Page 142 of Long Way Down

“Well, I – I think, maybe, I overreacted with him, back then.”

“You think?”

His face flushed and hardened with anger. The paper cup buckled in his grip, and he didn’t seem to notice the coffee that lapped over the edge and dribbled down his fingers. “Idon’t–” he started, and then caught himself; took a few deep breaths. “I don’t expect you to understand. I’m not…normal, okay? Or well-adjusted. Whatever you want to call it. I learned that when I was arrested. While I was serving my sentence. I wanted to move on, start fresh, and never let myself slip again. I joined Eyes Ahead, and I haven’t done anything violent since. Not for years – look up Tobias Santini, and I won’t have so much as a parking ticket.”

They had looked, and he was right.

“Good for you, then,” Contreras said, voice still firm. “How does Doug come into it?”

“He joined about a year ago. He really didn’t want to be there, rarely spoke up during a session, but his parents threatened to cut him off or send him to some program out west if he didn’t attend, so, he came every time.”

“When we first interviewed you,” Melissa said, “you told us you didn’t spend any time with him outside of class.”

“I don’t, really.”

“Tobias,” Contreras said, like a chiding parent.

“I don’t! I mean – we would see each other at Group, but we never spent any time together socially.”

“And yet, he joined this art program at your suggestion.”

He flopped back in his chair and threw his hands up, slinging coffee droplets that splattered against the one-way glass. “Okay! We talked! We talked before and after Group. But not asfriends.”

“Tobias,” Contreras said, “your not-friend assaulted a detective last night and wound up in the hospital for it. His car was seen fleeing the scene of a body dump” – Tobias swallowed jerkily, and his face paled once more – “and your blood was found outside the home of another victim, so things are really not looking good for either of you right now. If you wanna keep talking semantics, be my guest. I’ll be happy to have you transferred to Rikers. Otherwise, you need to start showing some cooperation.”

Tobias swallowed again, hands braced on the table, and his gaze flicked between them. “My blood? What are you…no.No.” His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “I never touched any of the victims. I didn’t – okay, look.” His breathing had picked up. “I wasn’t completely honest about my association with Doug, but we were not friends, and I hadno ideahe was the one who’d attacked Lynn and Lana.”

“You had to assume it was someone from your class, which narrows down the suspect list considerably.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want to share any of my suspicions because then you’d start digging into my background and I don’t exactly look like a Boy Scout, do I?”

“So you knew one of your classmates was a rapist,” Contreras said, slowly, as if having trouble believing it. “And you didn’t tell us, thereby covering for him, because you were afraid you’d done time a decade ago? Is that right?”

“No. Like I said, I didn’tknowit was Doug. Honestly? I thought it might be Professor Dubois.”

“Is Professor Dubois a part of your club for aggressive men?” Melissa asked.

“No, but he’s fucking in love with Lana. I figured he, I dunno, finally got too obsessed.”

Here, finally, was a surprise. She wanted to turn to her partner, but didn’t dare show uncertainty in front of a suspect. “Seeing as how what you ‘figure’ is totally irrelevant and unreliable, at this point, how about you focus on you.” She emphasized with a flick of her finger. “Explain the blood.”

He shook his head, genuinely baffled, or so it seemed. “I have no idea about that. I wasn’t – which victim? Whose apartment? I haven’t been on a date in years.”

“Because you can’t trust yourself not to hurt your dates?” Contreras asked.

“No. No. It’s – who was it? I didn’tbleedanywhere. I’m not stalking anyone!”

From one of the folders he’d brought into the room, Contreras produced a headshot of Dana Brown and spun it around so Tobias could get a good look. “Do you recognize this woman?”

Melissa watched his face, saw the moment panic truly set in. “You recognize her,” she said, with a ring of triumph. “We know you do, because your blood was on her fire escape.”

The panic intensified, his eyes going huge, his nostrils flaring as he took a sharp breath. “I don’t–”

“Tobias,” Contreras said. “It’s time to stop lying.”

He resisted one more moment, gaze lifting to them, pleading – and then he caved with a deep exhale. “Okay, I know this looks bad.”

“You think?”