by Terri Reid
“Well, iffen you hadn’t interrupted us, we’d already know,” Stanley muttered. “Mary was just getting around to letting us know what she found out, now that the idiot left.”
Alex choked on his coffee, and Bradley smiled. “Which idiot?” he asked.
Clearing his throat, Alex finally choked out. “Monty Sargent.”
Nodding, Bradley pulled a chair across the room to sit next to Mary and sat down. “Oh, that idiot,” he replied, picking up Mary’s unfinished long john and taking a bite. “Why was he here?”
“He just wanted to be sure of my credentials…” Mary began.
“He was being an ass,” Stanley interrupted.
Bradley glanced at Alex questioningly.
“Stanley’s right,” Alex said. “He was just being an ass.”
“So, did you throw him out of your office?” Bradley asked Mary.
“No, she didn’t,” Alex inserted. “But only because I pleaded with her behind his back.”
Bradley took another bite of the long john. “You actually signed the contract?” he asked. He scratched his head for a moment and turned to Alex. “You and I didn’t actually make a bet on this, did we?”
“No,” Alex replied. “But I should have. I would have made good money.”
Mary smiled at them both. “Now I’m the one making good money,” she said. “So, let’s get down to business.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Alex replied, and Bradley only smiled.
“Last night I had a visit from Ruth,” Mary began. “First, she asked me to thank both of you for the care you took with her parents.”
Alex sat upright. “She was there?”
Mary nodded. “Yes, she was able to witness how kind you were to her parents,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. “It meant a great deal to her.”
She took a deep breath and then continued. “But she also told me why she was out in the field that night. She was working on her senior project. She’s a graduate student in Bio-engineering with an Agricultural emphasis, and she’s also an intern for Granum.”
“Research and development?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” Mary said. “She worked in the labs. That’s where she discovered that the chemicals they are spraying on the seeds are not water soluble. And they have a lifespan that carries on through the plant, the fruit and the animals who are fed the tainted corn.”
Alex sat back and whistled slowly. “Well, that could have opened a whole can of worms,” he said. “Did she tell them?”
“She told me that she reported her information to her supervisor, who basically disregarded her comments and told her the seeds had already been tested and she was mistaken,” Mary explained. “That’s when she decided to turn it into a senior project and try to get it published.”
“That there could be a whole lot of reasons someone might want to see her dead,” Stanley said. “But that don’t mean they done it.”
“Well, there’s a little more information that might point in that direction,” Mary added. “The night she was shot, she was carrying a backpack that contained all of her research and information. She didn’t like leaving it anywhere, so she always had it with her.”
Alex turned to Bradley. “We didn’t find a backpack with the body, did we?”
Bradley shook his head. “No, we didn’t,” he said. “And we didn’t find a backpack with six officers searching twelve acres last night. So, I’m officially ruling out an animal dragging it away from the body.”
Alex templed his hands over his chin and sat quietly for a moment. “So,” he finally said. “What exactly do we know?”
“We know whoever murdered her had an agriculture background,” Stanley inserted.
Mary turned to him. “How do we know that?” she asked.
“Simple. Once those farmers harvest their fields ain’t no one going to be checking them until spring,” he explained. “That’s why her body was left where it fell. The murderer knew no hunter would be walking that close to a major highway or a cemetery, so it would not be discovered until spring.”
“That was brilliant, Stanley,” Alex said.
Stanley nodded. “That’s why I’m Mary’s assistant,” he stated.
Bradley turned to Mary and whispered. “He’s your assistant?”
She smiled and nodded. “I’ll tell you more later,” she whispered back.
Bradley chuckled softly. “I can’t wait.”
“Okay, we need to start the interview process,” Alex said. “I pulled the articles that ran when she came up missing…”
“What happened to her car?” Mary interrupted.
“What?” Alex asked.
“Her car,” Mary said. “If the murderer felt safe leaving her body in the field, as Stanley said, wouldn’t they be concerned that if her car was parked close by, the officials would search the fields for her body?”
“The articles seemed to imply she was a runaway, not a victim,” Alex said. “They found her car parked at the Convention and Visitors Bureau parking lot, and the sheriff’s department considered it the place she was picked up.”
“Why would they assume she’d just run away?” Mary asked.
“Good question,” Alex said. “So, we should start with the same people the sheriff’s department interviewed, her roommate, her best friend, her university advisor and her parents.”
Mary nodded. “And let’s add the people she worked with during her internship,” she said. “It would be interesting to know who, if anyone, she told about her research project.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Bradley’s cruiser pulled into the parking lot of Granum. The huge four-story industrial building stretched over several acres, holding not only research and development but also inventory and transportation facilities. The outside of the building was sided in a dark gray, smooth material, and behind the main facilities, giant silos loomed overhead.
“Pretty impressive,” Mary said as they walked toward the front entrance.
“Yeah, I think that’s the idea,” Bradley replied.
“Did you call ahead?” she asked quietly as he held open the door for her.
He smiled down and shook his head, his eyes twinkling. “Nah, I figured we’d surprise them.”
They walked through the three story lobby with impressive murals of farm fields on the walls and stopped at the receptionist desk. Behind the desk, the young woman manning the phone froze when she saw Bradley.
“Good morning,” he said, unsmiling. He took out his identification and showed it to her. “We need to speak with…” he glanced down at the pad he was carrying, “Darren Lorne, in research and development.”
The young woman nodded. “I’ll just call…” she started to reach for the phone, and Bradley placed his hand over hers and shook his head.
“There’s no reason to call,” he said. “If you will just give us directions, we will introduce ourselves.”
“Oh,” she stammered. “But I…”
“Are you trying to obstruct justice?” Bradley asked, his tone dark.
Nearly jumping away from the desk, the young woman shook her head. “Oh, no, I’m not, sir,” she replied. “I’m so sorry. I’ll buzz you in right away. Just take the elevator to the third floor, turn left and go to the end of the hall. You’ll see the R&D labs. He’s in the office just inside the door.”
“Thank you,” Bradley replied. “Your cooperation will be noted.”
Mary and Bradley walked in silence through the heavy security doors and didn’t speak until they were standing alone in front of the elevators.
“That was mean,” Mary whispered. “You scared that young woman to death.”
Bradley nodded. “Yeah, I almost felt sorry for her,” he replied. “She must be new, or she would have called Human Resources immediately.”
“Yeah, how much time do you think we have?” Mary asked, glancing over her shoulder.
“If we’re lucky, we’ll make it to Lorne’s office just before t
hey do,” he said with a grin.
The elevator door opened, and Bradley hit the button for the third floor. With swift efficiency, the elevator brought them quickly up to the third floor, and wasting no time, they hurried towards the lab.
True to the receptionist’s word, they found a nameplate with Lorne’s name just inside the door next to a glass wall. Inside the office, a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat that did not hide his paunch was drinking coffee and reviewing a report. Bradley stepped forward and knocked forcefully on the door.
Coffee sloshed dangerously as Darren Lorne quickly glanced over his shoulder and then did a double take when he saw Bradley’s uniform. Placing the coffee cup on a pile of papers, he pushed himself to his feet and hurried to the door.
“Is there a problem here?” he asked, looking around. “Are we being evacuated?”
Bradley shook his head slowly and then met Darren’s eyes for a long moment. “I need to ask you some questions,” he said. “May we sit down?”
Darren swallowed audibly. “Am I under suspicion for something?” he asked.
“Not at this point,” Bradley replied. “We’re just asking some preliminary questions in an investigation.”
Darren nodded. “Sure, come in,” he said, moving a stack of papers from a chair and offering it to Mary, then doing the same for Bradley.
Once he had taken his seat, Bradley leaned forward. “I’d like to ask you about Ruth McCredie,” he said, watching the man’s reaction carefully.
Darren seemed to relax in his chair. He casually picked up his coffee cup and sipped. “Oh, Ruth,” he said. “Yeah, great girl. Smart girl.” He shrugged. “I don’t know much about her. She just up and left town. Didn’t even ask for a reference.”
“Would you have given her a reference?” Mary asked.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” he said. “I mean, I don’t think it’s a good practice to leave halfway through an internship, but that girl has smarts. Real smarts. And, you know, she’s young. They do stupid things sometimes.”
“Mr. Lorne, did you watch the news last night?” Bradley asked.
Darren shook his head. “No, I worked late and then caught the last few minutes of the game before I went to bed. Why?”
“Ruth McCredie’s body was found yesterday,” Bradley replied. “In a field. Not too far from this building. She was murdered.”
Chapter Twenty-five
The coffee cup slipped with a crash to the ground, and Darren stared wide-eyed at Bradley and Mary. “Mu-mu-murdered?” he stammered, his hand shaking.
Bradley nodded.
“Oh that poor girl,” he said, shaking his head. “Oh, her poor parents.” Then he looked at Bradley. “Who did it?”
“Well, Mr. Lorne, we don’t know yet,” Bradley replied. “And that’s why we’re here.”
Darren’s eyes widened and he sat back in his chair. “You don’t think that I…”
“We are not making any accusations at this point,” Bradley said. “But we would appreciate your full cooperation.”
“Of course,” he said, grabbing hold of the edge of his desk to calm his shaking hands. “What can I do?”
“Well, Mr. Lorne, was there anyone here that had any troubles with Ruth?” Mary asked.
Darren shook his head. “No, nothing at all like that,” he replied. “She was just down-to-earth and hardworking.”
“We’d like to interview the other people she worked with,” Bradley said. “Could you…”
At that moment, the door to Darren’s office opened and a trim, professionally coiffed, woman in a navy blue suit stepped inside. “Excuse me,” she said tersely. “But I need to end this interrogation with our employee.”
Bradley turned in his seat and stood up. “This is not an interrogation, Ms…” he paused and waited.
“Tate. Angela Tate,” she replied. “I’m the Regional Vice President of Granum, and the proper protocol would have been to come to my office first and request permission to speak with one of our employees.”
“Well, Ms. Tate,” Bradley replied. “When it comes to a murder investigation, I’m not overly concerned about what your protocol is. I just want to solve a crime.”
Score! Mary cheered silently.
“However, if you would prefer that I send several of my units here to pick up the folks in your company I wish to interview, as well as yourself,” he continued, “I’d be happy to oblige. I just thought it would be less…public if I came here myself.”
Double score! Mary thought.
“And your companion?” Ms. Tate asked haughtily, quickly glancing in Mary’s direction and then looking away.
Mary stood, glad she’d changed into a business outfit and extended her hand. “I’m Mary O’Reilly,” she said, thinking it would be wise to leave off her new last name. “I’m a consultant with the District Attorney’s Office on the case. But I agree with Chief Alden. If you would rather meet with us at either the Police Department or the Court House, I’m sure we could arrange it.”
Angela Tate took a deep breath and pasted on a smile. Mary could tell she hated losing.
“Why, of course we mean to cooperate with the authorities in any way we can,” she said. “What can we do to help you with your investigation?”
“If you or Mr. Lorne could show us where Ruth worked,” Mary said, “that would be a good start. And, if there were any items she left behind before she disappeared, those would be helpful, too.”
“We’d also like access to her files at her work station,” Bradley added.
“I’m afraid those files belong to the company and are confidential,” Angela stated.
Mary shrugged. “We can get a warrant,” she said easily. “It’s not a problem.”
Angela inhaled sharply. “That won’t be necessary,” she said, and Mary was sure she saw her clench her jaw. “We will be happy to cooperate. Please, come this way.”
She opened the office door and motioned to Darren. “Darren, why don’t you lead this little tour,” she offered.
As soon as they walked into the lab room, Mary’s attention was drawn to the number of white rat ghosts that clambered all over the pristine steel tables and white shelves. Casually, she put her hand on Bradley’s arm and bit back a laugh when his eyes widened in horror.
“Do you do a lot of experimenting with lab rats?” Mary asked, looking around the room to locate the cages.
A telling look flew between Angela and Darren, and then Angela shook her head. “No, we really try to limit our experimentation,” she said. “We are PETA friendly and are a huge supporter of the ethical treatment of animals.”
A large ghost rat dropped from a hanging light fixture above Angela’s head and fell onto her shoulder. She involuntarily shivered, and the rat fell to the floor and scampered away. “Well, that’s good to know,” Mary replied. “So, you don’t use any rats for testing?”
“Oh, no, I didn’t say that,” Angela corrected. “We just limit our use to a judicious few and only to protect our consumers.”
They turned the corner to see a large work area in front of them with four work stations. “This is where our interns work,” Darren explained. “Ruth’s work station was the one in the corner.”
The other three works stations were occupied, and Mary was surprised that many of the rats seem to be congregating around one area in particular. Several of the rats looked up and met Mary’s eyes. Oh, no, she thought, I do not want ghost rats following after me. She quickly turned away from them, hoping the damage hadn’t already been done.
“Chandler, may I have a moment?” Darren asked, and the student in that area turned around.
He looks like a teen heart-throb, with sun-bleached blonde hair, a tan and a well-muscled physique, Mary thought. Even his teeth are perfect.
“Chandler worked with Ruth on several projects,” Darren said. “I’m sure he’d be able to help you with any questions you might have.”
Bradley nodded. “Thank you,” he replied and then
he turned to Angela. “If you could provide a private space where we could…” He paused for a moment. “interview your interns, that would be very much appreciated.”
“Of course,” she replied coolly. “There’s a conference room at the end of the hall. I’ll have it cleared and set up for you. How long do you think you’ll need it?”
“No longer than three hours,” he said. “And what time would be good for you?”
She froze, surprised, and stared at him. “Excuse me?”
“What time would be best for us to interview you?” he asked. “I just want to be sure we have your statement on record, too.”
“I will make myself available whenever you would like,” she said, her smile tightening. “And now, if that’s all, I’ll see to the conference room.”
“Thank you, Ms. Tate,” Bradley said. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“Don’t mention it,” she replied tersely.
The review of Ruth’s computer turned up only Granum files. Even her emails were job specific. After forty-five minutes of reviewing files, Bradley shook his head. “I’ll have my tech guys go over this again,” he said, “in case there are some hidden or deleted files, but at this point, it looks clean.”
He looked over at Darren. “I’d like one of my tech staff to take her computer to the station for further review,” he said. “I’ll be happy to sign a receipt stating we have it, but at this point I have to consider it as evidence.”
Darren nodded. “No. No problem,” he said. “I’ll let them know at the front desk.”
“Thank you,” Bradley said. “Now if you could show us that conference room, we’ll get the interviews started.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Mary and Bradley seated themselves on the side of the conference table that faced the door.
“I don’t think Ms. Tate was taken in by your charm,” Mary teased.
“Really?” Bradley replied, smiling at her. “And here I tried my best to win her over.”
