Chapter 22
Terry leaned against the wall of the interview room, arms crossed, watching Jeremy and Pete conduct their questioning.
Claire Smith sat across from them, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, dark circles under her eyes.
Unlike the other college students they'd dealt with, she seemed genuinely cooperative rather than entitled and defensive.
"Claire, we appreciate you coming in to talk with us," Jeremy began, his tone gentle but professional.
Claire nodded, wrapping her hands around the coffee cup they'd given her. "I just want to help figure out what happened. The whole… ridiculous thing is so stupid."
"Let's start with the party," Pete said, leaning forward slightly.
She snorted, but he remained quiet, giving her a chance to speak.
She inhaled deeply, then let the air out slowly.
Squaring her shoulders, she held his gaze resolutely.
“There wasn’t supposed to be a party. Not at all.
That’s not what we were doing.” She shook her head. “At least, not what we had planned.”
“Okay, so tell us what was planned.”
“It’s a few weeks until graduation. The underclassmen act like it’s still party time, but for those of us in grad school…
we can’t afford any mistakes. Papers are due.
Dissertations are finalized and defended.
Exams still have to be aced.” She sipped her coffee, then set the paper cup back on the table.
“I’m not as close to the others… by that I mean Robert, Teddy, Madison, and Bill.
They all knew each other as first or second years.
I met them when I moved into the same apartment building.
Most of us are grad students in that building, and they included me in some dinners out, going to a concert, and catching rides back from the library…
that sort of thing. Madison told me a few weeks ago that Robert was considering taking a long weekend to go to the Eastern Shore.
He wanted to rent a house with some of us and just spend the time away from campus to study. ”
Her shoulders hefted as she sighed. “I thought it sounded like a brilliant plan and said to count me in.”
“And when you got here?” Jeremy prompted. “Was it what you thought it would be?”
“When we arrived on Thursday afternoon, it was just the five of us from UVA. Robert, Madison, Teddy, Bill, and me. We had our textbooks, laptops, the whole setup for a study weekend.” A rueful chuckle slipped out.
“The house was awesome. So much bigger and more posh than I ever imagined. We each had our own rooms and bathrooms. Big deck overlooking the bay, a hot tub, and a designer kitchen. It was a dream with plenty of room for quiet study time as well as relaxation.”
"So take us through what happened," Pete prompted. "When did things change?"
Claire took another sip of coffee, gathering her thoughts.
"Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning were all fine. We studied, took breaks to swim and eat, and it was peaceful. Serene. I thought it was a brilliant plan, and knew when I went back that I’d not only be prepared for exams, but I’d be in a great headspace to end my university life. ”
Terry watched her body language carefully. She maintained eye contact and kept her posture open. Her voice remained steady. Either she was an excellent liar or she was telling the truth.
“And the party?”
“Yeah, that’s when it got weird, then went to shit.” She swiped her hand over her face, her shoulders slumping. “Around dinnertime, a few people started showing up. Mostly guys, but some girls, too. I'd never seen most of them before. I asked Robert who they were.”
"Did he invite them?" Jeremy asked.
"Robert is really social. He said he’d invited a few guys from ODU who were in the same fraternity that he was in.” Shaking her head, she winced. “What could I say? I was there at no expense to me since Robert was covering the cost of the house. But the party grew and then got louder and louder.”
Terry made a mental note that Robert Whitman liked being the center of attention.
"How did you feel about the extra guests?" Pete asked.
"I wasn't worried exactly, but I was definitely pissed," Claire admitted. "It got really loud, and we couldn't study anymore. The whole point of the weekend was ruined."
"Tell us about your relationship with Robert," Jeremy said.
Claire's cheeks pinked slightly. "We went out a couple of times, but nothing serious. He's fun to hang out with, but he’s not my type.” She pressed her lips together, then added, “There’s an immaturity about Robert. A Peter Pan… if you know what I mean."
“I think so,” Jeremy said smoothly, “but it would be better if you described your labeling.”
“Robert’s never really had to work hard for anything. But he’s not eighteen anymore. He’s a grad student, and he’ll have a job waiting for him with his dad’s company when he graduates. There’s less pressure on him to grow up.”
Terry watched her carefully as she described the early part of the party. Her account matched her initial statement and what they'd heard from other witnesses… typical college party behavior, drinking and showing off.
“I was pissed by then,” she admitted. “More and more people showed up. I stayed in my room for most of the evening. I made the mistake of coming downstairs to get something to eat when I heard that pizza had been ordered, but oh my God… the place was trashed! It looked like a frat party gone bad in this gorgeous home.” She leaned forward, her gaze snapping with anger.
“My only thought at that moment was that I was glad my name wasn’t on the rental lease! ”
Pete’s lips curved slightly. “I’m sure.”
Terry knew his detectives had her at ease and would press forward now. He wasn’t wrong.
"We found a significant amount of drugs at the house. Did you know there were going to be drugs at this gathering?" Jeremy asked suddenly.
"No," Claire said firmly. "I mean, I know some of my friends use recreationally sometimes, but there weren't supposed to be any drugs there. We went to the house to study."
"Do you know who brought them?" Jeremy asked.
Claire shook her head. "I have no idea. There had been no drug use since we’d arrived at the house.”
"When did you first notice something was off?" Pete asked.
"When I came downstairs about midnight, I was upset at the way the place was trashed.
But then I noticed the age of most of the people.
Some were definitely underage for all the drinking," Claire said.
"Look… I get it. A college party has underage drinking.
We all know that. But it seemed like everyone was completely wasted.
And I was afraid for a few of the girls there.
I knew I needed to stay downstairs to make sure no one was assaulted. "
"That was very caring of you," Jeremy pointed out.
Her lips pinched together again, and her gaze dropped to her hands resting on the tabletop. “Well… it happens.”
She sucked in a breath, then let it out slowly before lifting her gaze. “I know you want to find out where the drugs came from, but I have no idea. I didn’t know there were any in the house until the police arrived, and they were found.”
“And was there anyone else seen at the house that seemed unusual? Anytime during the weekend?” Jeremy asked.
She blinked before her brows lowered. “Well, on Saturday afternoon.”
Terry’s attention focused as he watched the two detectives in the room with her do the same.
“Who was there?”
"We were on the beach, having a study break, when Robert went back to the house to get some more food. I followed a few minutes later because I needed to use the bathroom. I heard voices but knew that the others were still on the beach.”
“Where in the house?”
“The voices came from the study. There was a guy, maybe a bit older than us… really well-dressed. Expensive suit. Not college party clothes. He was talking to Robert in the corner."
Terry straightened slightly. This was the first mention of an older, well-dressed man.
"Can you describe him?" Pete asked.
"Dark hair, average height maybe? Clean-shaven." Claire paused. "I only saw him for a moment because I felt like I was eavesdropping and didn’t want them to see me. I slipped back outside and hurried to the beach."
"Did you see this man again?"
"No. I assumed he left as quietly as he came. When Robert came back to the beach with snacks, he didn’t say anything, so I didn’t ask. I thought maybe it was someone from the rental agency."
Jeremy and Pete exchanged glances. Terry could see they were thinking the same thing he was… this mystery man might be connected to the drug operation.
They thanked Claire, and Pete walked her out of the interview room. Terry didn’t have time to process more before Jose Garcia walked in, flanked by his parents. The teenager looked nervous but held the chair for his mom before sitting between his parents.
"Jose, your parents are staying for the interview since you're a minor," Jeremy explained. "We just want to understand what you saw last night."
Jose nodded, glancing at his mother for reassurance before speaking. "Yes, sir.”
“Tell us why you were at the house last night?”
“I deliver pizzas for Tony's. A huge order came in just before they closed. If it hadn’t been such a large order, Tony probably would have turned them down. But someone ordered ten large pizzas. That was why Tony agreed. And he charged them a huge tip for me before I left so that they couldn’t stiff me.
I made the delivery to the house around eleven thirty. "
"Did you go inside?" Pete asked.
"The front door was open, and a ton of cars were parked outside. Once I got inside, it was a zoo. The house was bigger and nicer than I’d ever seen, but bottles and cans were everywhere.
It was nasty, but with the crush of drunk people around, I wasn’t surprised.
I was told to take the pizzas to the kitchen.
I placed them on the counter and was about to leave when I heard my name.
I turned around and saw a girl I knew from high school last year.
She’d gone off to college, and I was surprised to see her there.
She looked really nervous and kind of scared. I didn’t want to leave her there.”
"What did she do?" Jeremy prompted.
"She came over and asked if I could give her a ride home," Jose said. "Said she didn't want to stay anymore, and the person she'd come with wasn't ready to leave."
"Did you know her well?"
Jose shrugged. "Not really. We had a class together, and I always thought she was nice. But she seemed genuinely freaked out, so I said okay. She went to find the guy she'd come with, and that's when the police cars started showing up."
"Did you see her leave with anyone else?" Pete asked.
"No. Once the cops arrived, everything got crazy."
After Jose and his parents left, Terry joined Jeremy and Pete in the break room. The frustration in the room was palpable.
"Still no fingerprints on any of the drug bags," Jeremy said, tossing his notepad onto the table. "Whoever packaged this stuff knew what they were doing."
"Professional operation," Pete agreed. "Those weren't college kids bagging shit in their dorm room."
Terry poured himself a cup of coffee, thinking about Claire's description of the well-dressed older man. "We need to find out more about this guy Claire saw talking to Robert. He shows up, has a private conversation, then disappears, and Robert says nothing? That's not a coincidence."
"Problem is that for now, we can't tie any specific person to the selling or distribution," Jeremy said grimly. "The drugs were there, but we don't have anyone actually caught in the act of dealing."
"Yet," Terry said. "But we're just getting started."
The case was becoming more complex by the hour, and Terry had a feeling they were only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The well-dressed stranger bothered him most of all. Someone that professional had a reason to meet in secret with Robert. And Terry wanted to know why.