Darkened Read Free Page A

pad. The TV and Xbox were the most expensive things in the entire place. I spent the next hour going through what little paperwork I could find and managed to locate the telephone number of his mother. It looked like he worked at a local coffee shop, and went to college at Georgia Tech. That’s what I had figured. Most people that live in the apartments around the colleges are students. I pulled out my phone and called HQ.
    “Cop.”
    “Hey, I’m at our dead guy’s apartment. I found the number to his mom. You want to have someone with some compassion call her? Or would you prefer I do it?”
    “Give me the number.”
    I gave it to him.
    “He works are Leon’s C offee off Techwood Avenue. I’m going to head over there to see what else I can find out. I’ll come to the office when I’m finished.”
    “’Kay.”
    He hung up. I put my cell away then decided to check with the neighbors just in case they knew anything.
     
    Man that was a waste of time. The first door I knocked on belonged to the local weed man. If the pungent smoke boiling out of the door was any indication. It’s like eight o’clock in the morning. Who gets up and smokes weed with their morning cereal? He said he didn’t know Stephen well. I took that to mean Stephen wasn’t a regular customer. The guy was so high it was like pulling teeth to get him to answer a question. After waiting for five minutes for him to finish one sentence only to have him stop halfway and zone out or say ‘uh, uh, uh, what was I saying?’, I just interrupted his mid-sentence daydream and thanked him for his time. Before I left, I couldn’t help but tell him that Cheech called and wants his bong back. Of course his response was “huh?” so I told him never mind and left for the next neighbor who was an old cat lady. I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say she was harder to get away from than Stoner was.
     
    I walked into Leon’s Coffee and the smell of roasted beans had me practically floating to the counter. As the barista, a young woman with electric blue hair, was fixing my latte, I asked her about her coworker.
    “Yeah, I know Steph. He usually works evenings three nights a week,” she said.
    “When was the last time he worked?”
    “He was here on Thursday night. We closed together.”
    “What time was that?”
    “Uh, I left about ten o’clock. He was just about finished closing up when I left.”
    I nodded my understanding then moved on to my next question.
    “Do you know what he does on his nights off?”
    She shrugged. “I think he was in college. I remember him talking about Georgia Tech. I don’t really remember anything else.”
    “You don’t know where he hangs out or with who?”
    She started slowly shaking her head then said, “He did mention that band Darkened. You know the one that plays at Halo, the club over on Roswell?” I nodded and she continued. “We are both fans. But I never actually saw him there or anything, and me and my friends hang out there on Friday and Saturday nights all the time if I have off. They are sooo hot.”
    Well that was helpful. Not. “Alright. Could you give me yo ur supervisor’s name and number? I’d like to talk to them.”
    “Uh, okay. Is Steph in trouble or something?”
    “He’s dead. He was murdered and I’m trying to find out who did it.”
    She put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my goodness,” she said then went about shakily writing the boss’s name and number for me.
    I thanked her and took my coffee to go.
     
    I had just gotten back to my car when my cell rang.
    “Hello.”
    “Avy, you will not believe what happened to me last night,” Temmy said.
    I said the first thing that popped in my head.
    “You hooked up with Sexy Singer and he was impotent.”
    “Haha. You’re so funny. Did you catch the sarcasm? It actually is funny you said that because he did come over and talk to me after their set , and he invited me and you to a party at their house tonight. Isn’t that