In what?
A crime scene, she realized. That room was a crime scene.
She rememberedshe was sure it must be from movies or TV showsthat the police would want the crime scene to be as untouched as possible.
All she could do was waitand keep everybody out.
And so far she was being successful. The semicircle of students began to break up, and girls wandered off into smaller groups, disappearing into rooms or forming little clusters in the hallway to share their horror. There was a lot of crying now, and some low, animal-like wailing. A few more cell phones were appearing, those who owned them calling parents or friends to report their versions of the disaster.
Riley thought that probably wasnt a good idea, but she had no way to stop them. At least they were staying away from the door that she guarded.
And now she was starting to feel her own share of horror.
Images from her early childhood flooded Rileys brain
Riley and Mommy were in a candy storeand how Mommy was spoiling Riley!
She was buying her lots and lots of candy.
They were both laughing and happy until
A man stepped toward them. He had a weird face, flat and featureless, like something out of one of Rileys nightmares. It took Riley a second to realize that he was wearing a nylon stocking over his headthe kind that Mommy wore on her legs.
And he was holding a gun.
He started yelling at Mommy
Your purse! Give me your purse!
His voice sounded as frightened as Riley felt.
Riley looked up at Mommy, expecting her to do as the man said.
But Mommy had turned pale and was shaking all over. She didnt seem to understand what was going on.
Give me your purse! the man yelled again.
Mommy just stood there, clutching her purse.
Riley wanted to tell Mommy
Do as the man says, Mommy. Give him your purse.
But for some reason, no words came out of her mouth.
Mommy staggered a little, as if she wanted to run but couldnt make her legs move.
Then there was a flash and a loud, terrible noise
and Mommy fell to the floor, landing on her side.
Her chest was spurting deep red, and the color soaked her blouse and was spreading out in a puddle on the floor
Riley was yanked back to the present by the sound of approaching sirens. The local cops were arriving.
She felt relief that the authorities were here and could take over whatever it was that had to be done.
She saw that boys who lived on the second floor were coming down and asking the girls what was going on. They were also in various stages of dressshirts and jeans, pajamas and robes.
Harry Rampling, the football player who had approached Riley back at the bar, made his way toward where she was standing against the closed door. He pushed past the girls still hovering there and stared at her for a moment.
What do you think youre doing? he snapped.
Riley said nothing. She saw no point in trying to explainnot with the police about to appear at any second.
Harry smirked a little and took a menacing step toward Riley. Hed obviously been told about the dead girl inside.
Get out of the way, he said. I want to see.
Riley stood even more firmly than before.
You cant go in there, she said.
Harry said, Why not, little girl?
Riley stared daggers at him, but she was wondering
What the hell do I think Im doing?
Did she really think she could keep a male athlete from going in there if he decided to?
Oddly enough, she had the feeling that she probably could.
Shed certainly put up a fight, if it came to that.
Fortunately, she heard the clatter of footsteps entering the hall, then a mans voice calling out
Break it up. Let us through.
The clump of students broke up.
Someone said, Over there, and three uniformed cops made their way toward Riley.
She recognized all of them. They were familiar faces around Lanton. Two of them were men, Officers Steele and White. The other was a woman, Officer Frisbie. A couple of campus cops were also tagging along.
Steele was overweight, and his reddish face made Riley suspect that he drank too much. White was a tall guy who walked with a constant slouch and whose mouth always seemed to be hanging open. Riley didnt think he seemed especially bright. Officer Frisbie was a tall, sturdy woman who had always struck Riley as friendly and good-natured.
We got a call, Officer Steele said. He huffed at Riley. What the hells going on here?
Riley stepped away from the door and pointed to it.
Its Rhea Thorson, Riley said. Shes
Riley found that she couldnt finish the sentence. She was still trying to get it through her head that Rhea was dead.
She just stepped aside.
Officer Steele opened the door and slouched past her into the room.
Then came a loud gasp as he exclaimed
Oh my God!
Officers Frisbie and White both hurried inside.
Then Steele reappeared and called out to the onlookers, I need to know what happened. Right now.
There was a general murmur of alarmed confusion.
Then Steele fired a series of questions. What do you know about this? Was this girl in her room all evening? Who else was here?
More confusion followed, with some girls saying that Rhea hadnt left the dorm, others saying that she went to the library, others that shed gone out on a date, and of course a few who said that shed gone out drinking. Nobody had seen anybody else here. Not until they heard Heather screaming.
Riley took a breath, getting ready to shout the others down and tell what she knew. But before she could speak, Harry Rampling pointed at Riley and said
This girls been acting all weird. She was standing right there when I got here. Like maybe shed just come out the door.
Steele stepped toward Riley and growled
Is that right? Youve got some explaining to do. Start talking.
He seemed to be reaching for his handcuffs. For the first time, Riley started to feel a trace of panic.
Is this guy going to arrest me? she wondered.
She had no idea what might happen if he did.
But the woman cop said sharply to Officer Steele, Leave her alone, Nat. Cant you see what she was doing? She was guarding the room, making sure nobody else got in. Weve got her to thank that the crime scene isnt hopelessly contaminated.
Officer Steele backed away, looking resentful.
The woman shouted to the onlookers, I want everybody to stay exactly where you are. Nobody moves, dyou hear? And keep talking to a minimum.
There were nods and murmurs of assent from the group.
Then the woman grabbed Riley by the arm and started to escort her away from the others.
Come with me, she whispered sharply to Riley. You and I are going to have a little talk.
Riley gulped anxiously as Officer Frisbie led her away.
Am I really in trouble? she wondered.
CHAPTER THREE
Officer Frisbie kept a firm grip on Rileys arm the whole way down the hall. They went through a pair of double doors and wound up standing at the base of the stairs. At last the woman released her.