IF I FAIL: A Jake Carrington Mystery

by Marian Lanouette

  “Yes. I remember speaking with you. Again, I don’t remember what I said. Why are my statements so important, especially now—you have Chloe in custody?”

  Jake ignored her. “You stated to us that you didn’t see Shanna the week of exams. Your statements, each within days of the other, are very different. Which one’s correct? When someone lies to us we ask why, right, Sergeant?”

  “You got that right. So Meryl, the lieutenant asked, why did you lie? Which one is correct?” Louie’s cold, hard stare could scare a gorilla.

  Meryl sat in silence for a few minutes before answering. “I told you, I don’t remember what I said.”

  “Okay Meryl, look at the copies I gave you. Read each one out loud,” Jake demanded.

  Meryl picked up the copies, staring at Jake. “If you think I helped a bitch like Chloe kill her sister, you’re nuts. I wouldn’t do anything to help Chloe.”

  “I don’t remember saying anything of the kind, Meryl. Just read both statements. When you’re done, we’ll re-read your statement for today, okay?”

  Meryl went silent again, began to read the statements after a few moments. Finally, she started reading out loud:

  Kraus: Did you see Shanna the week she disappeared?

  Drake: I saw her on Friday night.

  Kraus: What did you guys do? Where did you go? Think, who did you talk to, especially Shanna?

  Drake: We hung out in her dorm room with a couple of the girls from her floor. They were going out for pizza. Asked if we wanted to join them, we did. This was about ten o’clock. We all headed to the pizza place right off campus, got some beers and slices. A couple of guys from school dropped by our table, chatted her up, nothing heavy or confrontational. Her cell phone kept ringing. She kept checking the caller’s ID. Shanna continued to press the ignore button.

  Kraus: Who kept calling her?

  Drake: I don’t know. She never said.

  Kraus: Anything else you want to say, Meryl, before we end this interview?

  “Okay, enough of that one. Meryl, now read the one you gave us,” Jake said.

  Meryl put the page aside, grabbing the other one. She looked it over first, before she read aloud from it:

  Carrington: Thanks for coming in, Meryl.

  Drake: Anything I can do to help. I can’t believe she’s dead. Heavy crying noted here.

  Carrington: I’m sorry for your loss, Meryl. When did you see her last?

  Drake: The week before exams, I’m pretty sure. The following week we both stayed at our own dorms to study.

  Carrington: You didn’t see her at all last week?

  Drake: No.

  Carrington: Do you know her friends at school?

  Drake: Only a couple of the girls who live on her floor.

  Carrington: Can you give me their names and their relationship to Shanna?

  Drake: Relationships?

  Carrington: You know, friends, dorm mates, study buddies?

  Drake: Oh, of course. I’ll write them down for you before I leave today. I don’t know last names. The ones I’ll give you lived on the same floor as Shanna. Sometimes, when I hung out there, they’d hang in Shanna’s room also.

  Carrington: Good enough, Meryl. Do you know anyone who would hurt Shanna? Anyone she fought with on a regular basis, or do you know if she recently got mixed up with anything or anyone?

  Drake: No, I can’t. She didn’t fight with anyone but her sister, Chloe.

  Carrington: Her sister.

  Drake: Yes. They fought over clothes, boys, things like that. I guess all sisters do.

  Carrington: Anyone else?

  Drake: Well, she did date this one guy for awhile. He didn’t like it when she broke it off.

  Carrington: What’s his name?

  Drake: Mark Cavilla.

  Jake interrupted her. “Meryl, which one of these statements is correct?”

  Meryl thought for a few moments. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “The first one I gave the detectives, Kraus and Brown, and the one I gave you today.”

  “Why did you lie when we interviewed you last year?”

  “I didn’t lie. Confused maybe. Definitely upset and grieving. You just found Shanna. I always thought she’d be found alive. I thought she went away to think. I’m still in shock over her murder. I didn’t lie on purpose, I must’ve forgotten.”

  Louie jumped in, changing tactics. “Were you and Shanna lovers?”

  Ah, finally a question that wipes the smile off your face, Louie thought. The one she’d worn since she entered the room, even when she cried.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I thought the question was pretty obvious, Meryl, but I’ll repeat it. Were you and Shanna Wagner lovers?” Louie pressed, staring her down.

  Meryl whispered, “Yes.”

  “Did you and Shanna quarrel on Friday night?”

  “Yes,” she whispered again.

  “Meryl, please speak up. I can’t hear you.”

  “I said, yes. Yes, we were lovers. I loved her,” she shouted.

  “Did you kill her?”

  “No.”

  “What were you doing at her parent’s house last night?” Jake jumped in, switching it up again.

  “I went to visit them. I miss them.”

  “Why did you want to get into Shanna’s room last week? What did you put in there?”

  She gave Jake a calculated look. “I had a headache. I asked if I could lie down. I put nothing in there.”

  “You asked if you could go into Shanna’s room. They were stunned. When questioned, you told them you had a headache. Correct?” Jake asked sympathetically.

  “No. No, I really had a headache.”

  “Mr. Wagner said he stated to you that he thought your request odd. It’s only after they questioned you, you told them of your headache. Now, I’ll ask again.” Jake voice hardened as he pounded the point home. “What were you doing in Shanna Wagner’s room last week?”

  “I want a lawyer,” Meryl said.

  “Okay, Meryl, once you lawyer up there’ll be no deals on the table. We’re breaking interview, subject has requested a lawyer. Time’s twelve p.m. on May 9, 2009.” Jake stood, gathering his file, reaching out, taking the statements back from Meryl.

  “No, wait. What do you mean deal? A deal for what?” she asked.

  “Sorry, Meryl, you requested a lawyer. This interview has ended.” Jake continued packing up his files.

  “No, wait, I don’t want a lawyer. What deal?”

  “You’re requesting we continue this interview without your lawyer, Meryl?” he raised an eye brow.

  “Yes. Yes. What deal?” she asked, aggravated.

  “Okay, Meryl Drake has requested this interview continue without her lawyer.”

  “What deal?” Meryl repeated.

  “If you know anything about Shanna’s death, this would be the time to tell us. Give us the details. Things like it happened while you were fighting, not preplanned or premeditated. Things like that. Meryl, lovers quarrel all the time. Sometimes things get out of control. Things you can’t take back.”

  “What deal?”

  “We’ll talk to the D.A., see if he can offer manslaughter in the first degree, instead of murder in the first.”

  “That’s it?”

  “What were you expecting? I can’t make a recommendation until I know your involvement in Shanna’s death. I need details before we speak with the D.A.”

  “I’ve changed my mind, I want a lawyer. I didn’t kill Shanna. You think I’m stupid. You’re the stupid ones.” She stood, pushing her chair back violently.

  “Interview has ended at twelve-twenty p.m.”

  “You think you got me, you got nothing. You’re…”

  Jake interrupted her. “You ended this interview, Meryl. Remember, anything you continue to say is being recorded for the record. It will be used against you in a court of law. You’ve been warned. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” She continued to walk to the d
oor, turned back to them. “You guys are just fishing. You’re like the Keystone Cops.” She walked out the door.

  “Well, Ollie, wasn’t that fun?” Louie foot shuffled his feet from side to side, imitating the Keystone Cops of the silent films. Jake started laughing.

  “Yeah, we pushed some buttons. What time’s Cavilla’s interview?”

  “Two o’clock. Let’s grab some lunch. I’m starved.”

  *

  Their interview with Mark Cavilla didn’t turn up anything new. Cavilla remembered his answers from last year. In fact, he gave the exact same ones this year. His answers seemed rehearsed then and now. His arrogant attitude stayed until they asked their last question.

  “Mark, did you know Shanna was gay? If not gay, bisexual?” Jake asked, gauging Mark’s reaction.

  He stood, his fists clenched, taking a step toward Jake. Louie walked around, stood behind Cavilla, put pressure on his shoulder to sit him down.

  “You don’t want to do that, son, sit down.”

  “I won’t let him label her.”

  “It’s not a label if it’s true, Mark,” Louie said quietly.

  “She’s not a queer,” he said adamantly.

  “The new term is gay, Mark. We have it from reliable sources she was,” Jake said.

  “She never gave a hint… I mean, we made love. I would know if the girl was gay,” he said. “Which one told you this nonsense, Meryl or her sister? They’re both jealous of her sweetness, her brains, especially her looks.”

  “It doesn’t matter who told us, Mark. She was. Do you know who killed her?”

  “No. If I knew who killed her, I’d kill him.”

  “I’d watch what you say, Mark. Someone will take you seriously, spouting words of harm,” Jake offered.

  “It’s the truth. I loved her. I wanted to marry her. Are you any closer to finding her killer?”

  “We have some new leads we’re following. The investigation’s ongoing.”

  “You’ll let me know?”

  “Not if you intend to kill whoever it is,” Jake said.

  “It’s a figure of speech. I’ve been so empty this year.”

  “I thought she broke up with you, Mark?” Louie asked.

  “She did. She wanted to wait until she graduated, got settled into a job. She would’ve come around.”

  “You didn’t know there was something between her and Meryl?” Louie asked.

  “Not what you’re inferring. They did have a special bond. Best friends since childhood. I didn’t think any more of it.”

  “Do you think her sister Chloe knew?” Jake asked.

  “If she did, she wouldn’t have been happy about it. She hated Meryl. She felt Meryl controlled Shanna’s life. I kept in touch with Chloe this year. She’s lost without her sister.”

  “Anything else you can offer, Mark?” Jake asked.

  “No. I just want to go home. How could you have told me? Why did you tell me?” he ranted.

  “It needed to be asked, Mark. It could go to motive. We needed to see if you knew,” Jake said.

  “Because she dated me?”

  “No, it’s not about you, Mark.”

  “Am I done here?”

  “Yes. If we need to ask any more questions, we’ll call you. If you think of anything else, call us.”

  They watched the man leave, his shoulders hunched, tears running down his face. Jake hated when the job crushed the innocent, though sometimes it was the only way to find out the truth. He wondered how Cavilla would think of Shanna in the future?

  Louie turned off the tape and said, “Okay, what do you think?”

  “I think… I just don’t know. He seems really upset. Louie, do you think you could date a woman and not know if she’s gay or bisexual?”

  “I don’t know. What do you think? A guy has radar on something like that?”

  “I guess you’re right. How would you know, unless she told you? The question is—did she tell him?”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jake said, “Let’s head up to UConn at Storrs. Re-interview the girls on Shanna’s floor in her old dorm. When we get back into town, we’ll interview Meryl Drake’s friends. This way we’ll be in town for end of shift.”

  “Have big plans tonight?” Jake didn’t answer. Louie only smiled at him and then headed to the car.

  They did the re-canvass of the dorms, hitting paydirt. Last year they missed a student on Shanna’s floor, a Donna Star. Jake knocked on the door of room 4-15. A petite brunette answered. At five feet, she couldn’t have weighed more than ninety pounds, if she weighed an ounce. Brown eyes with long lashes, a full mouth in a fine-boned sculptured face. She wore no make-up when she greeted him. A knockout, Jake thought.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “Hi, I’m Lieutenant Carrington and this is Sergeant Romanelli. Were you here last year when Shanna Wagner was killed?” He held his shield in his hand.

  “Hello, Lieutenant. Yes, please come in.” She stood back to let them in. She sat at her desk. Offered them a seat on her bed. They chose to stand.

  “And you are?” Jake asked.

  “Oh, sorry. I’m Donna Star.”

  “Hello, Donna. I don’t remember interviewing you last year.” Jake ruffled through his notes.

  “No, you didn’t. I went home for a family funeral.” She grabbed her calendar. “I left for home on the Monday after she went missing. I didn’t come back to school for over two weeks.”

  “Who died?” Louie asked bluntly.

  “My father,” she said quietly.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Jake said. “Did you know Shanna?”

  “Yes. We hung out sometimes. Are you any closer to finding out who killed her?”

  “We are. Did you hang out with her on the night she disappeared?”

  “No, she asked me, but I didn’t feel up to it. I was burnt from exams, plus my mother had called earlier in the day to tell me my father was in a car accident. I didn’t want to be with anyone.”

  “It must have been a shock,” Jake said, not really indicating which event he thought shocked her the most.

  “Yes, my father’s a great driver. I can’t believe some idiot drunk driver killed him. My father was only forty-four years old.”

  “Did you know they found Shanna before you got back to school?” Louie asked.

  “Yes, my roommate called. I was devastated. First my father, then Shanna—it was too much. They were too young.”

  “Did you know anyone who ever bothered Shanna?”

  “I know the guy she used to date from work hung around all the time. Shanna just humored him. I mean, wherever we went, he was there.” She frowned.

  “You mean Mark Cavilla?” Jake asked.

  “I think Mark’s his name. I never knew his last name.”

  “Would you recognize him, if you saw him again?” Jake pressed.

  “Yes. Shock would describe his reaction when she dumped him. He had a ‘no woman dumped him’ attitude. Like he was something special. Believe me, he wasn’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Why, what?”

  “Why wasn’t he something special?”

  “I don’t know, it’s hard to put your finger on. He’s one-dimensional, like he bought a magazine, picked out the outfit, read an article and then quoted it verbatim. Not original in his words or actions, a strange guy. He looked down on us because he already graduated, like that made him a big man. A real asshole, and a bossy son of a bitch, especially with Shanna. That’s one of the reasons she blew him off.”

  “Did you know Shanna was bisexual?” Jake asked, watching her closely.

  She stood up, started pacing the room.

  “Donna, did you know?” Jake repeated the question.

  “There’d been some talk. I don’t pay attention to gossip…”

  “And?” Jake questioned.

  “And I knew. Shanna had just started to question her orientation, experimenting—you know, confused. Her friend Mery
l’s gay and pushy, didn’t like it when Shanna dated Mark.”

  “How do you know, Donna?” Jake knew. He wanted her to say it aloud for the record.

  “Am I going to have to testify about this?” She looked concerned, sat back down, this time on her bed, holding her head in her hands.

  “I don’t know. If it helps close the case, yes,” Jake answered honestly.

  “I don’t want my mother to know. It was a rough year for her. We kind of hooked up for a couple of weeks. I’m not gay. We were experimenting. I always wanted to see what it would be like with another woman and …”

  “What happened?”

  “It really wasn’t my thing. Shanna understood. She was curious to know how I could be so sure.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I wasn’t comfortable being with her as a lover. I just wanted to be friends. I really like this guy back home I plan on marrying.”

  “Do you think this Mark fellow knew she was bisexual?” Jake asked.

  “Oh, most definitely, Shanna told him, gave that as a reason for the break-up. Shanna thought he’d leave her alone if she didn’t play on his team.”

  “She told you that?” Louie asked.

  “Yes. One night when we went for pizza, she needed someone to talk to. I asked her what was wrong. Shanna pointed to the other side of the street. The creep sat in his car, just watching us. Shanna stressed to me never to go anywhere with him or be alone with him.”

  “Did she think he’d hurt you?”

  “She never said. When I asked her, she said she told him she was gay. She didn’t want him to think I was her girlfriend, you know, in that way.”

  “Can you think of anything else that might be of help to us?”

  “No.”

  “Thanks, Donna. If you think of anything, here’s my card. Give me a call,” Jake said.

  “I will. Shanna was a great person, just a little confused. Meryl and Mark weren’t helping any with all the pressure they put on her. I think she would’ve been better off getting away from both of them,” Donna said sadly, as she stood up. “Did you find her diary?”

  “Diary?”

  “Yes. Shanna kept one in her purse at all times. She wouldn’t leave it in her room, she was afraid someone would read it.”