Neil pushed the little button that disconnected the speakerphone and looked at Steffie. "Well?" They were in a conference room at the Smash Hits offices, door closed.
"It sure sounds like him." She twisted a strand of hair, which this week was an odd shade between Creamsicle and Bordeaux, through her fingers. "Shit." She hadn't said a word, but had listened intently while Neil arranged a time with this unknown entity - was it Trevor? - for an in-depth phone call.
"I was hoping I could convince him to meet face to face. Then I could have told you for sure if it was him." He chewed thoughtfully on the cap of a Biro. "How sure are you that the body they pulled out of the river was his?"
"His brother ID'ed it." She shifted position on the glossy oval table, uncrossing her legs and stretching them out in front of her, looking at the toes of her once-white Candies sneakers. "We never saw it. The funeral was closed casket." Much to my relief, she added mentally, then immediately felt bad for thinking it.
"Do you know how long it - he - had been in the water?" Neil looked uncomfortable. "I mean, they say that after they've been in the water awhile---"
"I have no idea. I didn't want to." She swung her legs back under the table, looking at the grayish London light reflecting off the white walls. Although they day had started out sunny, the sky was now scudded over with thin, dirty-looking clouds.
"Did his brother know about the note?" Neil was looking out the window rather than at her.
"No. We didn't tell him." She glanced at him. "For one thing, we'd lost it by then. For another thing, all the things he said - what purpose would it have served? It just would have gotten a lot of people angry at him and at one another. He said some pretty ugly things, and a lot of it wasn't true, or at least didn't happen the way he claimed. Third, his parents are Catholic. Big time Catholic. I really think it was ruled an accident and not probable suicide so he could be buried in the churchyard. As it was, his parents didn't ID the body because his mother was under sedation in a hospital up near Essex. They thought she'd had a stroke at first. If someone proves it was suicide and they have to take him out of that church graveyard, I think it'll kill them both. His mother hasn't been the same since as it is."
He nodded. "Work with me on this, okay? I'd like you to sit in at the next call, if you have time."
"It sure sounds like him." She twisted a strand of hair, which this week was an odd shade between Creamsicle and Bordeaux, through her fingers. "Shit." She hadn't said a word, but had listened intently while Neil arranged a time with this unknown entity - was it Trevor? - for an in-depth phone call.
"I was hoping I could convince him to meet face to face. Then I could have told you for sure if it was him." He chewed thoughtfully on the cap of a Biro. "How sure are you that the body they pulled out of the river was his?"
"His brother ID'ed it." She shifted position on the glossy oval table, uncrossing her legs and stretching them out in front of her, looking at the toes of her once-white Candies sneakers. "We never saw it. The funeral was closed casket." Much to my relief, she added mentally, then immediately felt bad for thinking it.
"Do you know how long it - he - had been in the water?" Neil looked uncomfortable. "I mean, they say that after they've been in the water awhile---"
"I have no idea. I didn't want to." She swung her legs back under the table, looking at the grayish London light reflecting off the white walls. Although they day had started out sunny, the sky was now scudded over with thin, dirty-looking clouds.
"Did his brother know about the note?" Neil was looking out the window rather than at her.
"No. We didn't tell him." She glanced at him. "For one thing, we'd lost it by then. For another thing, all the things he said - what purpose would it have served? It just would have gotten a lot of people angry at him and at one another. He said some pretty ugly things, and a lot of it wasn't true, or at least didn't happen the way he claimed. Third, his parents are Catholic. Big time Catholic. I really think it was ruled an accident and not probable suicide so he could be buried in the churchyard. As it was, his parents didn't ID the body because his mother was under sedation in a hospital up near Essex. They thought she'd had a stroke at first. If someone proves it was suicide and they have to take him out of that church graveyard, I think it'll kill them both. His mother hasn't been the same since as it is."
He nodded. "Work with me on this, okay? I'd like you to sit in at the next call, if you have time."
