Harlan, hands on his hips, squared off against the chief but kept his gaze centered on Sarah. “Although I agree with you that Sarah should leave the investigation of Lance’s murder to the professionals, I think you’re overdoing it a bit. Let me make it clear. Ms. Maybelle is not up to being questioned right now.”
“Now, Harlan, when did you get your medical degree? I thought you were a lawyer and speaking of that, to my knowledge, Ms. Maybelle doesn’t have a representative because there’s nothing here to represent.”
“Representing her is why I’m here.”
Sarah wasn’t sure if the chief was responding to Harlan’s tone or the situation was starting to get out of hand, but his relaxed body position was replaced with a more rigid stance. Instead of picking at his left suspender, the chief now held it taut, like one would do with a slingshot.
His right hand rested on his gun holster as he stretched Harlan’s name to three syllables. “Ha-ar-lan, my understanding is Ms. Maybelle hasn’t asked for counsel.” He removed his hand from his gun and pointed toward the coffeepot across the lobby. “Perhaps Sarah and you should get yourselves some coffee while Maybelle and I sit here and talk. It would be a shame for Judge Larsen to get the impression you’ve become an ambulance chaser.”
Harlan didn’t retreat. “Ms. Maybelle?”
Sarah’s mother shifted her body forward. Sarah strained to hear what her mother would say. Her mother’s voice came out at its usual loud level, and Sarah was relieved. Maybelle was back!
“I don’t know where you’re getting the idea Harlan’s not my counsel. He represents me in everything. You may be the acting chief, Dwayne Gerard, but I’ve known you since you were a little boy. You’re not going to bluster me. You already know what I know.”
Maybelle shook Sarah’s arm off her shoulders, stood, and moved herself into the chief’s personal space. She used the tip of her forefinger to emphasize each of her points into his chest. “Lance’s back door was open. I found him facedown on his desk. Although there was a ton of blood, I checked for a pulse and got some of his blood on me. When I realized he wasn’t breathing, I screamed. From that point on, everyone ran into Lance’s office.”
“Do you remember who some of those people were, Ms. Maybelle?”
“Eloise was first. I can’t remember if one of the tellers, that blond-haired one, or Alvin came next. After that, the comings and goings blur, but there were a lot of people in and out of Lance’s office. They probably trampled any evidence that might have existed. If you want that as a formal written statement, I’ll give it to you tomorrow. Right now, my girls and I are leaving. Harlan?”
Harlan smiled. “Chief? Don’t you think at this point it would be the wiser course of action for me to take Ms. Maybelle home to rest? She’s had a shock today, and well, you can see, she’s made her position clear. Unless you’re arresting her, it seems to me it would be the better course of action to wait until tomorrow when she’ll be glad to come to your office and voluntarily give you a signed statement.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Before Chief Gerard answered, a young man, laden down with cameras and other equipment, entered the bank. Sarah didn’t recognize him, but from all the things he carried, she presumed he was either a reporter for the college paper or the department’s police tech. Based upon Alvin’s earlier comments about Chief Gerard wanting the press kept out of the bank, she decided this gangly kid must be the department’s crime tech. Once he reached them, the real giveaway was his uniform. Although it was a different color than the police chief’s, the emblem sewed to his sleeve identified him as part of Wheaton’s police force.
Chief Gerard confirmed her hypothesis when he introduced him. “Dr. David Smith is our department’s crime tech, forensic investigator, and coroner rolled into one. David, this is Harlan Endicott and Ms. Maybelle Johnson. Ms. Johnson found the deceased. Mr. Endicott is her lawyer. He wants to take her home, but I was just about to explain to him that, under the circumstances, I’d like you to swab her hands and get some pictures now.”
Her mother glanced at Harlan, who gave her a slight nod. “All right, but after that I’m leaving. Harlan, if Dwayne tries to stop me, can you file something because he’s holding me against my will?”
When her mother laughed, everyone joined in, the tension of the moment receding. Still, Sarah noticed Chief Gerard’s thin-lipped smile didn’t reach his eyes. They were cold and hollow, scaring her and immediately making her think, even as Dr. Smith placed his gear on Eloise’s desk, set up, and swabbed her mother’s hands, that nothing was going to be different than the last time Emily and she dealt with the Wheaton Police Department.
Once it was obvious Dr. Smith was finished with Maybelle and ready to move on to the actual crime scene, the chief stepped away and talked to him for a moment. Coming back, Chief Gerard addressed his remarks directly toward Maybelle. “Ms. Maybelle, you’re free to go. I expect to see you in my office at eight.”
“Chief,” Harlan interrupted. “Ms. Maybelle lives in Birmingham. She came over to Wheaton today to spend time with her daughters and handle some errands. You can’t expect her to stay here tonight. Considering she’ll hit rush-hour traffic from Birmingham at eight, why don’t we make it a little later in the morning?”
The chief nodded. “Harlan, this is a criminal investigation. In case you didn’t notice, a leading citizen—our bank and city council’s president—has been murdered. I don’t have time to waste solving this crime nor do I want to take the chance of another one occurring.”
“That’s true.” Harlan lowered his voice, so his tone was soothing. “But other than finding the deceased, my client had nothing to do with this horrible event. She’s obviously going to be more comfortable in her own bed, fifteen minutes down the highway. She’ll gladly agree to be at your office tomorrow morning at ten to give you a written statement. Right, Maybelle?”
“Right.”
“Then I think we’ll be going now.” Harlan put his hand on Maybelle’s elbow and guided her toward the door.
The chief didn’t stop them, but when Sarah waved, catching Emily’s eye and signaling her they were leaving, he stopped them in their tracks. “Where do you think the two of you are going?”
“To take care of our mother.”
“Not until I get your statements.”
“But we weren’t here. Emily and I were at the council meeting.”
“Then it won’t take long for you to give your statements. If you’ll sit back down where you were, Officer Robinson will take your statements as soon as he finishes with the tellers.” He pointed to the chairs she and her mother vacated.
Sarah looked around for Officer Robinson. Even though there were quite a few people in the bank, she wondered how she’d missed another police officer. “Officer Robinson? Could you point him out to me? I don’t think I’ve ever met him?”
Chief Gerard raised an eyebrow in her direction. “You were talking to him earlier.”
“You must be mistaken. I’d know if I’d been talking to a member of the Wheaton police force.”
Chief Gerard looked across the room to where Alvin was talking to the blond teller, who’d waved at Sarah and Maybelle earlier.
“Alvin?”
“That’s right. He’s out of uniform because he was moonlighting today as a security officer for the bank, but when he’s on duty, he’s our newest officer.”
“I thought Doctor Smith was your newest officer.”
For the first time, Chief Gerard cracked a smile. “Smith looks so young he makes all of us feel old, but he’s been the department’s forensic expert and medical examiner for just under five years. Officer Robinson had prior experience on an L.A. squad, so I thought he’d be a good fit when our recent vacancy occurred.”
“He moved here from Los Angeles?”
“No, lower Alabama.” Chief Gerard chuckled. “Sarah, I really don’t want to keep you from being with your mother, but I’d like to get quick statements from yo
ur sister and you. With Mr. Bailey and Ms. Eloise being so upset and needing to give more detailed statements, I’ll get started with them. Officer Robinson is just about finished with the last teller, so if you’ll just give us a few more minutes, I’m sure he’ll have you out of here quickly.”
As if on cue, Alvin, carrying a large pad and pen, approached Sarah as the chief walked away. Emily joined them.
Emily turned to him. “Why do Sarah and I need to give statements? We weren’t even here.”
“I know.” Officer Robinson sat in the chair vacated by Maybelle and motioned for one of them to sit down.
“We’ll make this fast.” Emily took the empty chair. “Personally, I don’t think the chief knows what’s right.”
He shrugged. “That’s not for me to say. Ms. Johnson. Mrs. Blair, while you wait, if you’d like some water or coffee, there’s some on the table over there.” He gestured to the table on the far side of the lobby on which a coffee urn and water dispenser sat. Earlier, Sarah had seen Eloise talking to Amanda Taylor as she placed extra cups on the table.
“That’s okay.” Sarah looked around the lobby. She figured there would be less chance of him being distracted if she stayed on his radar while he interviewed Emily. “Why don’t I just sit right over there at Eloise’s desk until you’re ready for me? Chief Gerard mentioned he was going to interview her now and she’s not at her desk. I assume he’s interviewing her somewhere else.”
When he nodded, Sarah felt pleased with herself.
“By the way, Officer Robinson, where is Eloise? She was with my mother when we arrived. I saw her talking with Amanda Taylor and adding cups to the coffee table, but I haven’t seen her since just before the chief got here.”
“It’s Alvin, and she’s in the vault.”
Emily and Sarah turned their heads in unison to peer at the open vault door. Simultaneously, both said, “Excuse me?”
“Eloise was pretty broken up,” Alvin said. “She started working for Mr. Knowlton right after she graduated from high school. They were both at the bottom of the totem pole back then. She kept it together while she was helping your mother and making sure everyone else was okay, but then it hit her. The little safe deposit room in the vault area was the only private place I could think of that wasn’t being used.”
Sarah gave him her chair. He immediately clicked open his pen and asked Emily to correctly spell her name. Rather than waiting across the lobby, Sarah opted for Eloise’s desk chair. Because Dr. Smith hadn’t closed the door to Lance’s office, Sarah could see what he was doing. Moving Eloise’s rolling secretarial chair, she positioned herself to get the best view possible.
In contrast to the chief, Dr. Smith had put on gloves, booties, and something over his hair to avoid contaminating the scene any more than it already was. Unlike the television shows she watched, he wasn’t doing anything with the body. Instead, he had a camera hung around his neck and a video camera in his hands and was working the office from the outside in. He snapped pictures and took videos of the doorway, carpeting, walls, and around the desk from every angle. When he reached the desk, he focused the camera on the back of Lance’s head. From the number of shots he took, she again was sure this was where the fatal wound was.
After Dr. Smith finished with his photos of Lance, Sarah expected him to put his cameras away. Instead, he aimed his still camera at the floor behind the desk. Sarah couldn’t see what he’d spotted, but whatever it was made him photograph and videotape it carefully. Finally finished with his recording of whatever it was, he pulled a clear plastic bag from his pocket and bent to retrieve the object. He held it up in front of him to get a better look at it.
“I’m ready for you now,” Alvin said.
Sarah didn’t respond. She was staring at the object in Dr. Smith’s hand. She was sure it was the same fence finial her mother placed on Lance’s desk earlier in the day.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Officer Robinson gently touched Sarah’s shoulder. She jumped in her seat and swung her head around to look at him.
He stepped away from her. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You didn’t. Well, I mean you did. I’m sorry. Lost in thought, I guess.”
“No problem. I said I was ready for you.” He motioned toward the two empty seats where he had interviewed Emily.
“Emily?” Sarah looked around the lobby.
“She said she’ll meet you at Harlan’s office. Your mother texted she was there.” He gestured for Sarah to go ahead of him to the chairs.
Sarah pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her purse as she sat. There was a text from her mother.
Meet me at Harlan’s. Forgot to bring an allergy pill to be able to deal with RahRah.
Sarah laughed. Her mother claimed to be deathly allergic to cats, even to the point that a cat’s mere presence earlier in a room set her off. That was why this morning her mother had stayed outside honking for Sarah. The irony was that her mother exhibited no symptoms if Sarah and RahRah visited her home when she was out. In fact, a few months ago, when her mother was in Mexico at the spa, becoming “Maybelle,” Sarah and RahRah stayed in her mother’s home for several days. During that time, Sarah gave RahRah full run of the house. They were gone, as were RahRah’s food, toys, and litter box, before her mother got home; and, surprise, the new and improved “Maybelle” had no problems from the cat’s visit. Of course, Sarah knew, it wasn’t worth mentioning their visit. Her mother either wouldn’t believe they had been there or would suddenly have a delayed allergic reaction.
When Alvin opened his notepad to a clean page, Sarah steeled herself for his first question. Her hopes of giving her statement as quickly as Emily were dashed when she realized Chief Gerard was standing behind her chair.
“Mrs. Blair, there have been a few developments, and I think I’d like to take your statement.” With a wave of his hand, he motioned for Officer Robinson to vacate his seat.
Sarah didn’t say anything. Instead, she kept her eyes on Alvin’s face. She had no doubt Alvin was as surprised by this change of plans as she was.
“Thanks, Robinson.” Chief Gerard squeezed into the narrow guest chair. Like Alvin, Sarah noted, the chief had to sit forward in the chair or risk its arms pinching his sides or blocking access to his holster. She needed to focus on what was happening, but the random thought of whether they both needed seatbelt extenders on planes went through her mind.
“Mrs. Blair.”
Sarah corrected the chief. “I’ve been divorced for so long and, now with Bill dead, I prefer Ms. Blair.”
“I understand, Mrs. Blair. Oh, I’m sorry, I meant Ms. Blair.”
She didn’t think he was sorry, but she had to admit, he didn’t seem as thick as he had four months ago. Maybe it was being in the running for the new job or simply being in charge instead of having to answer to someone.
“As you can well understand, I’d like to get this matter wrapped up as quickly as possible. Luckily, it appears we’ve gotten some breaks in the case.”
“Breaks?”
“Yes. It seems, as you well know, there were some earlier altercations before someone returned and killed Mr. Knowlton.”
“If you’re talking about the run-ins Mr. Knowlton had with Mr. Rogers’s nephew, Cliff, I’m sure they were more bluster than anything else.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you. After all, I understand from other witnesses that in both instances, people were in the room with him and Mr. Knowlton when he blew off steam. In fact, I believe your mother and you were there when he burst in the second time.”
“That’s right.” Sarah was about to say something more when she realized she was giving Cliff an alibi but leaving her mother dangling without a witness who could swear the bank president was already dead when Maybelle returned. If somehow Chief Gerard already had tied the finial, which Sarah believed was the murder weapon, to her fence and had her mother alone in Lance’s office, she understood why the chief thought he might have a
n arrest before dinner. He was treating it like a game of Clue. Maybelle, in the office of the bank president, with the decorative fence post top.
“I think before you take my statement, I’d like my lawyer, Harlan, present.”
“Now, Sarah, you’re being a bit melodramatic. You’re not under arrest. You’re simply giving me the facts as you saw them. There’s no need to have Harlan present, or, for that matter, to drag him back over here.”
Sarah’s back stiffened as she willed herself to keep any sign of being a mouse in abeyance. “Having Harlan with me is the only way I’m going to give a statement.”
“Then I guess you better call him and have him meet us at the station.”
CHAPTER NINE
Sarah looked around the interrogation room as she waited for Harlan. The room, with its dented gray gunmetal-colored table and chairs, was unchanged from when Emily was in the hot seat four months ago. That time, Harlan dragged Sarah down the hall behind him, declaring to Officer Gerard, who had desk duty, that Sarah was part of his legal team. She wondered if he’d bring Emily with him in the same way today.
Unable to sit still, she paced over to the wall and tried to determine if she was being observed through a one-way mirror. It felt like hours since Chief Gerard handed her his cell phone to call Harlan, but her watch told her that wasn’t the case. She’d made the call and then Chief Gerard immediately brought her back to the station and led her to this room.
Unless he drove from his office, which Harlan never did when going to the courthouse or any of the buildings in the city square, it would take him ten to fifteen minutes from her call to walk here, and that didn’t count whatever time it took to convince her mother to stay behind until he returned. As much as Sarah would like her twin to be at the station house with her, it would be better if Emily remained with their mother.
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