“Oh, I’m sure we will.” Unless you are under arrest. “We can head on over to my office and meet up with my partner. Like I said, we need to take a formal statement from you for the official record, so we can put that requirement to rest.”
“Am I a suspect, Mac? Do I need to contact a lawyer?” Jessica asked as they headed for the car. “The friend I’m staying with told me not to talk to you without a lawyer.”
“Is that friend by any chance Jeremy Zimmerman?” Mac went on the offensive to defer the question.
“Jeremy? How do you know about him?”
“We’ve questioned most of the people you and Brad hung out with.”
She nodded. “So do I need a lawyer? I’m sure Vicki and Todd have filled your case file with their speculations and suspicions about my actions.”
“Actually Jessica, the Gayneses have been very cooperative during this difficult time. They just have a great deal of love for their son and a lot of unanswered questions that must be driving them insane. The last time they spoke to me, they welcomed the idea of your coming to the funeral. They know how much you apparently meant to Brad and wanted to respect what he would have wanted.”
“Really?” Her face brightened.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry if I sounded rude. I’m feeling pretty stressed out about seeing them again. Especially since Brad was killed and . . .” Jessica glanced down at her rounded abdomen.
Mac tossed Jessica’s bag in the trunk and opened the passenger side door for her.
She slid in and waited for Mac to close the door before putting on her seat belt.
Interesting turn of events. Mac removed his jacket from the steering wheel and folded himself in.
“Back to your question, Jessica. I don’t know if you need a lawyer; only you know that. We just need to ask you some questions. As far as we know, you were the last person to see Brad alive. To be honest with you, our interview may take more than two hours. I was hoping you would accompany us back to the falls and show us exactly where Brad walked and where you had the run-in with the truckdriver. You are not under arrest, and I have no intention of arresting you with what I know right now. You are free to leave, or I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. All my cards are on the table—no secrets, no surprises. So what’s it going to be?”
Jessica looked out the window; it had begun to rain. The chemicals the office fleet manager put on the officers’ car windows made the water streak down the glass with amazing speed, to allow for a clean windshield while on patrol in the rain.
“Like water off a duck’s back, huh?”
“What?” Mac frowned at her odd comment.
Jessica smiled. “What makes the water on the windshield shoot down like that?”
“Some spray our car guy puts on them. I don’t even have to use my windshield wipers in the rain. At freeway speeds you wouldn’t even know it was raining.”
She chuckled. “Okay, let’s do this. Anyone nerdy enough to put rain chemicals on his car windows seems harmless enough.”
“Ouch. Nerd, huh?” Mac smiled back as he looked over his left shoulder to back out into the parking lot. Although he’d turned away from Jessica, he could sense her studying him. As discreetly as possible, he touched his gun with his right elbow, bracing himself should the need arise. She looked and acted harmless enough, but you just couldn’t tell.
Mac took the freeway back to the office. Portland, the City of Roses, has also been called the City of Bridges. Scores of bridges cross the Willamette River that divides the city, running from the south to northern confluence with the Columbia River. Mac occasionally still got the names of the bridges mixed up, even though he had crossed them countless times.
He and Jessica arrived at the Portland patrol office in less than fifteen minutes. Kevin’s car was in the back lot. Kevin, a perpetual passenger, didn’t care much for driving—probably due to the years on uniform patrol, where it was not uncommon to drive two or three hundred miles in a shift. Mac thought about the poor guy who would inherit Kevin’s car when he retired. The car would be fifteen years old before it had enough miles to turn in to the fleet manager for a new one. Only Sergeant Evans’s Caprice was older and uglier. Seeing his partner’s car reminded him of Kevin’s odd behavior of late. Why was Kevin hanging out with the brass? Was he discussing retirement?
“Here we go,” Mac said to Jessica. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll introduce you to my partner.” She held her bag close to her chest.
“Anything in the bag I need to be concerned about?” Mac asked. “You seem awfully attached to it.”
“No, just my things.” She loosened her grip. “I guess I’m kind of nervous.”
“Before we go inside, do you mind if I take a look? You know, just to put my mind at ease to make sure there’s nothing in there that will hurt me.”
“Do I have to? I mean, there’s no gun or anything.”
Mac noticed Dana’s patrol car in the parking lot, recognizing the stuffed teddy bear she kept on top of her dash-mounted radar. “Would it be okay if a female trooper looked in the bag, just as a precaution?”
“Sure.” She glanced down at the asphalt. “I guess that would be okay.”
Mac opened the back door to the office after punching in the keypad code, leading Jessica into the patrol briefing room. Fortunately, Dana was nearby. “Dana, this is Jessica—you remember, Brad Gaynes’s girlfriend.”
Dana smiled and reached out her hand. “Hi, Jessica. Of course I remember you.”
“Jessica is here for an interview,” Mac said, “and I wonder if you’d look through her things before we go in.”
“Sure.” Turning to Jessica, Dana said, “Come with me. And don’t look so worried. It’s standard procedure.”
Moments later, Dana came out of the briefing room with Jessica and directed her to the women’s restroom.
“Anything in the bag?”
“Nothing dangerous, Mac. I think she’s just frightened, but I’m doing a personal search just to make sure.”
“Thanks. Would you bring her down to the back room when you’re done?”
“You got it. Need some help with the investigation?” Dana looked hopeful.
“Not right now, but thanks.” Mac hesitated. “By the way, you did a great job on those reports; they’re first-rate.”
“Thanks.” Dana grinned, then followed Jessica into the bathroom.
Mac took the stairs down to his office and met with Kevin.
They agreed to ask Jessica to accompany them to Wah-kella Falls right off the bat, getting her version of events while en route. Mac had already established a rapport, so he would ride in the back of the car with Jessica while Kevin drove. This would probably be their only shot at a complete interview with her. Even if she wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger, she might know who did.
Mac thought about the case Philly told him about where the wife paid to have her husband killed. Somehow he couldn’t visualize Jessica killing anyone, but he’d learned the hard way that you couldn’t always trust your impressions.
“Here we are,” Dana said as she and Jessica entered the detectives’ office. “All clear.”
Dana lingered for just a moment. “If you guys don’t need me for anything else, I’m off to hit the road and patrol.”
“Thanks.” Mac turned his attention to Jessica as Dana left the room.
“I told you there wasn’t anything in my bag.” Jessica looked from Mac to Kevin.
“I’m sorry about that. We have to be careful.”
“So.” She sank into a nearby chair and looked at Kevin. “Are you Mac’s partner?”
Kevin nodded and shook her hand. “Detective Bledsoe. You can call me Kevin.”
The older detective gave Mac a stern look. “Mac, can I see you for a minute?” Then turning to Jessica, he said, “We’ll be right back.”
Once they were out of earshot, Kevin stopped Mac. “Why didn’t you tell me she was pregnant?”
“I didn’t have a chance. It took me by surprise too.”
Kevin ran a hand through his graying hair. “She looks to be about five, six months along, which means the baby is probably Brad’s.”
“Yeah. That’s what she said.”
Kevin drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, here’s the deal. I think we should try to set up a poly and get her statement first, then depending on the results, take her out to Wah-kella and see if she has anything to add. I don’t want her hiking up the trail. It won’t serve any purpose that I can see, and we don’t want any complications down the road.”
Mac agreed. “I guess I was looking at that case up at Ecola State Park. The detectives took their suspect up the trail and actually got a confession.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t a good idea, but let’s take first things first.”
“Right.”
The men walked back into Mac’s office. Jessica was gone.
28
MAC HAD A MOMENT’S PANIC until he found Jessica in the break room with Philly, who was handing her a cup of hot water. Jessica looked up at Mac and smiled. “Philly asked me if I wanted something to drink. Tea sounded good.”
“Great.” Mac didn’t know whether to hug the big detective or hit him.
“Always willing to help a lady in distress.” Philly left the room armed with a large mug of coffee for himself.
Mac shook his head and grabbed a cup of coffee for himself.
“Help yourself to a donut, Jessica.”
“No thanks. I have to eat a nutritious diet for my baby.”
“Good. That’s good.” Mac ushered her back to his cubicle. He had to side with Todd and Kip on their impression of Jessica. She seemed like an okay gal. Maybe she was a victim in all this as well.
“Where’s your partner?” she asked as she took the chair she’d been sitting in moments before.
“Kevin went to see about scheduling a polygraph test while you’re here. It will save you a trip. He should be back in a minute and we can get started.”
Kevin came in before Mac finished the sentence. “Sarge is arranging for an exam at the Portland office this afternoon.”
While they waited, Mac and Kevin sealed Jessica’s interview by getting it on tape. There were no real changes other than the addition of her wanting Brad to make some changes. “I told him I was pregnant. He got upset and said he wasn’t ready to be a father. I told him I was keeping the baby no matter what he decided to do. All I wanted was for him to stop drinking and doing drugs. He wasn’t willing to do that for me or for the baby. I couldn’t marry him under those conditions, and I told him so.” Jessica sighed. “I know it looks strange. I mean—I guess I was the last one to see him.”
“Jessica,” Mac began, “I have to ask, why were you so standoffish when everyone was out looking for Brad? You didn’t help with the search, and you didn’t seem interested.”
“I was mad at him. I thought maybe he’d walked out on me. And I had morning sickness really bad. I had to stay close to the bathroom.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone—primarily Brad’s parents—about your pregnancy?” Mac asked for the tape.
“Like I told you earlier, I was angry. They were treating me like I’d done something to him. Vicki and Rachael treated me as if I were a lowlife. They never took the time to get to know me.”
“That must have been hard on you. Did you ever want to get back at them?”
“No. I just wanted to get away. That’s why I left for California so soon after Brad disappeared. I’d had it with the calls and the dirty looks. Besides, I figured if Brad had left me, there was no point in my hanging around.”
“Did you ever wonder if he’d been hurt?”
“Yes. I worried that the trucker had gone after him.”
“You mentioned to Deputy Wyatt that you thought he might have killed himself or fallen.”
“I didn’t know what to say. I had no idea what had happened to him. Brad liked the legend of the falls, so I said that. Later on I wondered about a hunting accident, but then no body was found, and I really did think he’d run off somewhere.” She frowned. “I never heard a gunshot. But then I had fallen asleep for a while . . .”
Mac nodded. “Thinking back on it now, Jessica, would you tell us what you think happened?”
She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “I have no idea. All I know is that my baby’s father didn’t want him.” She looked out the window at the squirrels.
“Do you know anyone who might have wanted Brad dead?”
“No. I can’t think of a soul. People loved Brad. They didn’t know him like I did. I loved him too—even when he drank and . . .”
Kevin handed her a tissue.
“Thank you.”
“Jeremy told us that Brad hit you.” Mac watched her face.
“A few times.” She turned to look at him. “I know this probably sounds terrible, but I’m glad I’m not with Brad anymore.” She caught Mac’s raised eyebrows. “I’m not glad he’s dead,” she quickly amended. “But I’m happy now. I have a boyfriend who loves me and who’s clean. I met him at church and . . .”
“Church?” Mac leaned back. “Vicki told us that you refused to attend church with Brad.”
“I wasn’t into it then. See, Brad was a hypocrite in a lot of ways.
He pretended to be this nice Christian guy around his parents and his sister, but he didn’t practice what he preached.” She shrugged.
“Aaron does. I wish you could meet him.”
At noon they ordered deli sandwiches and drinks for themselves and Jessica. By one o’clock, they had her in with the polygraph detective from Salem. After back-to-back exams, Detective Matt Manza showed Mac and Kevin his findings.
“I think she’s telling the truth, guys. She has no knowledge of Brad’s murder.”
“Nothing at all?” Mac asked. He didn’t really want the pregnant woman to be guilty of murder, but he wanted the investigation to be over. And Jessica was their best source for finding the killer.
“There was a hang-up on one question,” Detective Manza said, looking through the one-way glass in the interview office at Jessica, who brushed her hair behind her ears. “When I asked, ‘Are you in any way responsible for Brad’s death?’ Jessica provided an affirmative response, which deemed to be truthful.”
Mac frowned. “But . . .?”
“She explained later that she felt their argument and failed relationship contributed in some way to his disappearance and eventual death. She’s feeling guilty, which under the circumstances is entirely normal.”
“Okay.” Mac took the preliminary results from Detective Manza and shook his hand.
“I’ll get the formal results to you in a day or two,” Manza said.
Mac nodded. “Right. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“Not a problem. You guys take care.”
Mac quickly looked over the results, then he and Kevin wrapped up their interview with Jessica, deciding not to take her to the falls at this point. They did, however, have her fingerprinted and mugged for comparison standards, as she had no criminal record. This was a precaution in case she became less than cooperative down the road.
“Where can we drop you off, Jessica?” Mac asked when they got to the car. “Jeremy’s place?” Kevin took the driver’s seat as he and Mac had agreed, while Mac joined Jessica in the backseat.
“Jeremy’s?” She frowned. “Why would you think I’d be staying there?” She dug into her purse and fished out a piece of paper with an address on it. “I’m staying with Aaron’s sister and her family.”
“I’m sorry for the assumption. Jeremy indicated the two of you were friends.”
She laughed. “‘Friends’ is the operative word, Detective. I know he would have liked us to be together, but he isn’t my type.
Besides, I really don’t have much contact with the old gang.”
“It’s just as well.” Mac told her about the firearm they
’d recovered from Jeremy’s house. Jessica didn’t seem surprised. “And just so you know,” Mac continued, “the property you had in the pawnshop has been seized.”
“So I don’t have to pay to get it out?”
“Not at this point.”
“What will happen to it?”
“Since we signed for the gun,” Mac explained, “we’ll have to make sure the pawnbroker is reimbursed what he paid you for the gun. You or Vicki and Todd can pay the store or allow us to return the gun; the broker just won’t make any money off the exchange.”
“I’ll pay for it.” She sighed. “Why did you take the stuff— because of the gun?”
“Primarily yes. But it’s all being processed for trace evidence by our lab.”
“Huh—like they do on that CSI show?”
“Yeah.” Mac smiled. “Like that.”
“I’m glad I took the lie-detector test.” Jessica watched the street signs. “I did okay, huh?”
“You did.” Jessica seemed more relaxed now, and Mac could see more of her personality. Warm and kind, with a nice sense of humor. Opposite of the time he’d first met her.
Aaron’s sister, April, met them in the driveway and enveloped Jessica in a welcoming hug. Apparently the two hadn’t met face to face. April asked Mac and Kevin to come in, but they declined.
“That was interesting,” Mac said once he and Kevin were on the road again.
“Jessica seems like a sweet girl.”
“Yeah. Different than when I first met her.”
“Maybe not so different,” Kevin said. “Maybe different circumstances. The kid’s been through a lot, and you have to admire how she’s gotten her life together.”
“You mean the church thing?”
Kevin chuckled. “That’s part of it.”
Mac laughed. “I’ll remember that. All I have to do to get on the good side of you is tell you I’m going to church.”
“Would you be telling the truth?” Kevin asked in a hopeful tone.
“Nope. I tried going to those counseling sessions with Linda and . . .” He frowned. “Well, you know about that. It didn’t work out so well.” Mac had told him awhile back how the pastor and Linda had basically ganged up on him.
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