Her body stiffens. “Trem is a sweetheart. He’s not someone anyone should hurt,ever.”
“I’ve got no beef with Tremblay. Or any of them if the games they play are consensual. My only interest in squeezing you for names is I think one or more of them know things about Casanova. Or could be him.”
“Trem doesn’t. There isnoway. I’ve known him and done scenes with him for two and a half years. Honestly, I’m almost positive none of them is Casanova.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’ve been with them,” she says softly. “I know what turns them on. None of them wants to cause pain for its own sake. The proof is in what they want from us. Access to every hole. The more enthusiastic a girl sounds the better. They never use whips or floggers or any of that. They want their cocks and their egos stroked. One of them secretly likes to be dominated. I hooked him up with a woman in Boston for that. If any of them was a hardcore sexual sadist, I think I’d know. Because there were tons of times while I was naked and restrained when it would’ve been easy to hurt me. Someone like Casanova… he would’ve used that to his advantage. I don’t think he could’ve stopped himself.”
I study her with new eyes. She’s not as bubble-headed as she lets herself seem. And what she’s saying makes sense.
“I still need the names.”
“You talk to the police a lot, right? If anything slipped…” Her jaw clenches. “You already know more than you should.”
“I won’t let anything slip to the police. Casanova doesn’t belong in jail. He belongs at the bottom of The Pit. Permanently.”
Her soulful brown eyes scrutinize me. “Is that the plan?”
“Off the record?”
“Yes.”
I nod with a hard expression. “Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Did you tell this to Arya?”
“No.”
“Don’t.” She sits down and rubs her hands together. “Besides the two you mentioned, I am friends with Chad Carver, Jonathan Marshall, and Gordon Freet.”
“Good. Anything else you think I should know?”
“I think Casanova is mad we’re here at GU.”
“Who’s we?”
“Women, minorities, poor girls. There are several men from Lambda Delta and some women from Phi Theta who blackball anyone who’s not white and rich, to keep us from getting into their houses. If Casanova is a student, maybe he pledged Lambda Delta. Or tried to date a Phi Theta. Not saying it worked out. Sometimes the wannabes are worse.”
“Understood.” I glance at the front door with its flimsy lock. “If you’re staying in town, you should add a deadbolt to your door. And be careful on campus.”
She smiles. “I’ll be okay. I’m hardly ever alone.”
I stride over to the door.
“Hey, Viking?”
“Yeah?”
“Good luck.”
I don’t know whether she means with Arya or Casanova or both. Doesn’t matter. I never rely on luck.
19
ARYA
From the living room doorway, Eden asks, “Hey, babe, are you taking visitors?”
