PART III Chapter Nineteen
Kate and Megan talked at length about the information in their case. Kate thought they needed a lot more proof but their circumstantial case was shaping up just fine. Kate was anxious to hear what Denise may have to tell them. Cindy was advised of what she had found out so far and wanted to be present when they started the interview.
The DNA information was as important as anything they had so far and Kate would use the information to get a search warrant to examine Tim’s car and house. It would be important to have Susan’s and Shannon’s DNA in his car. They had a waiting game to play but there were still other coworkers of Susan’s that could be interviewed while they waited.
Kate received a text from Cindy asking to talk with her and Kate replied back that she would meet anytime that was open. Kate figured that Cindy had some new information she wanted to share. She figured Cindy had been busy working on something and that was why she sent a text instead of calling. Cindy replied to the text and asked if a lunch meeting would work. Kate answered that would be great.
When Megan first started working at the station, she had lunch with Kate. Now that she had been there a while Megan had made some friends of her own and had lunch with some of them. Kate and Cindy had agreed on a place to meet. Kate had asked Cindy if she wanted to ride with her but Cindy told her she would be out away from the station anyway so they should just meet.
Kate worked on her questions for the other bank coworkers she planned on interviewing. She would be interviewing them later in the afternoon, but the meeting with Cindy was of the greatest interest for the moment. She hoped that Cindy had discovered something new in her investigation. Kate made her interview list and called for an appointment with Eric Williams the security guard that afternoon.
Kate left work for lunch about ten minutes early to make it to her meeting with Cindy. Cindy was already at the restaurant when Kate arrived and had a table for the two of them. Kate saw her waving in the back and maneuvered her way to her. Kate had a seat and picked up a menu that was laying on the table. She gave the waitress her order when she came over, handed her the menu and then turned her attention to Cindy.
Kate said, “It’s good to see you. We haven’t been together much lately and I miss that.”
Cindy responded, “I miss it too. In fact it is sort of why I wanted to meet you.”
Kate replied, “Okay, so what exactly are we meeting about?”
Cindy answered, “I am getting transferred to a new precinct in a few days.”
Kate asked, “Would you like me to try to stop them from moving you?”
Cindy replied, “No, I asked for it. I wanted to tell you that I have enjoyed working with you and I have learned a lot from you.”
Kate said, “Thank you, but I don’t understand why you want to leave.”
Cindy said, “Things have changed, now that Megan has come to work at the station. You two naturally formed a team, I understand that. You have a bond that no one could ever have with you. I don’t mind that but it has pushed me out of the connections to the cases and I think it may even affect my advancement opportunities for the future.”
Kate said, “I am sorry you feel that way. I tried to be as fair as possible at work. Pushing you away was in no way an intentional act. ”
Cindy replied, “I know you tried but it is only natural that you have that bond with your daughter. It will always be there and you won’t be able to change that.”
Kate said, “All I can say now is I wish you the best. If you need any kind of recommendation just let me know and I will write something for you.”
The two women finished their lunch. Talk was limited to the cases that Cindy would clearly not be interested in much longer. They went their separate ways and would never speak again. Cindy had left her folder with limited information about the case on Kate’s desk and she found it when she returned to the station.
Kate didn’t waste any time going to the lab and telling Megan about Cindy. It was a surprise and caught Megan off guard.
Megan said, “Did she give a reason?”
Kate replied, “She said it was because of the bond that had been formed between the two of us.”
Megan responded, “So essentially she was jealous of me?”
Kate responded, “I guess sort of. But she was afraid that we were excluding her from parts of our cases and it was affecting her chances of advancement here. She moved to another precinct.”
Megan asked, “Do you think we should give her a going away party or something like that?”
Kate answered, “I don’t think she would like that, I think she is ready to move on.”
Kate told Megan she had to go do an interview with the security guard from the bank where Tim Thomas worked. She had asked him to come to the station and she waited to see him on the security monitors. Kate saw Eric Williams walk through the front door and walked up to lead him back to the interview room.
Kate offered Eric a chair at the table where she took a seat. She opened a folder in front of her and took out the list of questions she had prepared.
Kate asked, “Mr. Williams, how long have you worked at Citizens bank?”
Eric replied, “I have been at Citizens Bank for about twelve years.”
Kate asked the second question, “Did you know Susan Warren who was a teller there and was found murdered in her home?”
Eric answered, “Yes I did know her and the news of her death hit everyone there very hard.”
Kate asked, “Do you know Tim Thomas very well?”
Eric answered, “We don’t go out for drinks but I know a lot about him?”
Kate asked, “Do you know anything about Tim’s personal life?”
Eric responded, “You must mean the rumors about him having affairs with other women? I have seen him on many occasions with other women in his car. I have even made reservations for him at hotels and restaurants a few times. I have seen him leave the bank with some of the girls there, including Susan.”
Kate was recording the interview as was department policy but she also jotted notes down from the interview as a reminder. Kate knew it helped save time when reviewing facts from a case.
Kate asked Eric, “Do you know anything about Tim’s family and home life? Do you know anything about his wife, if he has any kids or anything else that would tell us about what he is like away from the job?”
Eric replied, “His wife is Christine, she is thirty and they have two kids. I think she may suspect something. She has shown up at the bank unannounced a few times like she was trying to catch him at something. It was when I met her brother, he drove her.”
Kate quickly asked, “Did she ever catch him in the act?”
Eric replied, “I never saw it happen. Tim never did anything at work. He was careful not to be seen with anyone there, but he met them elsewhere and a few times I have seen girls here go out and get in his car with Susan being one of them.”
Kate inquired, “So you actually witnessed Susan in Tim’s car?”
Eric replied, “Yes I saw her walk out the front door and then walk to Tim’s car in the parking lot. I have seen him with other women in that car too.”
Kate was glad she interviewed Eric. She had him recorded saying he had witnessed Susan in Tim’s car. That was an important fact that Tim would verify for her. She had all the information she needed from Eric. She handed him her card and told him to call if he thought of anything else. She also suggested that he keep their interview confidential until she had a chance to talk to Tim again.
The day was getting late and Kate was getting tired. She was hurt and depressed by Cindy’s decision to leave the precinct and she was ready to go home. She would first see how close Megan was to being ready to leave. She picked up her phone and Megan’s phone rang a few seconds later. When Megan was asked if she was almost finished for the day she confessed she hadn’t been able to concentrate since she heard about Cindy’s decision. Megan walked out her door when Kate walked by and they both walked to Kate’s car.
Kate and Megan talked about whether they wanted to stop by for fast food or a nice restaurant.
Kate said, “I want to drink with my dinner but it wouldn’t be a good idea to drink at a restaurant and then drive home. I have Jameson already at home so if we just stop for fast food I can drink from the safety of my own home.”
Megan replied, “I know the feeling and I may need a few drinks myself. I really liked Cindy and I feel bad that my relationship with my own mother contributed to her decision to leave the precinct.”
Kate and Megan decided fast food was the way to go. Kate stopped for the food and as soon as the two women walked through the door, they kicked off their shoes and sat with their bag of food. Kate took the bottle of Jameson down from the upper pantry and poured a little for her and Megan but sat the bottle on the table in front of them.
It was clear they wouldn’t be discussing the case tonight but would be talking about Cindy and some of the interactions they had with her through their other cases. It would not be a night of accomplishments but tomorrow they would be back in search of a killer. Tonight they would think about their friend and say goodbye to her through a glass filled with Jameson and ice.