The Cover Up Novel Part Sixteen

“Look detectives. I don't know why you're here. Did somebody phone the cops? Was the music too loud?” asked Randy.

“ Ah, I just want to let you guys know that we didn't have sex with the chicks. They told us that they were both over eighteen anyway,” said Derek.

“No, no one phoned the cops on you guys. Although from the looks of things they probably should have,” said Barnes.

“Look officers, me and Randy are both on parole. A bust for a little bit of weed would probably land us both back in jail,” said Derek.

“Well, we'll tell you what. What if you guys send your lady friends home and we ask you a few questions? “asked Detective Holland.

“You won't bust us for the weed?” asked Randy.

“That depends upon how well you answer our questions,” said Detective Barnes.

“Questions about what?” asked Randy.

“We understand that you guys had a mutual friend called Bret Harkness,” said Krista Holland looking around the room for something safe to sit on.

“You guys must be detectives not officers right?” asked Derek.

“That's right,” said Barnes. His legs were starting to get tired and he too was looking around the apartment for a chair.

“Oh, sorry, detectives, we should have offered you guys a place to sit down,” said Randy.

“ I'll get a couple of chairs from the kitchen,” said Derek looking for two chairs that he and Randy had bought at a garage sale.

Both Barnes and Holland looked suspiciously at the chairs checking to see if they were badly soiled. The chairs looked reasonably clean but Derek grabbed a cloth from the kitchen to dust them off.

Detective Holland thanked Derek as she and Detective Barnes sat down.

'So, what can you guys tell us about Bret Harkness?” asked Krista.

“Well we got a hellavu shock yesterday. Derek phoned The House of Hope and they told him that Bret was dead,” said Randy.

“Why did you phone The House of Hope, Derek?” asked Detective Holland.

“I just wanted to see how he was doing, maybe take him out for a coffee or something,” answered Derek.

“The supervisor from The House of Hope told us that you guys saw Bret at least twice on the weekend. How was Bret on the weekend?” asked Detective Barnes.

“He didn't seem quite himself,” said Randy. “Bret was paranoid and told us that the staff were all spying on him. He acted like he was spaced out, too.”

“Why do you think that was?'' asked Krista Holland.

“I don't think he was taking his meds for at least a week,” said Derek lighting up a cigarette.

“What makes you say think that?” asked Detective Holland.

“Bret seemed okay about a week or more ago. He wasn't acting paranoid and all wierded out. Bret only gets weird when he's off his meds,” said Randy.

“Yeah, but didn't Bret have to take his meds in front of the staff?” asked Detective Barnes.

“Yeah, he did. But Bret was really good at cheeking his meds. If he did swallow them he would sometimes go to the bathroom and make himself vomit,” Randy explained.

“The medical examiner said that he found traces of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in Bret's system during the autopsy,” said Krista Holland.

“Well, he didn't get any drugs from us,” said Randy.