“What can I do for you guys?”
“You wouldn’t happen to have had a laptop stolen from you a while back?” Sometimes Darnell liked to get right to it. No playing the dumb guy this time.
Ivy frowned.
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly. “About six months ago. I was working in the Lewis Annex and went to use the bathroom. Came back and it was gone. Had everything on the cloud though, so I didn’t lose my data. Did you find it?”
Darnell acted as if he hadn’t heard her question.
“Did you report it stolen?”
“Yes. There was this security guard wandering around at the time. Only other person in the library after hours—my card still works when it’s closed. I told all this to campus security.”
“The guard, do you know his name?”
Ivy thought about this.
“Adam... I think? They never found the laptop, but I heard they fired the guy. Never saw him again, anyway. Never left my computer on a desk unattended, either.”
“Dr.Reeves—”
“Please, just Ivy.”
“I’m going to stick with Dr.Reeves,” Darnell said, and Vaughn frowned. “Dr.Reeves, we found your laptop. It was indeed in the possession of the security guard—whose name is Aaron, by the way, not Adam.”
“No shit. Can I have it back? I already have another one, but—”
“It’s part of an active investigation. When we’re done, we’ll have someone in the PPD return it to you.”
“An active investigation? Into what? The theft?”
Ivy was confused, as was Vaughn.
Why the hell is Darnell treating her like a suspect again?
“No.” Darnell adjusted his belt. Hiked up his pants. “Dr.Reeves, do you think you’d recognize Aaron the security guard if you saw him again?”
Ivy scratched her chin.
“It was six months ago... but probably.”
“Huh.”
Vaughn took over. Darnell’s direct approach had twisted into a charade.
And he didn’t care for it.
“Ivy, that photo I showed you earlier, the guy with the thirteen on his chest? That was Aaron the security guard.”
As he spoke, Vaughn scanned Ivy’s face. Searched for any signs of deception. Shifty eyes. Toes pointed away from them. Animated hand gestures. Suspect or not, it was difficult to turn off detective mode. He saw none.
“Are you kidding?”
“No, we’re not,” Darnell said. “Did you recognize him?”
“No. I don’t get it. The security guard... he stole my laptop? Thedeadguy in the picture you showed me?”
Again, Darnell ignored the woman’s questions.
