Murder by Numbers Page #5

many friends.

He just. . . .

l don't know.

You know, even his old lady left him.

So you're friends

with his old lady too?

You're a tease. You lead guys on

and then push them away.

But l think. . .

. . .you like to fight.

You want it, but you need

to fight about it.

No.

You don't have to do anything.

You have no choice.

You can't handle it,

so you're leaving?

This is part of it!

Damn it!

Thank you, detective.

l bet you did this

with every guy you ever dated.

Tell me l'm wrong.

-lf l can link Richard to Feathers--

-You can't stop.

l'm sorry about what l said.

l'm just a little messed up right now,

but hear me out, as a friend.

Just as a friend, okay?

Thank you.

l saw Richard and Justin tonight.

-They lied, they know each other.

-Really?

They barely have parents. They're

like orphans with credit cards.

School's too easy.

They don't have jobs or chores.

Nothing's expected of them.

Nothing they do matters.

So they figured,

""Why not kill somebody?""

Maybe l'm wrong, but tell Rod you want

to keep the case open.

What happened between you

and Richard tonight?

Did you hit him? ln the face?

No.

No, it wasn't like that, it was--

lt was an acci--

-Rod knows?

-He got a call from Richard's father.

He'll make you see

the department shrink about this.

No. No shrink. lt's not gonna work.

l know what l am. l'm just not--

Okay.

So nobody wants to work with me?

That's okay.

But l'm a good cop.

And if what l say is right, and we let

these kids go, and they do it again. . . .

So please just talk to Rod,

you're the only one he'll listen to.

-l'll call him in the morning.

-Call him now, he's still up.

Back off!

lf Rod says yes. . .

. . .maybe you could even hang around

the school and make them nervous.

We have papers due tomorrow,

no excuses.

Support your conclusions,

having a thesis isn't enough.

l want real arguments

with quotations and sources.

-Sam Kennedy, San Benito Police.

-Nice to meet you.

Lisa!

Sam Kennedy, from San Benito Police.

Start time.

Let's see. . . .

lt's me. l know how they did it.

Now we need to know why.

l can help with that. l got

someone here you ought to talk to.

Rod, look at the DNA. The vomit

is a perfect match with Justin.

Who paid for this?

Cassie, out of her own pocket.

You'd need a jury

of 1 2 forensic experts.

That's why we need a confession

from one of them.

They'll talk without an attorney?

They want to prove

they're smarter than we are.

Okay.

So where's the other one?

Who?

The hot one.

Not here.

-You get to work with her everyday?

-Yeah.

l should become a cop.

So, what's up with Ray?

l hear he's like a serial killer

or something.

Well, actually, we have a theory

on that. lt involves you and Justin.

lt's just a theory.

Can l lay it out for you?

Yeah.

""Therefore. . .

. . .every truly free act is a crime,

for crime sets one apart. . .

. . .from the machinery of mass society.

lt can't be a crime of profit

or passion, but gratuitous and random.

Crime as philosophy, as freedom. ""

lnteresting.

Do you believe it?

lt's a school paper.

You have to write something.

l enjoy taking indefensible positions

and creating an argument for them.

But do you believe it?

So then the question is,

how did you pick the victim?

Was it random?

l mean, that's the way l'd do it.

That one right there,

with the flowers. She's perfect.

No, she's too skinny.

You understand what random means?

We don't choose.

-Don't talk to me like l'm a moron.

-We have to follow the plan--

-This one! What about this one?

-Don't get impatient.

Wait a second.

Pull up, where the girl

is loading the groceries.

Okay.

But you lose the point of a

philosophical crime if you feel guilty.

How do you mean?

lf you kill somebody to prove

you're free, and then throw up--

l didn't.

-What are you talking about?

-Richard didn't feel guilty.

He's free, Justin. You're not.

Relax. Let them wonder

what we're up to.

Now go in.

Your coffee.

-You can't smoke in here.

-Come on.

Are we almost done?

Take a seat.

So Ray was an inspired choice.

But the great thing. . .

. . .was how subtly you planted

the fibers and hairs and stuff.

l got your product.

You did Ray, right?

Wasn't he your friend?

You told him to hide

in his trailer, didn't you?

What are you talking about?

You went home,

you said hello to your mother.

It took you 1 0 minutes

to walk home from the restaurant.

Mother, l'm home.

You said you had to do schoolwork

so she wouldn 't look in.

And she didn 't.

She never did, did she?

l was with six friends all night.

You know that. You talked to them.

The night, sure, but not the day.

That's the secret.

You weren't there at night.

The thing that always confused me was

the muddy footprints in the house.

You know?

The planting bed was dry,

so where did they come from?

lt was you at the house. Justin would

not have walked through the wet beds.

That was exactly 3:30.

How long did you wait for her

to come home?

You didn 't kill her there.

l gotta say,

that was a stroke of genius.

Did you think it up, or was it Justin?

l don't know what you're saying.

That helped us figure out

the real timetable.

That gave you time to get home

for the study group.

l'll go get some cash for the pizza.

You told them you were going

to the A TM to get cash. And you did.

And I did.

Then you hurried back.

-That took five minutes.

-lt took five minutes.

-Now we're talking.

-But you were gone 1 5.

What are you looking at?

Richard killed her. Didn't he, Justin?

l think it was Justin.

Let me tell you something.

lt'll be the most important thing

you ever hear.

More important than the instructions

on the SATs and APs.

The person who actually killed

Olivia Lake is gonna be executed.

Or, at best, go to jail for life.

ln your case that'd be about 60 years.

But the other one, who didn't

actually kill her, if he cooperates. . .

. . .will have a chance at a real life.

Richard was back

in the study group by 9:25.

So you must have dumped the body.

The planning was easy...

...but now you had to actually do it.

And that's why the postmortem wounds

were so tentative.

You were trying to be like Richard,

but you couldn't.

You weren't that free. Thank God.

Go to hell.

-My guy won't roll.

-l figured he'd be the one.

No. Let's talk about Lisa.

She went out with Richard?

Briefly. Then she got

interested in Justin.

Let's use that.

lnteresting theory, but l can't

admit to something l didn't do.

Looks like you won't have to.

Because Justin is talking in there.

Justin's here?

He told us about you.

About you and Lisa.

Which Lisa?

So you really need

to tell me what happened.

Just think of it as a game.

Whoever talks first is the winner.

Justin says you betrayed him.

He told us about Lisa

and the tape you made.

Justin's talking.

He's gonna win this thing,

unless you have something to tell me.

Okay, l'm gonna go see.

Wait, wait.

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