"Are you sure James can drive you home?" Mom asks as she steers her car to the curb by the Fayette Library.
"Yes, I'm sure," I reply, unbuckling my seat belt and leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I'm only going to read, I'll be fine. Don't be a worrywart."
She settles back into her seat. "Oh, all right. Just let me know when you get back home, okay?"
"Sure."
I slide out of the car and close the door. Conscious that she's watching me, I walk up the sidewalk to the entrance very slowly. When I reach the two front doors, opening one of them, I turn and wave. Mom waves and drives off. I linger inside, wanting to make sure she's truly gone. Stepping back out, I scope for her car. No sign of it anywhere. Perfect. I dig out my cell phone from my purse and dial the number of the car service I stored in my contacts earlier.
"N.W. 44th Terrace," the driver says forty-five minutes later, pulling the vehicle up by the parking lot of the apartment complex.
I look out the window to see it. It's a nice building, pretty fancy-looking. Unlike Allison's place, it's two stories high and there's not a rehab center anywhere to be seen.
Nathan was able to find Faith's address on his computer at the station and give it to me. He also called Mrs. Stryder to ask for her last name, which is Wright. Unfortunately, he couldn't come with me because of work so I'm on my own for today.
"You want me to wait for you, honey?" The driver asks. He looks at me through the rearview mirror.
"Um, yes, please. I won't be long," I answer.
"Okay."
I push the door open and walk out. As I make my way up to Faith's apartment unit, the parking lot suddenly strikes me as familiar. Like I've been in it before. I stop walking for a second to look around. The layout of it I recognized, the way it faces the building. I know I've seen it. But where...?
That's when it dawns me. I know why the parking lot looks so familiar. It's from the flash at night when I wake up. The one where I'm standing in the middle of the DC Comics room and looking out the window into the parking lot here. A spark of hope ignites from within me. Could the room be in the unit where she used to live with Faith? Only one way to find out. Without further delay, I proceed to find Faith's unit, which is on the second floor and the last door down the hallway.
When I get there, I bring my hand up and knock on the door. Two barks come from behind it, continuing for a few seconds before a voice tells them to be quiet. A lock clicks and the door opens a crack. On the other side is a dark-skinned girl who seems to be no older than her late teens, early twenties. She has black hair that hangs past her shoulders, and pretty brown eyes.
For some reason, I feel so happy to see her. It's the kind of excitement a kid would get on Christmas when he sees all the presents beneath the tree. Though I know it's not coming from me. It's Erika.
"Hello," she greets. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes, hi. Are you Faith Wright?"
"I am."
"Great. We haven't met, but my name is Alexis Morgan. I stopped by because I must speak with you about something important."
"Oh, I'm afraid rather tight on time, Alexis. May we talk later? I have to leave for work in twenty minutes and I haven't even done my hair yet." She starts to close the door.
"I won't take too long, I promise. It's about your friend Erika."
Faith freezes and really looks me in the eyes. "Erika?"
"Yeah, she was my donor," I add, hoping she'll let me in.
"You're the patient Mrs. Stryder was telling me about."
I nod. "That's right." She stares at me, appearing to be lost in thought. "Look, just give me at least ten minutes. There are some things I need answered and since you were her friend, I feel I could get some explanations from you."
After a minute passes, she says, "Okay, hold on." She closes the door but opens it right back up. "Um, do you like dogs?"
Her question somewhat catches me off guard. "Of course."
Even though we don't own one, dogs have always been my favorite creatures.
Faith smiles. "Good." She closes the door again, unhooking the chain. It swings open and she gestures for me to come inside quickly. "I'm really in a hurry, so ten minutes minutes is all I can spare."
One of the dogs I heard barking earlier comes walking toward me, sniffing my legs and arms. Its fur is light brown and it's huge, its head coming up to my waist.
"That's Rex. He's my big boy."
I smile. "Cute dog."
"Very friendly, too. He loves everybody. If you'll come this way, there's a dining chair here if you wanna sit down."
She leads me from the entrance to her kitchen. I see she's dressed in long black pants, a blue Walmart t-shirt, and red Chuck Taylors. With her slim figure, it actually looks nice on her.
I sit down on a metal chair, crossing my leg over the other. All of a sudden, something cold and wet rubs against my calf. Startled, I jump and look down. A little black pug stands under the table, its tail wagging.
"Hey. You scared me, little guy," I coo, reaching down to pet its head.
Faith looks over at both of us while rinsing a thermos. "I see Bubbles has already introduced herself."
"Bubbles?"
"Yeah. She always likes to make herself known. She used to be Erika's pet." Faith stands over the kitchen counter, staring into the thermos. I can see the pain in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," is all I can say.
I don't know what else to say except give her my condolences.
She shakes her head. "It's all right. It's just been a little hard for me since Erika died. I mean, your best friend of six years gone and you still have all her things. I was trying to give them to her grandma but the only stuff she wanted were her pictures and some of her clothes. I'm still trying to get rid of everything else, along with finding a roommate to help me with the rent. I've actually had to drop out of college and work at Walmart full-time to cover it." Faith reaches for the coffee pot and pours herself some into the cup. "Anyway...I know you said you wanted to talk to me about Erika. What about?"
Suddenly, I'm not so sure if talking about her is a good idea; Faith seems to be distraught. But I need answers if I want to find Erika's killer. I can't wimp out now.
"Well, a couple days ago, I went to North Carolina to visit her grandmother and she explained to me a bit of Erika's history. Where she grew up and how she spent the majority of it with them. Then she added after graduation, both you and Erika decided to move to Atlanta for college. Can you tell me the things that happened after relocating?"
"Sure. Once we got here, things were much easier for us since we had our own place. No adults, no restrictions, no people to tell us no for certain things. Life wasn't so bad after that. It was like we knew how to have some real fun again...that's excluding the times when Ben showed up here unannounced."
"Ben?" I echo.
"He was Erika's ex-boyfriend from high school. They'd been together since the tenth grade but she broke up with him three years later. And on graduation day. She and I found out a month prior he was cheating on her with one of the school's cheerleaders, and she got pissed. Erika decided she'd enough of Ben and broke it off. I suppose it was after graduation that he wanted to get back together, so he followed us down to Atlanta. Whenever he'd show up to beg for forgiveness, she would tell him to go kick rocks. He didn't do it all the time, though. Just when he had too much to drink. Like this one time at a party. Dude was so drunk, he collapsed to the floor," Faith continues.
"Yes, I remember that," I say, without thinking, to which I earn a confused look from her. "Uh—Erika's grandmother told me about it."
"Oh, okay," Faith says, though she still looks slightly suspicious. "It was at a New Year's party that it happened. Erika and I were up on the rooftop, watching the fireworks and talking. But we needed to go downstairs to get some refreshments so we went to the kitchen and there Ben was. Erika had confronted him, once more telling him to go away. Then this skinny kid came and stood up to him, you know, telling him to back off.
"However, Ben punched the poor guy unconscious, leaving him there on the ground. Then a few seconds later, he himself passed out on the floor. After that, the paramedics were called and the party was immediately over. Since then, Ben stopped talking to Erika and left her alone eventually. And actually, after her funeral, I haven't seen him around at all."
"Really?" I ask.
"Yeah. I'm wondering if maybe he even moved somewhere else. I really wouldn't know, though," Faith answers.
"Okay. That nerdy kid you were talking about at the party, did you know him at all?"
"Not personally. I have seen him a few times, however. One of them being when he stood up for Erika. But, jeez, was he clingy. He wouldn't stop talking to her and it got me annoyed. I felt I couldn't spend time with her like we usually did."
I nod, not knowing what else to say. Then Adrian suddenly comes to mind and I wonder if maybe she knows who he is.
"Was Erika seeing anyone after she and Ben broke up?"
Faith looks up to the ceiling in thought. "I can't say for sure, but I had a huge suspicion she was. I even prodded her at the party about that, you know. Other times, too, and she'd say she wasn't dating anyone. But her body language said otherwise. She'd blush or smile or roll her eyes. I also noticed she began fixing herself. Not that she didn't look nice before but she would wear a little more makeup than usual and dress really nicely when we went to our classes. That girl was as stubborn as a mule, she wouldn't tell me who the lucky guy was."
"Do you know anyone in the college that goes by the name Adrian?"
"Oh, definitely. That's our history professor's first name: Professor Adrian Kelly." Faith puts down her cup after taking a sip from it and looks at me. "You know, come to think of it, I remember him being at Erika's funeral. Practically the entire campus was. And he looked so distraught over her death. He wasn't crying or anything, but you could just tell in his face he was so pained, almost as if he'd lost a relative or something.
"It was then it dawned on me if maybe there was something going on between Erika and Professor Kelly. Like, romantically. But...I can't be completely sure."
"Right," I say.
So Adrian is a history professor at Erika's college? That's really interesting. I think about the memory she gave me prior of the two of them eating at an Asian restaurant. I recall how giddy and in love she was with him. He seemed the same way about her, too. I understand why Erika didn't want to say anything to anyone, even her closest friend. Both he and Erika were trying to keep their relationship hush-hush. Adrian's not supposed to be romantically involved with a student.
"What's the name of the college you and Erika attended?"
"Marlsgate University. Do you know where that is?" Faith asks. I shake my head. "Well, it's about a ten-minute walk from here. They actually have a teacher's meeting this upcoming Friday. Maybe you can find Professor Kelly there."
I bring a hand up to my chin. Maybe Faith's right. If Nathan and I can go to Marlsgate, perhaps we can find Adrian and talk to him. See what we can possibly fish out of him.
"I might do that."
"Hopefully you can get the answers you're looking for."
A sudden beeping noise fills the air, and Faith glances at her watch, her eyes widening the moment they lay on the little clock.
"Oh, damn. I really gotta jet. I'm sorry, Alexis," she says.
"It's fine, you answered a lot of my questions. It helped me a lot," I reply.
She sighs, flashing me a smile. "Glad it did. Would you like me to walk you out?"
"No, I can manage just fine. Thanks."
"No problem. Well, have a nice day."
"You, too, Faith. And thanks."
Just as I make my way toward the door, I stop, remembering something I just thought of. Turning around, I look back at her.
"Do you mind if I have a look at Erika's room before I go?"
Faith shakes her head. "Go ahead."
I nodded at her, quickly walking inside. There are two things I'm looking for: anything that indicates Erika was into DC Comics before she died and the window.
I stand in the doorway and observe it. The room is very organized and simple. Just a bed, a dresser, a side table with a small lamp atop it, and a desk. And then there's the window, which is in the corner of her room.
Though as I scan for any posters and figurines, there's nothing here with DC Comics. The walls are totally bare and no toys of any sort are laying around anywhere. My brows furrow. Huh. So...maybe Erika wasn't into DC Comics at all? Or could it be that maybe Faith removed the decorations? I'm not sure.
I move on to the window that outlooks the parking lot. Standing in front of it, I indeed see the lot but from a different angle.
My shoulders sag a little from disappointment. Crap. Just when I thought I had something. Although, I shouldn't feel too bummed out. Nathan and I still have Professor Kelly to talk to at Marlsgate.
After leaving Erika's room, I come back to the front door and open it.
"Find what you were looking for?" Faith asks me.
I look over my shoulder to face her. "Not really, but it's fine. I just needed to see something. Hey, one quick question. Was Erika into DC Comics?"
"Um...sort of. She wasn't like a fanatic or anything. Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering. Thanks for letting me come over," I say.
"Of course. You be careful out there," Faith replies.
"Same to you."
I step outside and shut the door behind me.
As I'm making my way down the stairs, I think for a minute. So the DC Comics room wasn't Erika's, and her window outlooks the parking lot from a different angle. Whose room could it be then? Could the room even be in this complex? It has to be, it can't be anywhere else.
Sighing, I reach for my phone, getting ready to dial Nathan's number. Hopefully he isn't too busy and won't pick up the phone. It's when I press the phone icon to call him I bump into a wall, dropping my phone as well as falling to the ground on my bottom. It lands on the concrete with a clunk, the cover and battery scattering. Damn it. When I look up to see the wall I bumped into, I realize it isn't a wall.
It's a person, a guy. A tall, slim boy muttering a string of incoherent words as he fumbles for my cover and battery. There's a mess of notebooks all over the floor, papers starting to fly away. He sees me when I rise to my feet and rush for his notes.
I snatch them, one nearly escaping my hand. Reaching for his notebooks next, I tuck the loose sheets inside one of them, making sure they won't fall out.
"Sorry I bumped into you, miss. I wasn't looking where I was going," The boy says, his cheeks a bright shade of crimson.
"No worries. I wasn't paying attention, either," I reply, shrugging.
The front cover of his last notebook catches my eye. The background is gray and on the top reads 'Batman' in black words, all capital. The superhero is drawn as a silhouette, his face looking to the side. I've never gotten into Batman but I have to say the cover is pretty cool.
"Nice notebook."
He chuckles nervously, revealing teeth that are just slightly crooked. "Oh, thanks. Batman has always been my favorite hero."
I notice his eyes are an amber color and he has straight dirty-blonde hair parted in the middle. He looks down at his hands, holding my phone which now has its battery and cover back on.
"Oh, here's your phone back."
"Thank you. And here are your notebooks."
We swap our things.
"Do you live here? I've never seen you before." He pulls out a pair of round, wire-rimmed glasses from his pocket and puts them on, though they quickly slide down his nose so it looks like he's wearing bifocals.
I shake my head. "No, no, I don't. I just came from, um, visiting a friend."
"Oh, okay. Well, my name's Reuben," he says as he extends his arm forward.
I take it and we shake hands. "I'm Alexis."
"That's a nice name. Well, Alexis, it was nice meeting you but I must get back to doing my homework."
"Same here. I hope you have a good study then."
"Thank you very much. Have a lovely day," Reuben says, walking away.
When he's out of sight, I remain where I'm standing still, feeling a little confused about what just transpired. It all happened so quick. Reuben seems nice, though.
Shrugging to myself, I walk back to the cab that's still parked by the curb. Once I get inside and tell the driver to take me back to Fayetteville, I try dialing Nathan's number again. Bringing the phone up to my ear, I wait. The phone on the other end rings and rings.
Please pick up, I beg silently.
At last, on the sixth ring, he answers.
"Alexis?"
"Nathan, I need to talk to you. Are you busy?" I ask.
"A 'hello' would be nice," he teases.
I sigh. "Hello, Nathan."
He chuckles. "Hi back to you. What's up?"
"I came from Faith's apartment. I went there to talk to her."
"Really? Did she tell you anything?"
"Yes, a lot. I asked her what happened after she and Erika moved here. Faith told me things were fine until Erika's ex-boyfriend Ben came along and bothered them a few times when he was drunk. She also brought up the New Year's party, describing everything that went on. I also asked her if Erika had been seeing anyone after she broke up with Ben. Faith said she thought so but wasn't completely sure. Although she had a suspicion Erika was seeing their history professor: Professor Adrian Kelly."
"Huh, interesting. Did you happen to catch the name of the college they attended?"
"Marlsgate University. Faith said it's a ten-minute walk from where she lives. There's supposed to be a teacher's meeting happening this Friday and she believes we might find the professor there."
"Okay. I actually know where that is. My sister takes night classes at Marlsgate. If you want, I can drive us there."
"That'll be great. Thank you so much, Nathan."
"You're welcome. Anything to be of assistance, right?"
I half-smile. "I guess."
"Well, I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Fine, see ya."
"Bye."
I hang up the phone and place it back inside my purse, settling back against the seat as I look out the window. I'm really looking forward to going to Marlsgate. Hopefully, if we can find Professor Kelly, he can provide us something useful pertaining to Erika's murder.