked Tommy full in the face. “Or, do I question a seventeen-year-old girl who’s dealing with the death of her baby’s father, among other things? Who’s the bigger person?”
“Let me talk to my son,” Helen demanded.
Rafe handed the boy his phone.
Tommy didn’t say a word, just listened. After a full two minutes of nodding, he said, “Yes, Mom,” and returned the phone to Rafe. Helen had already disconnected.
“I guess I’m talking to you,” Rafe said.
“I should have come to see you the minute Brittney went missing,” Tommy muttered. “But I was afraid for Derek.”
“For Derek or of Derek?”
“For Derek. He wanted to be a good guy, but it’s not that easy to walk away from the drugs. Sometimes...” Tommy gazed down at the almost empty cup of charcoal and then touched his mouth and winced. “Sometimes, it’s fun.”
Rafe didn’t agree. “Who are Chad and Chris?”
A nurse came back in, took Tommy’s blood pressure and checked his eyes. Then she handed him a towel. Rafe hadn’t even noticed how much the boy was sweating.
“I don’t know who Chris is. I’ve only heard the name once or twice, and that was by accident. Derek didn’t talk about him. Chad is Chad Ruskey. He used to work at the pizza place over on Main. That’s how Derek met him. He delivered a pizza to some party Derek was at, and they started hanging around. This was before I was friends with Derek.”
“Is Chad the man that Amanda drew for Janie?”
“Probably.”
“Yes or no.”
“I didn’t see the drawing. And, honestly, I only met him once or twice.”
Okay, now that Rafe had a name, he could find out this information on his own. “When did Derek meet Chad?”
“A couple of months ago. I got the idea that Chad didn’t stay places long.”
“Places in Arizona, or are you talking about state to state?”
“State to state. He wants to travel the world. He headed to South Carolina sometime after Christmas for basic training. He wanted to go to school but couldn’t afford it. I think he’s going to try for veteran’s assistance when he gets out.”
“He’s a soldier?” Rafe said, more to himself than to Tommy. After a few more questions, Rafe quickly pulled out his phone and called Summerside with the new last name.
“So,” Rafe continued, “is Chad capable of murder?”
Tommy considered that for a moment. “It sure didn’t surprise me that he joined the service. But it’s hard to picture him killing someone. I mean, I partied with the guy once.”
“He does meth, too?”
Tommy eyed the room as if afraid someone would overhear. “Yes, but he worried he was using too much. He’s hoping the military will come between him and the drugs.”
Tommy looked like he was starting to relax. Rafe wasn’t sure if that had to do with the meth still in his system or because he’d been given something by the medical staff to counter the meth.