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them her freaky friends. There were three girls and two boys, one of whom was Robbie.
    “Before you go, can I give you a word of advice, Don? If a law enforcement official asks you a question, answer it. Don’t be a jerk. If you do, I will send you to jail, and your cell mates will pass you around like a bong at a Grateful Dead reunion concert. Do you understand me?”
    Don started forward.
    “I get it,” he said. “And I won’t do it again. Can I go now?”
    “Yeah. Go.”
    We left the restroom after that, although we went in different directions when we got into the hallway. When I got back to the conference room, Olivia had already begun to interview students. The Asian girl I had seen earlier was at the table, but she and Olivia stopped talking when I entered.
    “Excuse me, Detective Rhodes,” I said, nodding to Olivia. I turned my attention to the girl. “What’s your name, Miss?”
    “Joy Li.”
    I looked at the list Heywood had given me for confirmation but came up empty.
    “Okay. You can go back to class, Joy. Thanks for your help.”
    Olivia coughed, but didn’t say anything until the girl gathered her backpack and left the room.
    “I thought we had a plan. I talk to the students while you sit there and look intimidating.”
    I handed her my notebook with the five names on it.
    “These are Rachel’s actual friends. They’re the ones we need to focus on.”
    Olivia scanned the names and nodded.
    “I think a couple of them are out here. Your conversation with Heywood went well, I see.”
    I shrugged.
    “You have to know how to connect with a kid,” I said. “It’s all about building trust. Sometimes it takes a parent’s practiced hand.”
    Olivia shook her head and stood up.
    “I’ll see if Principal Eikmeier can round up everyone we need.”

Chapter 3
    We started with a girl named Alicia Weinstein. She looked vaguely familiar, so I might have met her at a birthday party or some other milestone in Rachel’s life years earlier. I didn’t remember her eyes, though. They were calculating and probing, making me feel like a horse being evaluated by a gambler before a big race. I shifted on my seat uncomfortably and glanced at Olivia.
    Olivia warmed her up with small talk for a few minutes. She and Rachel lived near each other and had played on the same soccer team when they were younger. She said she was seventeen, and judging by her designer clothes, I doubted she had to work her way through school. My guess was that her family had enough money to have a lawyer on permanent retainer. Hopefully that wouldn’t be a problem.
    Before she started the interview, Olivia gave the same introductory speech she had given to the group of students before. Alicia took it in the same glassy–eyed fashion they had.
    “So we’re here to talk about Rachel obviously,” said Olivia. “As I mentioned earlier, we’re trying to find out what happened to her. You can help us by filling in some details about her life. What can you tell us about her?”
    I thought it was a good question. Young, inexperienced investigators oftentimes jump right in without letting the witness establish his own rhythm. Asking an open–ended question let Alicia dictate how the conversation went early on. It would give her the feeling of control.
    “Rachel was the nicest person I knew. Everyone loved her, so this was a surprise. Maybe it shouldn’t have been, but it was. I don’t know. Forget I said that.”
    Olivia and I both sat up straighter. The comment was off. Under most circumstances, it takes prodding for a suspect to make an admission like that. Olivia and I glanced at each other, surprised.
    “Why shouldn’t it have been a surprise?” asked Olivia.
    Alicia looked down.
    “I shouldn’t say anything. It’s not my place.”
    “She was your friend. It is your place,” said Olivia. “We need to find out what happened so no one else gets hurt.”
    “Rachel had problems,” said Alicia. She paused for a moment and