Just Muse Me - Txting
Photo prompt
“Looks like someone got her right in the middle of something,” Reese said.
Charlie looked away from the mass of pictures dominating one wall of the dorm room and watched his partner carefully lift the phone from the dead girl’s grasp. Her name was Felicia Diaz, a second year pre-Law student at Loyola Marymount University and she had been stabbed in the back while sitting at her desk. Many of the pictures he had spent the last few moments studying were spattered with blood drops. It struck Charlie as a shame that death touched pictures that were full of life.
“She was sending a text message. ‘Hey idiot’.” She held the phone out towards him and he carefully stepped over to her to peer at the message.
“Who’s the idiot she was going to send it to?” he asked.
She drew the phone back and after a few seconds of clicking keys and electronic beeps, she held the phone back out so he could read the number.
“Alton Quinn,” Charlie read aloud. “Why are you an idiot, Alton?”
“We’ll go ask him. But the lab can dump the phone, find out how often our vic called Mr. Quinn an idiot and if he called her anything back.”
While Reese passed the phone over to a waiting lab tech, Charlie took in the whole room and Felicia Diaz slumped over her desk. Her desk caught his eye and he moved closer, leaning over the dead body to stare out over the main quad of the campus.
“Crews, you want to go ask campus security to find Alton Quinn or would you like to watch the co-eds some more?”
“I can see myself, Reese.” He looked over his shoulder at her, then back at the window and gestured with a hand to the glass. “I can see my reflection, especially with the glare.”
“So? Do you have some fruit between your teeth or something?” Though her tone was sarcastic, she had stepped closer to see for herself.
“Whoever stabbed our vic, came from behind and she didn’t try to turn around. She kept writing that text message. Alton Quinn didn’t do it. If it was Alton behind her, she would have dropped her phone and turned to yell at him and he would have stabbed her in the chest. She was stabbed in the back.”
He pointed to the window, “Whoever came up behind her, she trusted and wasn’t mad at.”
Reese scowled, but he knew she agreed with him. Leaning over, Charlie came eye to eye with the dead girl and frowned himself.
“I bet it surprised you when the knife went in,” he said softly. “You didn’t think they could do that to you, to anyone, did you?”
“Crews.”
He looked up at Reese.
“She can’t hear you.”
“Maybe I should send her a text message.” He straightened and headed for the door. “We should still talk to Alton, Reese. He might know something. Maybe he’ll tell us why he’s an idiot.”
“Looks like someone got her right in the middle of something,” Reese said.
Charlie looked away from the mass of pictures dominating one wall of the dorm room and watched his partner carefully lift the phone from the dead girl’s grasp. Her name was Felicia Diaz, a second year pre-Law student at Loyola Marymount University and she had been stabbed in the back while sitting at her desk. Many of the pictures he had spent the last few moments studying were spattered with blood drops. It struck Charlie as a shame that death touched pictures that were full of life.
“She was sending a text message. ‘Hey idiot’.” She held the phone out towards him and he carefully stepped over to her to peer at the message.
“Who’s the idiot she was going to send it to?” he asked.
She drew the phone back and after a few seconds of clicking keys and electronic beeps, she held the phone back out so he could read the number.
“Alton Quinn,” Charlie read aloud. “Why are you an idiot, Alton?”
“We’ll go ask him. But the lab can dump the phone, find out how often our vic called Mr. Quinn an idiot and if he called her anything back.”
While Reese passed the phone over to a waiting lab tech, Charlie took in the whole room and Felicia Diaz slumped over her desk. Her desk caught his eye and he moved closer, leaning over the dead body to stare out over the main quad of the campus.
“Crews, you want to go ask campus security to find Alton Quinn or would you like to watch the co-eds some more?”
“I can see myself, Reese.” He looked over his shoulder at her, then back at the window and gestured with a hand to the glass. “I can see my reflection, especially with the glare.”
“So? Do you have some fruit between your teeth or something?” Though her tone was sarcastic, she had stepped closer to see for herself.
“Whoever stabbed our vic, came from behind and she didn’t try to turn around. She kept writing that text message. Alton Quinn didn’t do it. If it was Alton behind her, she would have dropped her phone and turned to yell at him and he would have stabbed her in the chest. She was stabbed in the back.”
He pointed to the window, “Whoever came up behind her, she trusted and wasn’t mad at.”
Reese scowled, but he knew she agreed with him. Leaning over, Charlie came eye to eye with the dead girl and frowned himself.
“I bet it surprised you when the knife went in,” he said softly. “You didn’t think they could do that to you, to anyone, did you?”
“Crews.”
He looked up at Reese.
“She can’t hear you.”
“Maybe I should send her a text message.” He straightened and headed for the door. “We should still talk to Alton, Reese. He might know something. Maybe he’ll tell us why he’s an idiot.”