by Gina LaManna
Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Absolutely. Where should I get set up?”
I took a few minutes to show Chloe to the empty desk nearest mine, a space we kept open to use for visiting officers from different precincts. Or federal agents. Or interns. Once Chloe was set up, I returned to Asha and Jimmy.
“Um, are you farming out my job to the sorority sister?” Asha raised an eyebrow. “I’m your find-out-everything girl.”
“Chief Sturgeon slapped me with an intern out of the blue,” I said with a shrug. “I need to keep her occupied while I figure out what to do with her. And, you know, I need to keep her busy so I can do my job.”
“Ah,” Asha said. “You do need a few margaritas.”
“Tell me about it,” I said. “Jimmy, you ready to ride along? I vote we pay Tammy a visit.”
AS WE CLIMBED INTO my car, Jimmy hung up the phone. He’d gotten a few other officers to do the notifications for Travis’s parents. I’d plugged in the address to Travis’s house from Asha’s email and was already pulling onto the street when Jimmy turned to face me.
“I’m not even retired, and already you’re replacing me?” Jimmy said. “That’s cold, even for you, Rosetti.”
I shook my head and stared straight ahead. “Yeah, that’s not how the story goes.”
“She’s a lot prettier than I am. So there’s that.”
“She can probably run faster.”
“I doubt she can eat as much.”
“I don’t think anyone can eat as much as you, Jimmy,” I said with a grin at my partner. “You deserve a trophy.”
“You don’t seem enthused with the new addition to the team.”
“You’re not retired,” I said. “It’s frustrating that Sturgeon brought her on so soon. It seems disrespectful.”
“Not at all, Kate. Look, I know I’m getting old. The last time I jogged, I just about went into cardiac arrest. You deserve a partner who can have your back. I mean really have your back.”
“You’ve always had my back. I trust you more than just about anyone else in my life.”
“I’m just saying, don’t look at this like a bad thing. It takes time to train a youngster like her. She’s not going to be taking over anything tomorrow.”
“Did the chief give you a pep talk too?”
“Kate—”
“Forget it,” I said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Like the great partner he was, Jimmy knew when to be quiet. This was one of those times. I parked outside of a nondescript two-story house near the intersection of Randolph and the on ramp to I-35E in the heart of St. Paul.
I would have never known this street existed if it weren’t for my GPS. It was a quiet backroad tucked behind the highway. The noise of constant traffic reached my ears. The surrounding houses seemed to be in various states of disrepair, though the neighborhood looked friendly enough. Children’s bikes sat out in yards, old gardening supplies perched on porches, and seasonal décor was visible behind peeling fences.
Travis’s house was plain and neat. His yard had been recently mowed. His fence was repaired and sturdy, if in need of a fresh coat of paint. The last blooms of summer lingered into fall, adding a pop of cheer to the yard.
I knocked on the door. Jimmy stood just behind me. We waited a few moments, and then I knocked again. Finally, a woman opened the door. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she had on shorts and a T-shirt, her feet bare.
“Hello?” She looked between us. “Can I help you?”
I felt my heart give a thump in my chest. No matter how many times I notified family and friends of a loved one’s death, it never got any easier. It was the worst part of the job. I’d rather face a murderous killer than a brokenhearted loved one.
“Tammy Kemps?” I asked. “I’m Detective Kate Rosetti, and this is my partner, Detective Jimmy Jones.”
Her eyes flicked between us. “What happened? Is it something with Travis? I knew when he didn’t come home last night... I just thought...”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “We found his body this morning.”
She gaped at us. “Found his body?”
I swallowed, nodded. “I’m so sorry. He’s dead.”
“Dead? An accident? How did it happen? I can’t believe this.”
“I know this is an awful time,” I said, “but we were hoping we could come inside and talk privately for a few minutes.”
Tammy seemed to be completely in shock. It was interesting how different people’s reactions could be. Some burst into tears immediately. Others were unable to cry. Still others ran the gamut in between. Even as a detective, who spent her days looking at the negative side of life, I didn’t put too much stock in initial reactions and how it weighed on guilt.
There was no evidence in my experience to say that a woman who cried when she found out her fiancé was dead was innocent. The converse was also true; dry eyes certainly did not imply guilt. I often wondered how I’d react if a detective arrived on my doorstep with the most awful news of my life. I doubted I would cry.
“W-would you like some coffee?” Tammy asked. “Or water or something?”
“No, we’re fine,” I said. “Please, have a seat. We won’t keep you long.”
Tammy led us into a sparse living room. It still had a bachelor-pad-type feel, even though it was pretty clear Tammy lived here. There was a simple couch that didn’t seem to match any of the other furniture. An oversized TV across from it. A coffee table sat in the middle of the room piled high with a stack of papers.
The TV was on when we sat. Tammy reached for the remote and shut it off. She then grabbed at a cup of tea from the coffee table and dunked the tea bag mindlessly for several long minutes, seeming oblivious to the fact that Jimmy and I were still in the room with her.
“Tammy,” I said gently, “you mentioned that Travis didn’t come home last night? Could you expand on that?”
Her head jerked up, and her eyes narrowed on us. “Why is that important?”
I glanced at Jimmy. “I hate to add more bad news to an awful situation, but we don’t currently believe your fiancé’s death was an accident.”
“You think Travis was, what”—she looked between us, disbelieving—“killed?”
I nodded. “We’re detectives with the TC Homicide Task Force.”
“Homicide?” She blinked again. Then she burst into tears.
I inhaled and glanced again at Jimmy. We both sat back in our respective armchairs and gave her a few moments. I offered her a tissue from the box on the coffee table. She accepted and blew her nose.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice garbled. “I just can’t process this. I can’t believe he’s dead, let alone that someone would murder him. I mean, it’s Travis. Travis,” she repeated as if his name alone should be enough of an explanation. “Travis.”
“Tell me more about him,” I said gently. “You say you don’t have a reason to believe anyone killed him?”
“He was a pretty basic guy.” Tammy’s voice shook. She took a sip of her tea and paused a moment, obviously steadying herself. “Don’t take that the wrong way. It was what I loved about him. I have a history of, shall we say, dating men who aren’t good for me.”
“But Travis was different?”
She raised her hand and gave her fingers a little wiggle. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. “That’s why I’m marrying him, and not all the other losers.” She paused again. “I mean, I guess I was marrying him. N-not anymore.”
I uttered another apology and gave her a few minutes to dry her eyes before I pressed on. “Can you tell me what you meant about him not coming home last night? Can I assume the two of you live together?”
“Yes. I gave up my apartment earlier this year when my lease was up,” she said. “We were already talking about getting married, and it just made sense. I was basically living here anyway.”
“Of course,” I said, thinking that matched up with what Asha had told me. So far, so good. “So you k
new his schedule pretty well?”
“Yeah. I mean, as much as two people can without being in each other’s business twenty-four seven.”
“Do you know where Travis was last night?”
Tammy straightened her shoulders, a defensive look creeping over the sadness on her face. “Don’t try to turn this on Travis. Whatever happened wasn’t his fault. He was a good guy. He wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
“I didn’t say he was,” I said. “I know these questions are incredibly personal. But my job now is to find justice for Travis. In order to do that, I need to understand as much about his habits as possible. I need to know if he had any enemies or disagreements at work. Any neighbors who disliked him. Any family members with a vendetta. Literally, anything you can think of.”
“So...” She swallowed. “Someone definitely killed him on purpose?”
“He was murdered,” I said, letting the word sink in for her. “Whether it was random, some sort of wrong time, wrong place sort of thing or a purposeful targeting situation, it’s too early to say.”
“Where was he found?”
“Not far from here,” I said, dodging the exact details. “A jogger found his body early this morning. The police were called immediately after.”
Tammy looked sick at the idea of her fiancé’s body being found by a jogger. I couldn’t blame her. I gave her some time to process before gently prodding her back on track again.
“Last night, he was out with some friends,” she said. “Some buddies from the office.”
“Sounds innocent enough. Do you have names?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know who was there last night.”
“Where?”
“Look, Travis works really hard. Once or twice a month he heads to the casino with some friends after work,” Tammy said, an apology in her voice. “He and the guys like to get their free drinks, play a little blackjack, maybe watch a show. It’s harmless.”
“Which casino?”
“It changes on occasion, but I think they usually go to Mystic Lake.”
I pursed my lips. I was familiar with the popular casino, but I was surprised to find Travis had been there—seeing as the casino was down near Shakopee, a town some forty-plus minutes away from The Cities. It didn’t explain how his body had gotten found up here, just blocks away from his own home.
“What’s the situation like with driving?” I asked. “Do the guys carpool?”
“They take turns. You know, so only one person has to limit their drinking.” Tammy looked up as if she’d said something wrong. “I mean, it’s not like they go and try to get wasted. But they’re just careful about making sure they’re safe.”
I raised a hand. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not here to judge Travis or his lifestyle. Going to the casino and having a few drinks is a totally acceptable way to blow off some steam. I’m only picking so closely at the details because I’m trying to piece together what happened last night. Anything that might tip me off as to how Travis ended up dead.”
She nodded and visibly seemed to be trying to relax. That was exactly my intent. I wanted Tammy to relax and be honest with us. I didn’t need her to tell me what she thought we wanted to hear. The truth, however imperfect it was, would get me closer to the killer at the end of the day.
“He works very hard,” Tammy repeated. “I’ve never minded him going out with his buddies.”
“How long has he been doing it? This routine?”
“Oh, a long time. Before we met. It’s one of the reasons I never gave him a hard time about it. I knew this was his thing, going in. I didn’t want to change him.”
“Has anything about these trips changed in recent months? Has he been coming home later or earlier? Going more or less frequently?”
“Maybe a little more frequently,” Tammy admitted. “They’ve had a couple of new hires at the office this year. Younger guys in their twenties. You know how they are at that age; they like to go out. Travis sometimes thought he was still twenty-five.” Tammy gave a small smile. “He liked to keep up and didn’t like to say no.”
I returned her smile. “Don’t we all.”
She gave a short laugh. “Not me. I’m a homebody. But it’s why we matched so well. Aside from his casino nights, Travis and I led a simple life. I like to cook, so we’d try different dinners and wine pairings. We’d catch the occasional movie or go to the rare office party, but that was about it.”
“When was your wedding planned for?”
Tammy looked shocked as if just now realizing there would be no wedding. “Well, we tentatively were looking at April of next year.”
“You were planning a long engagement?”
“I guess you could say that. We mostly got engaged so people would stop asking us about it. It bought us some time from family and friends.” She glanced down at the diamond on her ring finger. “Neither of us was in a particular rush. We weren’t planning a huge ceremony. I hate to plan, and Travis couldn’t care less about what a wedding looked like. We just hadn’t gotten around to a lot of the details yet. I guess... I guess that’s a good thing now. Nothing to cancel.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” She twisted her ring, then pulled it off her finger. She examined her bare hand for a moment, then quickly shoved the ring back on. “I’m sorry. It’s going to take me a while to come to terms with all of this. I think I’m still in shock.”
“Completely understandable. Just a few more questions,” I assured her. “What time did you usually expect him home from these nights out?”
“Honestly, I would usually go to bed and not worry too much about when he’d be home,” she said. “Sometimes I’d wake up when he came home, and it was rarely earlier than three or four in the morning. Once in a while, he wouldn’t be here the next morning when I woke up because he’d have already left for work. I usually get up around seven, but I don’t work today, so I slept in a little bit and just assumed I’d missed him coming and going.”
“What do you do?”
“I work at a long-term-care facility,” she said. “It’s my day off.”
“Were you worried when he wasn’t home?”
“A little bit. But not panicked. I was starting to get mad that he wasn’t texting me back, but I wasn’t thinking about putting in a missing person’s report or anything.” She looked up at me. “That sounds awful, doesn’t it? I wasn’t even worried about my missing fiancé.”
“No, of course not. You didn’t expect him home.”
“Exactly,” she said, seeming encouraged by my explanation. “I just assumed he’d slept at one of the guy’s houses. Maybe he’d had a little too much to drink or something. Once or twice he’s gone straight to work the next morning without stopping home. So it wasn’t unheard of.”
“You were only noticing something was off because he wasn’t responding to your texts?”
“Yes. He’s usually pretty good about texting me back. Unless he’s in a meeting or something during the day, which I totally understand. In return, I try not to bother him if I know he’s got a busy day at the office or when he’s out with the guys.”
“Sounds fair.”
“He’s a good guy. Reliable. He doesn’t like me to be worried, and that’s why I was getting annoyed. I was starting to worry. I was thinking that he was probably hungover and had forgotten to text me, then went straight into a meeting or something. I guess that wasn’t the case, and now I feel awful.”
“You shouldn’t feel awful,” I said. “None of this is your fault in any way.”
“I should’ve been more worried about him,” she insisted. “Maybe even called the police. Or, I don’t know, something. What sort of wife-to-be can’t tell you where her almost-husband was the night before?”
“The sort who trusts him,” Jimmy said, piping up for the first time since they had arrived. “There was no reason for you to think that anything bad had happened to your soon-to-be-husband. If you’d called us to
report him missing and told us everything you just did, we wouldn’t have called him a missing person just yet. We would’ve assumed exactly what you did. That he was sleeping off a hangover on a buddy’s couch.”
Tammy sniffed. “Is there anything else I can help you with? I guess I should, I don’t know, do something now. What do I do? Do his parents know?”
“We have officers heading there now,” I said gently. “I think you should do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself. It’s a huge loss and shock.”
“If you think of anything else,” Jimmy said, pulling a card out from his pocket, “give us a call. Any little detail.”
“Before we go,” I said, “could we get the names of the guys he went with last night?”
Tammy was mid-stand from the couch, her hand outstretched to receive Jimmy’s card, when she froze. “You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that,” I said. “We just need to check with his buddies to see what time he was with them, when he left, that sort of thing. We’re trying to piece together Travis’s night as best we can to find out where things went wrong.”
“Yes, of course,” she said, shaking her head as if that made complete sense. “Sorry. I’m on edge.”
“Do you know the names offhand?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “There are two guys who always went. Joey Malone and Greg Schneider. The group was usually bigger than that, but I didn’t always ask for details because they had high turnover of interns and whatever. I’d talk to Greg or Joey if you want to know more specific details.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Like Detective Jones said, if you think of anything else, please give us a call. We’ll be in touch soon.”
“You’re going to find out what happened to him, aren’t you?” Tammy’s gaze was pleading. “Please? You’ll do whatever you can to find out who killed him?”
“Yes.”
“Detectives.” Tammy stopped us as we reached the door. She looked hesitant as if debating her next words carefully. “You never did tell me how he died. You just said he was killed.”
I glanced at Jimmy. “We don’t have a conclusive cause of death yet.”