Jose slumps into the plastic interview chair, lacing his fingers together on top of his head, knees spread, legs crossed at the ankles, he gives Lewis a big shit eating grin.
She finds herself smiling back.
“So, Jose. Or is it Joe?”
“I’ll answer to either. I’m easy, just not cheap.” Jose grins, as if it wasn’t a joke older than he is.
Keeping it neutral, Lewis asks, “What do you prefer?”
“My name is Jose, but you can call me whatever you want, whenever you wanna call me.”
Wolfrom rolls his eyes from his position leaning against the door. He crosses his arms because he’s feeling an impulse. A strong impulse. To slap the guy. He can’t remember the last time he wanted to hit a citizen this bad. This kid is downright disrespectful. You can smell the cannabis seeping out of his pores and polluting the air.
“Alright, Jose. How well do you know Natasha?”
“Okay, I guess. Not real well.” Jose takes his hands down and rests them on the table.
Jose says, “We’re both in Fyfield House but I’m an English major, she’s in Photography. There isn’t much crossover. I mean we say ‘hey’ but Boris and Natasha are the real deal, you know, like this.” He crosses his fingers. “They mostly stuck to themselves. Never see one without the other, you know.”
“So where were you yesterday afternoon then, Jose.”
“I wasn’t feeling very good. My stomach was a little off, tell you the truth, I think it was the crap lunch from the caf, you know, fish surprise. I felt pretty raunchy so I went back to the Res to take it easy.”
“Did you see anyone there?”
“Naw. Seemed like everybody else was in class, so I just went to my room.”
“Do you have a room mate?”
Grinning suggestively, Jose says, “I sleep alone, Officer.”
Wolfrom wants to hit the little creep even more for hitting on Lewis. She’s a nice looking lady, but she’s old enough to be the little shit’s mother, ferchrissake. That’s bad enough. What’s worse is that Lewis is eating it up.
Smiling back, Lewis says, “All I’m interested in is what you were doing yesterday, Jose.”
Jose shrugs, “Well, since I was feeling like sh… uh, bad, I tried sleeping but I wasn’t tired or anything, so I ended up going online most of the afternoon, catching up my Facebook. I hadn’t been on in a while ’cause of school stuff, you know, so I was online most of the afternoon.”
“Jose, we might have to come back to you if things don’t check out, but I think you’re all right for now.”
“Okay, cool. That’s it then?”
Lewis nods and watches him gather himself and shoot her a smile on the way out. Wolfrom closes the door on him and turns back to the partner.
“I can’t believe what I just saw!”
Lewis frowns at him, “What?”
“You were practically drooling, I couldn’t believe it.”
“Oh hey, get off it, he’s a hunk, that’s all. He was flirting, and his pheromones were definitely speaking to me, I’ll tell you that. But he’s a kid, Wolfie. Oozing sex maybe, but just a kid.”
“The guy reeked of pot, doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Yeah, it probably means he was scared to death so he smokes a joint to get the nerve to come talk to the scary cops.”
“I dunno, he didn’t look nervous.”
“Isn’t that the idea? Just give it a rest Wolfie. If you’re worried don’t be. I’m a big girl. I can look without touching. But even if I was into cradle robbing, which I am not, it damn sure wouldn’t be with any subject under investigation.”
“Good. Had me worried.”
