Pete called Jackie. They agreed to join him in the police cruiser to be interviewed. He went out to the docking level to await their arrival.
He waited. And waited some more. After about ten minutes, he called them back. ‘Jackie? It’s Pete.’
‘Pete? Oh, hi. Did you… Did we… Was I supposed to be… Did you place an order?’ Jackie’s sultry voice was at odds with their scatterbrained words.
Pete breathed out slowly. He should have known better than to expect them to follow through on his request. How many times had they brought him the completely wrong food order? Or just forgotten him altogether? ‘Jackie, I wanted to interview you about Elsie—’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry to be the one to have to tell you. Elsie died. I thought you knew that.’
Clenching and unclenching his fists – all his muscles, actually – Pete said, ‘Yeah, Jackie. Sorry, I did know that. I’m looking into her death. I asked if I could interview you. You said you’d meet me on the docking level.’
‘Did you? Oh, yes. You did,’ Jackie purred. ‘I remember now. Are you coming to the station?’
‘I’m here already.’ Pete did his best to keep his voice calm and steady. ‘When we spoke ten minutes ago, you said you’d come straight out to see me.’
‘Did I? I feel like I’d remember that.’
Conversations with Jackie often went like this. They had the memory of a goldfish. He was starting to question why he wanted to interview them given it was quite possible they didn’t even remember finding the body.
‘We did, Jackie. How about I come to you instead?’
‘Oh, could you? That would be great. When were you thinking?’
‘Now. I’m coming right now.’ Pete locked the police cruiser and stepped away from it. ‘Where are you?’
‘I’m on Station 26. Do you know how to get here or do you need directions?’
Pete suppressed a chuckle at the idea of Jackie providing instructions on anything, anywhere, ever. ‘I’m on the station already. Where on Station 26 are you?’
‘Oh. Right.’ Pete envisioned Jackie looking around trying to figure out the answer to that. ‘I’m in my quarters. Are you coming now?’
‘Yes.’
Before he could ask them where their quarters were, they added, ‘Excellent. I’ll see you then.’ And then they hung up on him.
