Faces of Evil [4] Rage by Debra Webb Page A

where two short staircases waited. One went up seven or eight steps to what she presumed were the bedrooms, the other went down the same number of steps to the main living area.
    Jess had a feeling about Leslie Chambers. The girl wasn’t more than twenty or twenty-one and she was hiding something. Drug use? Maybe. She seemed awfully busy to be involved in anything she shouldn’t be but what she said and what she actually did might be two very different stories. Between her job and school she sounded like she had a full schedule. Who watched after her eight-year-old autistic brother while she slept? No one was taking care of the home, that was for sure.
    Was the room with the windows overlooking the Graysons’ pool and this end of their home the brother’s? Jess’s instincts were on full alert. There was something here. Maybe they hadn’t seen anything last night, but that didn’t mean the two didn’t know something relevant about the Grayson murder. Leslie appeared at the top of the stairs, her younger brother at her side. He was small for eight. Had the same red hair as his sister. As they descended the stairs, coming closer, Jess noted the freckles and the blue eyes. The two could be twins if not for the age difference.
    When Leslie reached the final step, her brother sat down right there, not wanting to come any closer and consciously avoiding eye contact with Jess. He had his arms wrapped around his waist, one resting on top of the other.
    “He’s really shy.”
    “I understand.” Jess joined him on the bottom step. She offered her hand. “Devon, I’m Deputy Chief Harris of the Birmingham Police Department.”
    He didn’t look at her and he certainly didn’t take her hand.
    Angry scratches marred the arm he tried to cover. “What happened to your arm?”
    He didn’t answer.
    “He’s always climbing trees and getting stuck in places,” Leslie assured her. “That’s a boy for you. What they don’t try to climb they try to take apart.” She sounded really nervous now.
    “Did you get stuck, Devon?” Jess asked him. “I’ve fallen out of a few trees myself. Did you climb too high and get stuck there?”
    Not a blink.
    “I’m sorry,” Leslie repeated. “He’s that way sometimes.”
    “That’s okay. Maybe he’ll want to talk another time.” Jess got up and dug for one of her business cards. “This has my cell number. Please”—she squeezed the girl’s hand when she took the card—“call if either of you remember anything at all that happened in your neighborhood recently, particularly involving the Graysons. It could be as simple as a stranger you saw lurking about. We really need to find the person who did this. To do that we can use all the help we can get.” Jess glanced over at Devon. “Until we find that person you and your brother won’t really be safe in your own home. Especially with the windows unlocked.”
    Obviously a little shaken by Jess’s warnings, Leslie put the card on the hall table by her keys. “We’ll call if we think of anything.” She squared her shoulders and cleared the emotion from her face. “But like I said we weren’t home last night so…” She shrugged. “I wish we could help. Mrs. Grayson was a nice lady.”
    “Your complete honesty is all we can ask for.” Jess gave her and her brother a smile. “Thank you for your time.”
    As she left, Jess glanced back at the little boy once more. This time he was watching her but he quickly looked away.
    He’d been listening and she would wager he understood every word.
    These two were hiding something. Could be a mountain of debt, could be drugs or another crime. She doubted the latter. But there was definitely an element of fear or trepidation in those matching blue eyes.
    Lori looked up from her position on the sidewalk, well away from the front door. “We’re almost there,” she lied, most likely to Harper. “Thanks.” She ended the call and made an uh-oh face.
    Jess descended the front steps