Eye Sleuth Read Online Free

how they affect the vision system.”
    “How your eyes react, right?”
    “Not just the eyes, they’re part of the vision system….”
    Again Riley interrupted, God, what an infuriating ploy, if that’s what it was.
    “Does the work involve drugs in any way?”
    There it was, a leading question. Drugs and death. Did Riley think that I was involved in the murder in some way?
    “No, not now, not specifically,” I explained. “Last year, I spent about ten months evaluating the reactions and side effects some of the most widely prescribed drugs have on the vision system.”
    “What will you be working on after your current project?”
    “It depends on what my boss wants.”
    Riley looked at me and the pause was lengthy. I braced for more probing but he didn’t say anything and finally turned off the mini-recorder. Was that it? I felt relieved the interview had ground to a halt.
    Detective Stevens shifted in her chair and asked if I wanted coffee.
    “I’m legally bound to warn you,” she said, “It’s not Starbucks, just from a machine, but it’s hot.”
    That made it official. We were done. My mouth was sandpit dry but I shook my head, refusing the offer. Maybe she had a heart despite her steely glare and sniping. Riley walked me out to the station’s main entrance, probably making sure I left the premises. I glanced around but didn’t see Allan. Either he’d left already or was still being interviewed. He was quite the talker so that was possible.
    “Here’s my card, keep in touch,” Riley said. “Call if you think of anything else.”
    “That’s it? What about me? Do you think I’m in danger? What if that shot was meant for me? She did say I was in danger.”
    “You haven’t given us any reason to think you’re in danger. Perhaps you were mistaken for someone else or the woman was shot at random by some nut. Lot of them out there.”
    I took the card. Why would I call? I’d told him everything and he’d flatly dismissed my worry. The desk sergeant in the front lobby nodded pleasantly to Riley but the look he turned on me was laser sharp. What is it about the police? Do they learn how to give x-ray looks at the police academy?
    I groaned when I looked at my watch. The time I usually allowed myself for lunch was way over but at least my queasy stomach had settled to the point that I could bear to think of eating. The guy I’d seen taking photos outside SUNY came in. He was balancing two large boxes of pizza and the tantalizing smell had me salivating.
    “Hungry anyone?” He ignored Riley and nodded to me. Finally, a policeman who didn’t examine me with an x-ray stare or look at me as if I was a suspect. The questioning had left me feeling guilty, even though I didn’t have any reason to feel that way, I was an innocent bystander, damn it. Riley’s voice broke into my confusing thoughts.
    “Pizza’s always good, doesn’t matter if you’re hungry,” and the detective laughed, his attention on the boxes.
    “Bye,” I said hurriedly, and Riley barely glanced in my direction.
    What a relief to leave the police station and an interrogation that made me feel as if I was under suspicion. I headed for the Blimpie on the corner of Third and Twenty-first and ordered a tuna sandwich to take back to the office. Not the first time I’d eat at my desk.
     
     
    All afternoon, people dropped by my office. Even my boss, Dr. Forrest, stopped in briefly. He was the only one who didn’t quiz me for the gory details about the shooting.
    “Yoko, are you all right?
    “Yes, still a bit shaky but I’ll be fine.”
    “Let me know if I can help,” he murmured. Short, simple, comforting.
    The nonstop flow of visitors kept me from thinking clearly about what I’d witnessed so the interruptions weren’t that unwelcome. Everyone had an opinion but I kept my mouth shut tight about the warning.
    “The shooting had to be random street violence,” most people said.
    Then there was the fairly common comment,