Jonathan Kellerman - Compulsion

“You wouldn’t find her at home,” said Rianna Ijanovic.

“Where is she?”

“Torrance. She met a man.” Sticking out her tongue.

“You don’t approve?” said Milo.

“I have an opinion, she has an opinion.”

“Are we talking about the same guy she met the night you two went clubbing with Katrina?”

“Yes.”

Milo said, “I heard you met a guy, too.”

Rianna Ijanovic’s black eyes narrowed. “Who told you?”

“Katrina’s mother. Beth told her.”

“Beth talk talk talk.” Folding a hand into a silhouette duck, she flapped her thumb against her index finger.

Milo said, “If Katrina’s hiding something from her mother, we couldn’t care less. Knowing right at the outset would save a lot of hassle.”

“I don’t know about secrets.”

“What’d you just mean about Beth talking too much?”

“I am private person,” said Rianna. “Beth is very American – no offense. Share everything.”

“Any reason Beth shouldn’t have been open with Katrina’s mother?”

“Maybe,” she said, gazing past us.

“What’s that?”

“Katrina hates her mother.”

“Katrina said that?”

“Many times.”

“Rianna, do you have any idea where Katrina is?”

“Uh-uh, sorry, no.”

“And the last time you saw her was…”

“That night.”

“At the Light My Fire.”

“Yes.”

“Tell us about that night.”

“We went to the club, I was the driver, not to drink. Beth met Sean. Sean’s brother is Matt. Beth wanted to be with Sean so I had to be with Matt.”

“Had to.”

“She’s a friend.”

“Where are Sean and Matt from?”

“Torrance,” she said. “They are brothers. Say they own surfboard business. What they own is nothing. Sean make surfboards in a factory. Matt want to be an actor.” She hooked a thumb at the department store. “Everybody here gonna be movie star or model.”

“You, too?”

“No, no, no. I want to work. ”

“What’d you do in Croatia?”

“Architecture student.”

“So you and Beth left with Sean and Matt. And went…”

“To Torrance.” Another tongue-stick. “I call cab to go home, cost so much money.”

“What time was this?”

“Four in the morning.”

“And Beth?”

“She stay there,” said Rianna. “She mostly there now.”

“With Sean.”

“Yes.”

“True love,” said Milo.

“American love.”

“How did Katrina feel about the change in plans?”

“She didn’t yell.”

“But not happy.”

“I was unhappy, too. She was more unhappy.”

“How did she express being unhappy?”

“Pardon?”

“What did she say, Rianna?”

“Nothing. She turn her back, walk away.”

“Where’d she walk?”

“Into the action.”

“The dance floor.”

“Yes.”

“Did you notice her dancing with someone in particular?”

“I didn’t see.”

“At any time that night did she concentrate on one guy?”

“I didn’t see, no.”

“No one, the whole night?”

“Lots of people,” said Rianna. “I was busy.”

“With Matt.”

“With Matt here and here and here and here.” Grimacing and slapping her neck, shoulder, breast, rear.

Milo said, “Pesky guy, Matt.”

“Pesty, yes. Mr. Surfer-dude.” Meester sorfer-doood.

“What time did you and Beth tell Katrina you were going with Sean and Matt?”

“Honest answer? I don’t know.”

“Take a guess.”

“Maybe one thirty, two. They want to get out of there.”

“Beth and Sean.”

“American love,” she said.

“What can you tell us about Katrina – the kind of person she is.”

“Kat, we call her Kat. After the big damage, never Katrina.”

“She doesn’t like being associated with a hurricane.”

“All the damage?” said Rianna Ijanovic. “It’s like being… a bad, wild-animal name.”

“Katrina’s not a wild girl.”

“An animal? No.”

“Is she wild in another way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does she like to party?”

“Very much.”

“What else does she like?”

“Clothes.”

“Sounds like she found the perfect job.”

“Pardon?”

“ La Femme Boutique.”

“Too expensive,” said Rianna. “Even with employee discount. She make fun of the fat ladies in the big sizes.”

“Katrina doesn’t like the customers.”

“Old, fat, rich,” she singsonged. “Maybe remind her of Mother?”

“You ever meet her mother?”

“Never.”

“She’s skinny.”

“Okay.”

“Does Katrina have a thing about money?”

Confusion in the black eyes.

Milo said, “Is money really important to her?”

“Not to you?” said Rianna.

“I mean especially important. More than most people. Like, would she be impressed by a man with money?”

Rianna’s smiled spread slowly. “She should be impressed with losers?”

“Did she ever date anyone rich?”

“All the time I know her she never date anyone.”

“How long is that?”

“Two, three months.”

“How come no social life?”

“She says she never meet the right guys.”

“What about cars?”

“What about?”

“Did she have a special interest in cars?”

“Special… no. In the beginning she like her Mustang. Paid for by the rich stepdaddy.”

“She have something to say about him?”

Head shake. “Rich.”

“Why’d she stop liking the Mustang?”

Shrug. “Maybe she tired of it.”

“Katrina bores easily?”

“She move around – from thing to thing. Like a butterfly. ADD, you know? She say she have ADD in school. Lots of ADD in America, no? Lady customers talk to me about kids jumping like kangaroos. Everyone seeing psychiatrist.”

“Does Kat have a psychiatrist?”

“Don’t know – you ask these questions because her mother hire you to find her?”

“We work for the city, Rianna.”

“The city wants to find Kat?”

“If she’s been hurt.”

“I think not.”

“Why not?”

“ADD. Always like this.” Black irises zipped from side to side, bobbed up and down. “Jumping.”

“Restless,” said Milo.

“Not happy,” said Rianna Ijanovic. “Sometimes when she drinks, she talks about moving somewhere.”

“She drink a lot?”

“She like to drink.”

“Where does she talk about moving?”

“She never say, just somewhere. Not a happy girl. I don’t like being with her all the time. She… sometimes you can catch unhappy – like a cold, yes? She is Beth’s friend, I hang out.”

“Could we have Beth’s cell phone number, please?”

Rianna recited the digits. “Can I go back to work? I need this job.”

“Sure,” said Milo. “Thanks for your time. Here’s my card. If you hear from Kat, please let me know.”

“Yes. But I will not hear.”

“Why not?”

“If she call anyone, she call Beth.”

We walked her back to the front of the store. Before we reached the door, Milo said, “Did Kat ever talk about someone who owned really expensive cars – like a Ferrari, a Rolls-Royce – a Bentley.”

“She talk about a Bentley, but not a rich guy.”

“Who?”

“Some guy she used to date. Big loser, dirty hands.”

“A mechanic.”

“Greased-monkey she call him.” Rianna Ijanovic laughed.

“What’s funny?” said Milo.

“Greasy little monkey. ” Her hands climbed the air in front of her. “It sound funny.”

“What’s this grease-monkey’s name?”