C Weaver - Silent River

“Okay, let’s get back to the Stevens family. Calvin left over a year ago. Did you go over to the family’s house after that?”

“I stopped by a few times.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. Last summer maybe? They were outside, and I stopped by to ask about Calvin.”

“Who’d you talk to?”

“Mrs. Stevens, the girls.”

“Which ones?”

“All of them, they were all outside.”

James cleared his throat a bit.

“Do you want water or something?” Jakes asked. When Calvin nodded, he left the room.

“Did you by any chance give the girls gifts? I know friends often do that.” Roberts made a small tic next to the question on his notepad.

James thought for a moment before answering. “I might have. I think it might have been for one of the girl’s birthdays. Kelly, I think. I got her a cheap little necklace.” He nodded to himself.

“That was all? Just the necklace?”

“I might have given one of the girls a bracelet or two.”

“Which girl?”

Jake came in and handed James a tin cup of water. James drank from the container with slow, deliberate swallows until it was gone.

“Thanks. What was your question?” James set the cup down, and Jake moved it to his side of the table.

“Which of the girls did you give a bracelet?” Robert pretended to read back his question.

“Oh, yeah. I don’t remember. Maybe it was the youngest, Sara. Not a big deal.”

“When was the last time you saw Calvin?”

“I went to visit him last fall.” James gave the information as a matter of fact.

Robert wrote the fact down. “You flew out to see him?”

He murmured an agreement.

“Have you called him?” Jake asked. “After he left here and went to a seminary?”

“Seminary? Are you joking? That’s a hoot!” James began to laugh. A forced laugh that he pushed to be louder and harder. “You think he went to be a minister? No way.” He sat up straight and stopped laughing. His voice turned sardonic. “He went back east to a religious college but joined the Navy. You’d better get your stories straight.”

He paused, then squinted his eyes, looking first at Robert, then at Jake. “You knew that already. You were trying to catch me.” He folded his arms. “I see who you are.” He spoke as if he’d come to some self-realization.

“We have just a few more questions for now. Is that all right with you?” Robert asked.

James nodded.

“Who else did you associate with? I mean you’re out of college. Do you have friends who you and Calvin shared? College buddies?”

James rattled off a few names as Robert wrote them down. “Did they ever spend any time with Calvin at his house?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them. I didn’t spend every day of the week with Calvin. He had his own friends.”

“Most of them were your friends though,” Jake interjected.

He shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know for sure.”

Robert folded the pad closed. “Thank you for your cooperation. You’re sure it’s okay to contact you if we have any other questions?”

“Yeah, sure. Anything I can do to help you find what happened to Calvin’s family. I know he’d want me to help. Is there anyone you want me to talk to for you?” He stood, not leaving immediately

“No, I think we can handle the questioning.

“Sure, just ask if you need anything, or if I can help.”

Robert looked up as he slid his chair back. “One last question. Can you confirm you and Calvin are in a..” He paused, “homosexual relationship?”

The lawyer leapt to his feet. “You don’t have to answer that. It has nothing to do with this. Let’s go, James.”

Robert remained seated, his eyes on James.

James stood and gave Robert a smirk, “Like he said that has nothing to do with the Stevens family.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered out the door.

Robert shook his head. “Arrogant kid.”

“He knows,” Jake responded.

“Knows?”

“He knows what happened to the Stevens family. There was an underlying smugness to his answers. See how quick at the end of the questions he offered to help?”

Robert nodded to Jake’s question.

Jake continued to talk as they walked back through the squad room. Robert stepped up his pace so Jake couldn’t maintain the conversation until they’d reached his office.

“Hold on. What’s your hurry?” Jake followed Robert into his office.

Robert shut the door. “Sure got a lot of interest in our interrogation. Think we might be a little closer to a mole source?”

Jake glanced at the room as he passed the window on the way to his desk. “Yes, I see some whispers and looks.”

Robert called the homes of the list of men that James had given him. He arranged to interview them, and whomever they brought, to come in at three-hour intervals.

Michael Ramsey and Brody Williams arrived first with their fathers. Gerald, Brody’s Williams father, stood behind his son dressed in his Oregon State Police uniform.

When Robert saw Gerald Williams, he went straight to him and shook his hand, “I’m sorry to drag you down here, sir. We want to connect some dots.” Gerald gave him a stiff smile in return but did not relax his stance.

Robert returned to the table and began to spread his notebook, portfolio, and pens in front of him, then took a moment to look at the two young men before him. Michael wore a white shirt with a blue, cable-knit vest over it. Robert noted the tie in a proper Windsor knot. His hair shone. He also wore knifepoint, pleated pants and wingtip shoes. Classy dresser. His father was similarly dressed.

Brody, on the other hand, wore a plaid shirt buttoned to the neck, no tie but he had on a cardigan over brown slacks. His hair was shaped in a crew cut. Neither looked or spoke to each other. They kept their hands glued to their knees.

“Thank you all for coming.” Robert nodded at the boys and their fathers.

“I’m going to record this session. I might be young, but I can’t remember everything.” He tried to lighten the situation, but the fathers never cracked a smile. The reel-to-reel recorder sat next to Robert. He adjusted the microphone on its stand in the middle of the table, between the two boys.

Robert smoothed the legal pad in front of him. “Please clearly state your names and your occupations. If you’re a student, say that.”

Each boy spoke loud enough to be recorded.

“I’ve asked you both here because you’re friends of Calvin Stevens. I know you are aware that we are investigating the disappearance of his parents and his sisters. Calvin is a person of interest in this case, and I would like to know what you can tell me about him.”

The two boys said nothing. Robert looked at his notes and began, “When and how did you meet Calvin Stevens?” He pointed his pen at Michael.

“James brought him to a party we had years ago when we first got out of college. He…” Michael’s father gave his son a poke.

“Mr. Ramsey. You are allowed here only at my discretion. Both men are over the legal age, and unless you are their legal counsel, I suggest you listen and don’t interfere.” Robert gave both men a cold, confident stare. They nodded.

“Michael, please tell me how Calvin came to be accepted into your group.”

“James brought him to some of the parties. He hung out with us all the time.” Michael was very nervous, Robert made a note.

“What are you doing since you graduated from college? Jobs? University?” He tried to put the younger men at ease.

“I’m in college, working on my bachelor’s degree,” Michael offered.

“Getting good grades?” Robert watched the young man, but he was like a cat on a hot tin roof.