“No,” the man’s low voice rumbled. “But I have to be at work a little before 7:00 tonight,” he said as he eyed Charlie.
“As long as everything goes well, that shouldn’t be a problem. Do you mind if we get started?” the detective asked.
“Not at all,” the man said. Brigid found herself fidgeting with the leash, nervously awaiting the questions.
“Do you know a man by the name of Mark Muller?” Detective Brewer began.
“I may have heard his name before,” Larry said. “What about him?”
Charlie seemed to want to move, but didn’t. Brigid wondered what that meant.
“Well, it looks like you’ve probably done more than just heard his name,” the detective said as he opened a folder. He slid a printed version of the photo Brigid had gotten from Celine showing Larry and Mark having a conversation across the table. “This looks like you having a conversation with him.”
“Yeah, okay. We talked once,” the man admitted.
“The person who took this picture felt as though you were being rather intimidating when you spoke to Mark. They said he was pretty distracted and upset after you two talked. Care to tell me why?”
“I- I-,” Larry began. He seemed to be conflicted as to what he should say. Finally, he let out a sigh. “Look, I’m not really sure I can tell you. It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m sure you wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important. But it’s, I guess you could say, a conflict of interest.”
“Mark is dead, Larry. He was murdered this morning at the Alamo. If you don’t start explaining, you might go down for it. Is that what you want?” Detective Brewer pushed. He pulled out a crime scene photo of Mark and placed it in front of Larry. “If you’re in trouble, we can help. But you have to help us first. What do you know about this?”
Larry looked shocked. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from the photo of Mark’s dead body. Finally, he shook his head and looked up at the detective. “I think they might hurt me if they know I said anything to you,” he stammered.
“Nobody’s going to know. Hundreds of people go in and out of this building every day,” Detective Brewer said easily. He leaned forward. “Who are you afraid of?”
“I met this guy while I was working late one night. It was a little slower than usual, and he approached me. Said I looked like the kind of guy his boss could use if I needed to earn a little extra cash. He sold it to me like I’d be doing something like security work, you know? I called the number. Supposedly the guy’s name is Bob,” he explained.
Detective Brewer nodded. “I’ve heard of him. Go on.”
“He told me that some people owed him money and all I needed to do was be the guy who went out and collected it. He explained he doesn’t get out a lot and that he needed reliable people to do this sort of thing for him.
“At first, I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t. I don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together, but I didn’t. I’ve only collected from a couple of people, and I never laid a finger on any of them. He sent me to tell Mark he was expecting the money he owed him to be paid. That’s all.”
Detective Brewer looked over at Brigid and Charlie, who was still sitting quietly. Apparently, Larry was telling the truth.
Detective Brewer nodded. “I understand. Did you see Mark after that?”
“No,” Larry said shaking his head emphatically. “But Bob did tell me to meet up with him again and tell Mark it was time to pay up or else. I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”
“I see,” the detective said thoughtfully. “And where were you this morning between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m.?”
“I was at the diner over on East Street having breakfast. I flirted with the waitress and gave her my number,” he said with wide eyes.
With Charlie sitting so still, Brigid was sure Larry was telling the truth. That only meant one thing; they’d run out of suspects. She was starting to wonder if maybe it really had been a random shooting. After all, who else could have done it?
“Thank you,” Detective Brewer said. “I need you to stay a little longer so we can get your written statement.” He stood up and headed toward the door. Brigid and Charlie followed. Once they were out in the hall, Detective Brewer sighed. “Well that didn’t help the case at all.”
“No, it didn’t,” Brigid said shaking her head. “That means we had to have missed someone or this was just a random act of violence.”
“It’s not random,” he said. “Whoever did this was close. Almost point blank. We’re missing something.”
Linc joined them in the hall. “Looks like he didn’t do it,” he began, “but I had a thought. What if we’re going about this all wrong?”
“What do you mean?” Brewer asked.
“Well, Celine didn’t do it, but the murder weapon was in her car, right?” he asked.
“Correct,” Detective Brewer said.
“That means it had to be someone who knew her. Someone who’d want to see her go down for the murder,” Linc supplied.
“Are you saying it was Zoey? But she has an alibi,” Brigid said.
“No, I was thinking more along the lines of Celine’s husband. She said she’s married. What if her husband found out she was cheating on him with Mark?” Linc asked. “Plus, he’d have a key to Celine’s car and could use it to unlock her car and stash the gun in it.”
“That’s brilliant,” Detective Brewer said. “We need to get him down here. I’ll get some officers on it. Wait right here. I want Charlie with us when we talk to Celine,” he said before rushing off.
CHAPTER 19
“We have the surveillance footage. One of my guys looked it over and Celine wasn’t lying, she left home at the time she said. But while I was at it, I had him look to see what time her husband left this morning. He left their home around 5:00 a.m., plenty of time to make it to the Alamo and meet up with Mark. I have a couple of officers heading to his office right now to bring him in for questioning,” Detective Brewer said when he returned to where Brigid and Linc were waiting.
“Now what?” Brigid asked.
“You and I do the same thing we just did, only with Celine. We’re going to see what else she may have to say.” He turned to Linc. “Same as before, just a different room.”
Linc nodded. “Gotcha.”
Detective Brewer took them farther down the hall, turned a corner, and stopped outside another room. “Here we are,” he said as he pushed the door open.
When they entered, Celine was handcuffed to the table and her head hung low. She didn’t even look up as they took their seats.
“Well, Mrs. Aguirre, I have some good news for you,” Detective Brewer said. She looked up at him, and Brigid was shocked by the physical state she was in. She could hardly believe it was the same woman she’d spoken to earlier that day. Her makeup was almost completely gone, probably cried off. Her red-rimmed eyes looked lost and broken. He pulled out a key and undid the handcuffs. “We know you weren’t the one who murdered Mark.”
The woman’s face completely changed. She went from sullen to gratefully sobbing. “Oh, thank goodness,” she cried. “I told you I didn’t do it.”
“Yes, you did. But you do understand what it looked like.” He signaled to another officer who was holding a box. The officer brought it over to the detective and he lifted the lid, pulling out a pistol which was inside a plastic evidence bag. “Have you ever seen this gun before?”
Celine had been busy rubbing her wrists. She stopped and looked at what he was holding. She squinted slightly before leaning forward. “That looks like the one we have in our safe at home,” she said.
“I see. Actually, this is yours. It’s registered to your husband, a Dr. William Aguirre. Did you know it wasn’t in your home?”
She shook her head. “No. I didn’t want him to get the thing in the first place. He wanted to keep it in his nightstand, but I insisted he keep it locked in the safe. I couldn’t sleep knowing it was next to him in the bedroom.” Realization seemed to set
in. “This is the murder weapon?” she asked wide-eyed.
“Yes, ma’am. It is,” Brewer confirmed. “We got the ballistics test back. It’s definitely the gun that was used to kill Mark Muller.”
“But how? The only ones who know the combination to the safe are my husband and me,” she said but even as she said it, her eyes grew dark. “Did William kill Mark?”
“We’re unsure at this point in time. I have a couple of officers out looking for him right now with orders to bring him in for questioning,” he said.
“He should be at work. He’s supposed to work a 12-hour shift at the hospital today,” she said. “But surely he didn’t do this.”
“We don’t know. We checked the surveillance footage you pointed us to and it shows him leaving with more than enough time to commit the murder. All we have are theories at this point,” he admitted.
“But I don’t understand,” Celine said shaking her head. “He never came to my work. To my knowledge he never met Mark. I don’t see how he could have found out I was having an affair with Mark.”
Detective Brewer shrugged. “I don’t know, but you’ve confirmed that this is your husband’s and your gun. Only you two have the combination to the safe where it’s kept. It’s all circumstantial at this point, but you’re a smart woman. I’m sure you can see what we’re seeing.”
A knock on the door made them all turn towards it. An officer in uniform stepped inside and apologized. “I’m sorry for interrupting, Detective,” she said. “But we have Dr. Aguirre in interrogation room number two.”
“Thank you,” he said. He turned to Celine. “If you’d like, I can put you in a safe area so you can see what he has to say,” he said. “He won’t be able to see you, but you’ll be able to see him.”
She turned toward the mirror as if she just realized what it was for. As she stared at it, a mix of emotions played out across her face. Finally, she turned back to him and nodded. “Yes, please.”
With one quick nod he stood up and the officer in the corner stepped forward. Detective Brewer placed the gun back in the box and carried it with him as he left the room. As they exited the room, Linc joined them.
“Please take Linc and Mrs. Aguirre to where they can view the interrogation,” he instructed the officer.
He led both of them away, but Detective Brewer put his hand on Brigid’s arm to get her to stay back. “This one may go much differently. If you’d like, I can take Charlie, but it would probably be better if you took him in the room since he seems quite attached to you. I don’t mind having you in there, but if you don’t feel comfortable...” He let his sentence hang in the air between them.
“No, I can do this,” Brigid insisted. “I want to go in.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “This guy is more than likely our killer. He could be capable of anything.”
“I’m sure,” Brigid nodded. “I’ve dealt with this before.”
“Okay,” Detective Brewer said. “Let’s go speak with the good doctor.”
He turned and led Brigid and Charlie down the hall. He opened a nearby door, and they went into another interrogation room.
The man at the table looked nothing like what Brigid had expected. When you suspect that someone’s a murderer, but you’ve never seen them, your mind automatically thinks of someone who looks like Larry Barelli, a big guy who looks like he’s angry at the world. Instead, Dr. Aguirre looked like an academic. His salt and pepper short hair and thin wire frame glasses fit that description. He was still wearing his white doctor’s coat.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Dr. Aguirre,” Detective Brewer said after introducing everyone. “I just have a few questions for you. I hope we aren’t interrupting anything important.”
“Not at all,” the doctor said. “I was told you may need my assistance on a case?” He looked pleasant and mildly interested, as if he was out for a casual walk in the neighborhood and not in an interrogation room.
“Yes, I do,” Detective Brewer said. He opened the box and pulled out the same gun he’d shown Celine a short time earlier. Dr. Aguirre’s mild interest fell away, and was replaced by a blank look. Brigid watched his face to see if he would react, but nothing happened. She wondered if this was the face he put on for his patients when he had to give them bad news.
“Do you recognize this gun, sir?” the detective asked.
“Well, it looks a lot like one my wife and I have at home,” he began. “We keep it locked in a safe.”
“I see,” Brewer said. “And do you know a man named Mark Muller?”
Something flashed across the doctor’s face so quickly Brigid wondered if she’d imagined it. It was there and gone, almost in the blink of an eye. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”
Charlie began bumping Brigid’s hand insistently. Detective Brewer looked over and saw the dog’s movement before looking up at Brigid. She gave a small nod, and he turned back to Dr. Aguirre.
“Well, it seems your wife does. He worked at the Alamo with her and somehow wound up being murdered this morning. Whoever did it used this weapon,” the detective explained.
The stony expression on Dr. Aguirre’s face remained in place. “Are you saying my wife killed one of her co-workers?” he asked.
“Not exactly,” Brewer said as he leaned back in his chair. “You see, we have evidence that she was still at home at the time of the murder. But you weren’t.”
There was no sound and tension filled the room as they waited for his response. Brigid could hear the blood that was pulsing through her veins.
“I went to work early this morning. I told her when I left,” the doctor finally said.
“Yes,” Brewer agreed. “But your shift didn’t actually start until much later, which we have confirmation of from the hospital.”
“So I went in early?” Dr. Aguirre shrugged. “That’s not a crime.”
Charlie gave a slight whimper.
“Are you’re telling me that you went straight from your house to the hospital and started an early shift?” Detective Brewer asked.
“Precisely,” he said confidently.
Charlie began to whine and nudge at Brigid more insistently.
“Then why does the hospital surveillance camera footage show you not coming in until a little after 8:00 this morning?”
The doctor seemed surprised that they’d checked that fact out already. His cool demeanor slipped a little, and his face flushed. “Okay, I may have fibbed a bit. I stopped somewhere for a bite to eat.” Charlie whined even louder now.
“Where did you go?” Detective Brewer asked as he leaned forward in his seat.
Brigid knew where this was going. He was letting the doctor talk himself into a corner.
“I grabbed a breakfast burrito at a drive-thru,” he huffed. Charlie began to wiggle and whine while bumping Brigid insistently. Dr. Aguirre turned and looked at Brigid. “Miss, I believe your dog needs to use the restroom.”
“Actually, he doesn’t,” interrupted the detective. “He’s a highly trained police dog, and he does that when someone isn’t telling the truth. Now doctor, would you like to tell me what really happened?”
Dr. Aguirre looked utterly shocked. He looked down at Charlie who was sitting still and then he looked at Brigid. She saw the fear in his eyes as he realized he was cornered with nowhere to go. Then abruptly, his face became one of resignation.
“Okay, I admit it. I killed him,” he sighed.
“Excuse me?” Detective Brewer said.
“I said I killed Mark Muller,” the doctor said much more loudly. “I showed up with our gun hoping to scare him. I found out he was having an affair with my wife, and I wanted him out of the picture. I knew something was up with her. She started singing when she’d cook dinner and get a distant happy look in her eyes.
“When I asked her what was going on, she’d say it was nothing, so I followed her. One time when I sat in my car in the Alamo parking lot around the time she got off work, I saw him get in the car wi
th her. I followed them and they parked in a secluded area. I knew what they were doing. I’m no fool.”
“Tell us what happened this morning, Dr. Aguirre,” the detective said.
“I showed up at the Alamo dressed all in black. I thought if I scared him maybe he’d quit his job or something. I didn’t really have a plan. When he saw me, he lunged at me and started to defend himself. He was surprisingly strong. I started to get worried that my plan was not working as I intended. Sometime during the struggle the gun went off. That’s when he was shot,” he explained.
“Are you saying it was an accident?” Brewer asked.
“Yes, sir. I didn’t go there with the intention to kill him. I just wanted him to leave my wife alone.”
“If that’s so, how did the murder weapon end up in her car?” Detective Brewer asked.
Dr. Aguirre sighed. “It was a moment of weakness. I didn’t see why I should have to go to prison since it was her fault it happened. It was because of her infidelity. If she hadn’t cheated, none of this would have happened in the first place, so I planted the gun in her car. I had a key to her car, so I unlocked the trunk and put it in there.”
“Dr. William Aguirre, you are under arrest for the murder of Mark Muller. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I’ve just read to you?” he asked as the officer in the room put the doctor in handcuffs.
“Yes, I do,” he said, sounding defeated. “Would someone call my wife and let her know what’s happened?”
“Don’t worry, she already knows,” the detective told him.
“But how?” he asked, looking stricken.
“When we found the gun in her car she was placed under arrest. I let her go shortly before coming in here to question you. She’s heard our entire conversation,” he explained. “Actually, she’s located behind that mirror on the wall and is listening to our conversation right now.”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Aguirre began. “I’m sorry, my love. I know I wasn’t the best husband to you, but when I saw you with Mark, I went mad. I couldn’t stand the thought of another man touching you,” he cried out as he was led out of the interrogation room.
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