Across State Lines

by C. J. Johnson

  “What’s your mother’s name?” Frankie asked.

  “Laronda Cole.”

  Frankie and Mia shared a knowing look and continued to ask general demographic questions. When William began joking with them, Frankie knew it was time to switch to business. She pulled a photograph of Heather from the file folder.

  “Do you recognize the woman in this photograph?”

  William did not immediately answer. He picked up the photograph and stared at it, paying close attention to the purple bruises lining Heather’s eyes. Frankie opened her mouth to ask him again but stopped when he dropped the photograph, face down onto the table.

  “Yeah, I recognize her.”

  Handing him an ink pen Frankie said, “Can you please sign the photograph? It’s just to acknowledge that you recognize her.”

  William scribbled his signature on the front of the photograph then returned it face down.

  “Where do you recognize her from?”

  Once again, William hesitated, seemingly giving careful thought to his response.

  “She was at a party I went to the other night.”

  “Do you know her name?” Mia asked.

  “I didn’t concern myself with that white girl’s name,” William answered.

  “Where was the party?” Frankie asked.

  “Over in Kansas. At my friend’s apartment.”

  “Do you know the address?” Frankie asked.

  “Naw. I just know it’s off of Parallel.”

  “What is the name of the complex?”

  “I don’t know. That was my first time being there.”

  “What’s your friend’s name?”

  “Regina.”

  Frankie waited to see if he would volunteer a last name. When it became clear he wasn’t going to give her one she asked, “Last name?”

  William shrugged his shoulders.

  Frankie continued asking questions about the apartment and Regina, hoping to get something usable from him. Satisfied she had gotten all she could, Frankie switched her line of questioning.

  Chapter 30

  “Tell me about the night you met the girl from the photo.”

  “What about it?” William asked.

  “Was she there when you got there? Did you talk to her at the party? Anything you remember.”

  William leaned on the table and looked from Frankie to Mia then back to Frankie. Resigning himself he sat back, crossed his arms and said, “I didn’t do anything to that girl.”

  Frankie waited. She wanted to ask what he didn’t do but knew if she sat quietly, he would work to fill the silence.

  “They got there after me. That girl carried Tubby and his girlfriend over in her car. She told Audrey she wanted to hook up with a guy, so we called this dude from the neighborhood. They talked on the phone, and she said she’d go get him and bring him back to the party. It was still pretty early, so we all climbed in her car and rode over there.”

  “What was the dude’s name?”

  “Corey.”

  “What’s his last name?”

  “Simpson.”

  Frankie glanced over to see Mia writing the name on her notepad.

  “What happened next?”

  “We got Corey and brought him back to the apartment. We hung out for a while, then they went to her car. I don’t know what happened between them two, but he came back and she left. I figured she got what she wanted and decided to leave. Kind of pissed us off though. She was supposed to bring us back to the city the next day. That was our agreement.”

  Knowing the answer, Frankie asked, “Did she come back?”

  “Eventually. Corey was mad as hell. He really needed to get back the next day. He had some stuff to do and when she bailed like that, it put him in a bad spot.”

  “Why did she come back?”

  William chuckled softly and a smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

  “Man, Corey was blowing up her phone. Bitch said she wasn’t coming back, but he kept calling. She finally stopped answering the phone about midnight. Corey started yelling at Audrey and anyone else who would listen. Finally, Audrey started calling her. She didn’t answer at first, but I guess she got sick of the phone ringing and answered about the time the sun came up. They conversated for a minute and the girl came back and picked us up.”

  Frankie noticed William did not say why Corey needed to get back to the city.

  “What did Audrey say to her to make her come back?”

  “I don’t know precisely what she said, but that girl put on the waterworks.”

  “Did Heather know Corey was still there?”

  “Who?”

  “The girl from the photograph.”

  “Oh, I think Audrey may have told her Corey, Tubby and I were gone. I think Audrey said something about her kid needing to go to the doctor.”

  “What happened when she got back?”

  William’s account of what happened was similar to what Heather had told her, albeit downplayed.

  “That girl came back, and when she came to the door, Corey got all in her face. Tubby grabbed her keys so he and Audrey could take the car to pick something up for Corey. Corey grabbed that girl by the arm and pulled her to a back room.

  “Did you hear anything from the back room?”

  William didn’t immediately answer. He began fidgeting in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with what he was about to say.

  “Yeah. She might have yelled a few times.”

  “Why was she yelling?”

  “I wasn’t in that room. I don’t know what happened behind closed doors.”

  “Why do you think she was yelling? What did it sound like was happening?” Frankie struggled to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

  William looked towards the floor and said, “Sounded like he might have been hitting her.”

  Frankie waited before asking, “Do you think she wanted to be in that room with him? Or wanted to have sex with him?”

  William didn’t hesitate with his reply, “No. She definitely didn’t want to be in that room.”

  Mia asked, “Why didn’t you do something about it?”

  “I wasn’t getting in the middle of their business.”

  “What happened next?” Frankie asked.

  “Corey came out, and a little while later, Tubby came back with the car.”

  “Did you go into the room where the girl was?”

  William began picking at something on his pants that only he could see.

  “What did she tell you?”

  “Heather said you came into the room. She said you were pretty nice to her,” Frankie intentionally downplayed William’s participation to see if he would tell them more.

  “Yeah, I went in there.”

  “What happened when you got in the room?”

  “Bitch was all over me, grabbing my junk and shit. I finally told her she could suck it if it would help her calm down.”

  Frankie and Mia gave each other a sideways glance.

  “And did that help her calm down?” Mia asked without trying to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

  William did not flinch when he answered, “Seemed to.”

  “What happened next?” Frankie asked.

  William squirmed in his seat, “I got up and left the room.”

  “What did she do?”

  “Sat there, I guess. Corey went in there and got her and we all left.”

  Frankie noticed he glossed over putting Heather into the trunk of the car. She decided to let it go and see what he said next.

  “Where did you all go?”

  “They dropped me off at my girl’s house in the city. I don’t know what they did after that. I assumed they took the girl home. I wasn’t with them, so I don’t know what they did.”

  Frankie knew William was minimizing his involvement in the kidnapping but wanted to lock him into his statement before calling him on it.

  “Where was everyone sitting in the car?” Frankie asked.

  Will
iam tapped his foot under the table, “What do you mean?”

  “Who was driving?”

  “Audrey.”

  Frankie took a deep breath. They were going to have to work to get the answers they needed from this guy.

  “Where did Corey sit?”

  “He was in the passenger seat. Tubby and I sat in the back.”

  “Where was the girl?”

  “She was chillin’ in the trunk,” William said.

  “What do you mean she was chillin’ in the trunk?”

  “That’s where she was,” William answered.

  “How’d she get in the trunk?” Frankie asked.

  William grunted.

  “Can you repeat that?”

  William mumbled a little louder, “They put her inside.”

  Frankie concealed the smile threatening to appear.

  “Who put her inside?”

  “Tubby and Corey.”

  “How did they put her inside,” Frankie asked.

  “They picked her up and put her inside,” William said.

  Frankie asked, “What did you and Audrey do?”

  “We got into the car.”

  Mia asked, “How do you get in contact with Corey?”

  “He always calls me. I don’t really have a number for him.”

  Seeing an opening, Frankie said, “Then you won’t mind if we have a look at your phone?”

  William looked from Frankie to Mia before saying, “Why do you want my phone?”

  “We need to reach Corey, and you might be able to help us with that.”

  “I don’t know, man. There’s private stuff in there. My girl…”

  Mia interjected, “If you give us Corey’s number, we may not need to look at your phone.”

  Mia knew they would most likely seize his phone anyway, but it was worth a shot.

  William hesitated before he said, “Let me think about it.”

  “What’s Tubby’s name?”

  “I ain’t knowin’ him like that. I just know he’s a skinny dude that goes by Tubby.”

  “Why were you driving the girl’s car today?” Frankie asked.

  “Man, dude told me the girl was going to pick it up. Wasn’t no big thing.”

  Chapter 31

  “How did you get the car?” Frankie asked.

  William started to say something, then stopped. He rubbed his hands roughly against his pants. He took a deep breath then said, “Corey brought it to me. He told me he’d hook me up with some cash if I delivered the car to the girl.”

  “How were you supposed to get home after she took the car?”

  “I was either going to walk or see if that girl would take me home.”

  “Where did you take Corey after he brought you the car?”

  “I just dropped him on the block.”

  Frankie was about to ask what block, but before she could say anything, William spoke again.

  “68th.”

  “What exactly did Corey want you to do?”

  “Man, I told you. Give the car to that girl.”

  Frankie asked, “William, do you own a gun?”

  “Naw. Man, I don’t mess around with stuff like that. Shit’ll get you killed.”

  “Can you explain why a gun was found in the car you were driving. Next to the driver’s seat.”

  William hesitated before saying, “It was probably that girls. She’s not right in the head.”

  “Is there any reason we would find your fingerprints or DNA on the gun, the magazine, or the bullets?”

  “Well, um, maybe. If it was by the driver’s seat, I might have brushed against it.”

  Mia made a note to have the gun fumed for prints. They would check the ammunition and magazine too.

  “Did you go to McDonald’s today?”

  The pupils of William’s eyes expanded, making his eyes appear black.

  “Naw, man, I haven’t been to McDonald’s in a while.”

  “Whose trash was that in the passenger seat of the car?”

  “Must have been that girls. Or maybe Corey’s.”

  “Is there any reason we would find your fingerprints or DNA on the roll of duct tape found in the McDonald’s bag?”

  William pursed his lips and began to rap the tips of his fingers on the table. The speed and intensity of his bouncing knee increased, causing his knee to hit the underside of the table.

  “William…”

  “I think I should talk to a lawyer.”

  Mia checked the time on her watch, notating it for the report. Frankie pushed her chair back and stood as William looked on.

  “That’s it?” William asked.

  “William, we will present all the facts we have gathered to the prosecutor in the morning. We can hold you up to 24 hours, but they will most likely decide about charging you by 5pm. Ready to go upstairs?”

  William didn’t rise from the chair. He rubbed the top of his head and then leaned back in his chair as though he wanted to continue talking.

  “William, you understand when you asked for a lawyer that meant we cannot continue asking you questions.”

  “Man, it’s not that simple.”

  Frankie returned to her chair thankful the interview was being video recorded.

  “Actually, it is. You said you wanted to talk to an attorney. Are you saying you want to continue talking to us without a lawyer present?”

  William mumbled, almost imperceptibly, “I’m not going down for this by myself.”

  The sun hadn’t yet dawned when Frankie and Mia walked out of police headquarters. They had secured William’s confession, finished up their reports, and left the case file with a note for their sister squad to give to the prosecutor.

  “What a day,” Mia said.

  “No kidding. I wonder if Heather has any idea how much danger she’s in?”

  “I doubt it. I don’t think she realizes just how bad those dudes are. You think William would have gone through with it?”

  Frankie gave the question a little thought before answering, “I think William would have taken her to Corey or Tubby and made one of them pull the trigger. I don’t think William could have done it alone.”

  “Agreed. I think he’s just a pawn. See you tomorrow Frankie.”

  Frankie nodded and climbed into her Jeep and drove home.

  Chapter 32

  Frankie awoke a couple of hours later to the familiar sounds of morning in her household. Dani and Tyler were arguing, and the dog was chasing the cat. She smiled despite her exhaustion.

  Frankie climbed out of bed, put on her workout clothes, and went into the kitchen to make Dani and Ty’s lunches.

  “Why can’t I buy lunch like the rest of my friends,” Dani whined.

  “Because you said you wanted to take your lunch this week, and I bought the stuff for you to do it. Don’t forget you and Ty are going to Grandma’s tonight. Your dad will pick you up there.”

  “I’m going to Grandma’s tonight? Can Izzie come?” Tyler asked excitedly.

  “You’ll have to ask Grandma, but I’m sure that’ll be fine. I’ll pack your bags and leave them on your beds. She will pick you up here, so ride the bus like you always do. Grandma’s going to take you to school Monday morning and I’ll pick you up after okay?”

  “You have a day off on Monday?”

  “Yep.”

  “Hooray! Can we go to the park?”

  “If it’s not too cold, bud. Now get your backpack before you guys are late.”

  After dropping the kids at their respective schools, Frankie went about her morning routine. In between dishes and laundry, she fielded calls from the prosecutor’s office regarding William and talked to Fitz about what they had learned from Tessa. Her head was spinning trying to keep the cases straight.

  Frankie walked into the squad room an hour before her shift started. Her sister squad was finishing up at a crime scene, so she had the space to herself. Frankie used the quiet to organize her thoughts and write her reports.

&
nbsp; As Frankie typed the images flashed through her mind. Two women dead; their bodies hidden in the bedframe, under the mattresses in a hotel room. Both women had a rose tattoo on their wrist; the same tattoo Heather had on hers. Frankie knew there was a connection between the women, but Heather’s kidnapping didn’t appear to be related.

  The ringing phone pierced the silence in the room.

  “Sex Crimes, Detective Thomas.”

  “Detective Thomas, it’s Jessica Moon from the prosecutor’s office.”

  Frankie cringed. Jessica and Derek had a brief affair after they were both shot by an angry gang member. Jessica knew about Frankie and, out of jealousy, tried to tank some of her cases. Even though Derek ended the affair and Jessica had been more professional since he called her out on the casework, Frankie wasn’t sure she could trust her.

  Frankie asked, “How can I help you?”

  “Are you the case detective on William Kennedy?”

  “Yes. I thought Pierce was reviewing that case.”

  “He got called away on a family matter and asked that I review it for him. I am going to release Mr. Kennedy until we get lab results back from the car. I’d also like to see what the men he implicated say in this case before making any charging decisions.”

  “You do realize once they figure out he flipped on them, he’s as good as dead.”

  “Detective Thomas, contrary to what you may think, I am not an idiot. I think you are being just a bit dramatic. Release him.”

  Frankie started to say something, but instead put the phone on the cradle and stared. They had a confession from Kennedy and she wanted to let him go.

  “Any word from the prosecutor?” Mia asked as she entered the room.

  Frankie chuckled. “Moon did the case review, so what do you think she decided to do?”

  “Well, he did confess to kidnapping the girl and transporting her across state lines in the trunk of her own car. But let me guess, she wants us to release him?”

  Frankie nodded. She and Mia discussed the situation with Sergeant Baker, who directed them not to release Kennedy until he spoke with the prosecutor.

  A half-hour passed before Baker exited his office and told Frankie to call the jail and have Kennedy released.

  “For the record, I agree with you that she is making a stupid judgment call,” Baker said. “But we cannot hold him without the warrant, and I can’t get her supervisor on the phone. You’d think they’d charge him with the gun, but she argued until the lab results are back, she can’t be sure it’s not the victim’s gun. She is hell-bent on letting him go.”