David didn’t move a muscle. To me, his choice was clear. We were going to see what unfolded.
Ultimately, it didn’t take long for things to heat up. Paul leaned in and tried to give Kristin a kiss. But she wasn’t having it. She put her hand out and stopped him.
Paul did not react well to that. He looked like he wanted to blow his top.
He wouldn’t get a chance to.
David immediately sprang into action and ran toward Paul and Kristin. I followed closely behind my husband.
“What’s going on here?” David asked.
Both Kristin and Paul looked shocked to see that they weren’t alone. But while Kristin stayed silent, Paul snapped at David.
“It’s none of your business.”
“I disagree,” David said.
As the two men stared each other down, Kristin turned toward her car and tried to open the driver’s-side door while Paul and David spoke.
David wasn’t about to let Kristin get away, however. He held his pointer finger up. “Not so fast, Ms. McLaughlin. You aren’t going anywhere.”
Kristin’s eyebrows rose. “How do you know my name?”
“I know a number of things about you,” David said. “Both of you, actually.”
Paul folded his arms. “Why don’t you get lost? This is none of your business.”
“I couldn’t disagree more,” David said.
Paul narrowed his eyes. “Who do you think you are?”
David pulled out his police badge. “My name is Detective David Carlson. And neither of you are going anywhere until I get some questions answered.”
Chapter Fifteen
David made sure to separate Kristin and Paul. When it came to interviewing suspects, more often than not, the best results came from speaking to each of them individually. Not just because we could play one against the other. Although, that was a plus.
By dealing with only one suspect at a time, it was much easier to put the pressure on. Could Kristin take the heat? Or would she crack? David and I pulled her aside to find out.
I could tell this was going to be an unpleasant interview. Kristin’s arms were folded as she stared us down. It was never a good sign when a suspect was bent out of shape before we had asked them a single question.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Kristin said.
“We need some information from you,” David said.
“About what?”
“To start, why don’t you tell us what just happened with you and Paul?”
Kristin’s nose scrunched. “I’m confused.”
“You didn’t seem confused when you pushed Paul away,” David said.
“I meant that I’m confused why a police detective would care what Paul had to say to me,” Kristin said. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Ms. McLaughlin, I’m the one asking the questions here,” David said.
She threw out her arms. “Why won’t you just tell me what’s going on?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” David said.
“How about you go hassle Paul? I just want to take my lunch break in peace,” Kristin said.
“If you don’t start answering my questions soon, you’ll be spending the rest of your break in an interrogation room back at the police station,” David said.
Kristin’s brow furrowed. “Are you threatening me?”
“I’m just telling you the truth. When all is said and done, I’m going to get answers. The only question now is, are we going to do this the hard way or the easy way?”
Kristin stared David down and then took a deep breath before responding, “Paul made a pass at me. Are you happy now?”
“It’s a start,” David said. “Now, was that really so difficult?”
“I’m just not sure why that’s any of your business,” Kristin said.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Why don’t you just tell me now?”
“Because there are some other questions I want to ask you first. Namely, why did you push Paul away?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m not interested in him,” Kristin said.
“Because you already have a boyfriend?” David asked.
“That’s really personal information,” Kristin said.
“Let me guess. Your heart belongs to Ryan Davidson and you’ve been holding out for him to make a move on you,” David said.
Kristin’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Where did that come from?”
“I’m right, aren’t I?” David asked.
“That’s it. I’m not saying another word until you tell me what this is all about,” Kristin said.
Instead of pushing Kristin any further, David decided to break the news to her about Ryan’s murder.
Kristin looked like she wanted to break into tears. She narrowly managed to keep her eyes dry, but her emotions were unmistakable.
A tone of disbelief was in Kristin’s voice as she replied, “He’s really dead?”
David nodded.
“I don’t understand. Who would do something like this?” she asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” David said. “We were hoping you could help us.”
“Me? But how?” she asked.
This interview had already been combative enough, and we were just getting to the meat of the issue. So, rather than hammer Kristin with a question that would point the finger of suspicion directly at her, David took the conversation in a different direction.
“Did Paul know about your feelings for Ryan?” David asked.
“Hold on. You don’t think that Paul might have had something to do with Ryan’s murder, do you?” Kristin asked.
“You tell us. Do you think he’s capable of murder?” David said.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” Kristin said. “I still can’t believe Ryan is gone.”
“It’s an emotional time,” David said.
“I’ll say,” Kristin replied.
“Speaking of, when was the last time you talked to Ryan?” David asked.
“Yesterday,” Kristin said.
“Last night?” David asked.
“No. We said a quick little good-bye as we left work. That was it,” Kristin replied.
“Where did you go after you left work?” David asked.
“Yeah. How did you spend your evening?” I added.
“I went home, made some dinner, and watched TV,” Kristin said.
“By yourself? Or did you invite a friend over?” I asked.
Kristin’s eyebrows knitted. “Why does that matter?”
“Please answer the question,” David said.
“I was by myself,” Kristin said.
“That’s a shame,” David said.
Kristin squinted. “Why?”
“Because it would be nice if there was someone who could verify your story,” David said.
“My story?” After a couple seconds of silence, Kristin’s became defensive. “Wait a minute. You don’t think that I might have had something to do with Ryan’s death, do you?”
“After what you just told us, we certainly can’t eliminate that possibility,” David said.
“I can’t believe this,” Kristin said.
“I don’t know why you’re acting so surprised. In addition to a strong motive, you have no verifiable alibi,” David said.
Kristin threw out her arms. “What motive?”
“Are you really going to make me spell it out to you?”
“I didn’t have a motive—”
David groaned. “Kristin, you were spurned by your boss. The man you loved. The man you couldn’t have. We all know how messy things can get when a heart gets broken.”
Kristin shook her head. “No. That’s not what happened.”
“What did happen then?” David asked.
“Last night, I left work, went home, and watched TV by myself,” Kristin said.
“That’s the story you’re sticking with?” David asked.
“It’s t
he truth,” Kristin said.
“We’ll see about that,” David said.
Chapter Sixteen
David and I asked Kristin a few more questions, but she didn’t provide us with any useful answers. Soon we found ourselves at a standstill. We could have pressed her further, but it didn’t seem like it was going to get us anywhere.
Reluctantly, David let Kristin go. My husband and I then turned our focus to Paul. The geeky bespectacled suspect was in a decidedly foul mood as we approached him.
Paul’s surly demeanor did not provide a great atmosphere for an interview, but it wasn’t going to stop David and me from getting answers.
“I don’t know why you think you can just hold me against my will like this, but I really need to get back to work,” Paul said.
“Work is the last thing you should be worrying about right now,” David said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Paul asked.
“You have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Why? What did Kristin tell you?”
“What do you think she told us?”
Paul stared David down. “Are you trying to trick me into saying something that I’m going to regret? Because that isn’t going to happen.”
David took the conversation in a different direction. “It has to be really maddening. Falling for a woman who is in love with someone else.”
“That’s none of your business,” Paul said.
“Then again, how could you compete with a man like Ryan Davidson? He started this company. Meanwhile, you’re just a low-level employee—”
“Are you trying to get a rise out of me?” Paul asked.
“I’m just stating facts. For example, no matter what you do, Kristin is never going to be interested in you. That can’t be easy to stomach.”
“Can we stop talking about Kristin?” Paul snapped.
“Why? Is it making you uncomfortable?”
“I just don’t see why you keep bringing her up.”
“How about the fact that you just made a pass at her a few minutes ago?”
Paul looked like he was about to blow his top. “Can we please talk about something else?”
“Fine,” David said. “Why don’t you tell me where you were last night?”
Paul shrugged. “What does this have to do with anything?”
David folded his arms. “How about you just answer the question?”
Paul stared David down. “There’s something you aren’t telling me. I want to know why you’re so interested in where I was last night.”
“Are you going to answer my question or not?” David said.
“I’ll answer, all right. As soon as you tell me what this conversation is really about,” Paul said.
Normally, when David threatened to haul a suspect back to the police station, it was enough to get them to talk. Paul wasn’t just a typical suspect, however. There was a stubbornness to him. As I looked into his eyes, I got the sense that he wasn’t going to be pressured into answering until he got the information that he wanted.
“We’re here because Ryan Davidson was murdered,” I said.
I watched Paul’s body language carefully. Strangely enough, I didn’t see a tinge of sadness in his eyes. Or an ounce of shock, for that matter. That seemed highly unusual. Regardless of how a suspect truly felt on the inside, they almost always pretended to be bothered when they spoke with my husband and me. Not Paul. He reacted defensively.
“Let me guess. You suspect me of the crime,” Paul said.
“We certainly haven’t ruled you out,” David said.
“That’s why you want to know where I was last night. Am I right?” Paul asked.
David nodded.
“Why don’t I spare us all some time and effort and just tell you that I had nothing to do with Ryan’s death?” Paul said.
“If you really wanted to spare us some time, you would have just answered my question. It’s not like I’m asking that much. I just want to know where you were last night,” David said.
Paul exhaled. “Fine. Last night I was playing video games.”
“At home?”
“Of course. Where else would I play video games?”
“I just wanted to be sure. Do you happen to have a roommate?”
“I was alone, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“There are a number of worse ways I could have spent my night,” Paul said.
“I meant it is unfortunate that you were alone because it means there’s no one to verify your story,” David said.
“Detective, it’s not just some story. It’s the truth.”
“So you say. But there’s no way to confirm your whereabouts—”
“Let me stop you right there. If I was guilty of murder, don’t you think I would have come up with a better cover story than playing videos games all night alone?” Paul asked.
“Not necessarily.”
Paul squinted. “How do you figure?”
“Perhaps you chose that specific alibi because it is so mundane.”
Paul scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“I’ve seen suspects do it before,” David said.
“I didn’t choose that alibi. It’s what actually happened.”
“I’d really like to believe that. Unfortunately, since there is no one who can corroborate that, I can’t just take your word for it.”
Paul lost his patience. “Look. I’ve already told you everything I know—which is nothing. As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t anything else to discuss.”
“Are you in a hurry to get out of here?”
“Weren’t you listening to me?” Paul asked. “I just don’t see what else there is to talk about.”
“I can think of a few things,” David said.
“I’ll bet you can. But I’ve already said my piece. Now, this conversation is over.”
David waggled his pointer finger. “You don’t get to decide that.”
Paul folded his arms. “Let’s get real. You can keep talking a big game all you want, but we both know that you aren’t going to arrest me.”
David stared him down. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because if you had any solid evidence against me, you wouldn’t have wasted time asking me all of those questions. Instead, you would have already handcuffed me and dragged me back to the station.”
“You know, I could still haul you into the station.”
“Why? So you could sit me down in an interrogation room and try to make me crack?”
“There are a number of things I can do—”
“Don’t waste your time,” Paul said. “I’m not going to crack because I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“So you say.”
“You can’t prove otherwise.”
“By that same token, you can’t prove your supposed innocence either,” David said.
“I don’t need to. We both know that you can’t arrest me without evidence. And since we’ve already established that you don’t have any, I don’t have anything else to say to you,” Paul said.
Chapter Seventeen
David and I asked Paul a few more questions, but he didn’t give us anything to work with. When it became clear that we weren’t going to make any headway with him, we moved on.
Or at least we tried to. Going forward was easier said than done. After all, even though each of the suspect interviews had been frustrating in their own unique ways, that last one was particularly irritating. Mostly because we found ourselves at a dubious point in the investigation.
We were suddenly out of suspects to question. We also didn’t have any other leads to follow up on. In addition, while we were short on patience, we were long on frustration. That made for a particularly unappetizing stew.
During times like that, David and I often went out to grab a meal. It certainly couldn’t hurt to get some protein. Plus it would give us a chance to regroup.
My husband and
I headed over to Zelda’s Diner for a quick bite to eat. While the food was delicious, no new ideas came to us about the case.
At that point, instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, we decided to head home and resume our investigation in the morning.
Just because we were done working on the case for the evening didn’t mean that we were ready to go to bed. As a matter of fact, once I changed out of my work clothes, I cracked open my laptop and fired up a video chat with my daughter.
I did my best to keep the conversation focused on Jessica and her day, which wasn’t easy, given how curious she was about the case. For obvious reasons, I did not want to talk about a murder investigation with a ten-year-old. Although, she remained persistent.
When Jessica let out a yawn, however, I seized the opportunity to change the subject.
“Looks like it is someone’s bedtime,” I said.
My daughter tried to pretend that the yawn was no big deal. “I’m fine.”
“Jessica, don’t argue with your mother,” I said. “It’s time to hit the sack.”
She let out a sigh. “All right.”
“Sweet dreams, honey. Love you,” I said.
“Love you too,” Jessica said.
Jessica stepped away from the computer.
My mother, Elizabeth, then came onscreen.
“Will you make sure that Jess actually goes to sleep? Sometimes she heads into her bedroom and pulls out a book to read instead of drifting off,” I said.
My mother nodded. “Your father and I have everything under control.”
“Jessica isn’t giving you a hard time, is she?” I asked.
“Sabrina, don’t worry about it.”
“Are you kidding? I’m a mother. Worrying comes naturally.”
My mom chuckled. “It’s amazing how much you sound like me when I was your age.”
“It’s safe to say that I’ve gotten a taste of my own medicine.”
“You sure have. You used to think that I was worrying for nothing.”
“Was I wrong or what?”
“You just didn’t understand at the time how much being a mother changes your perspective.”
“I certainly understand that now.”
“Yeah. A lot has changed over the years.”
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 6