PART II Chapter Five
Kate was back to work the next morning and the murder case that was waiting for her. She made her morning run, ate a good breakfast and walked into the station after meeting Cindy in the hallway. They found a folder on Kate’s desk.
Kate looked at Cindy and said, “I can’t believe it. They found DNA from four different women inside the apartment. There have been no matches in the system, but if we do find a suspect we can prove she had been with the victim.”
Cindy replied, “It is just our luck we are dealing with an eighty seven year old Casanova.”
Kate said, “They found completely different DNA actually on the body, but it didn’t match anyone in the system either. That one would have been with the victim the day he died, the others we have no idea when they were.”
Kate and Cindy set up an interview with Dolly Richards, one of the women they were told by the building manager that William had been seen with. They invited her to come to the station rather than be seen talking to police at the apartment. She agreed to come down and was very cooperative.
When Dolly arrived, Kate made her way to meet her at the station entrance. Kate led her back to the interview room. Kate shook her hand and asked her to have a seat and relax. Kate offered her something to drink and she asked for coffee. Kate thought Dolly was perhaps in her eighties. She was certainly elderly.
Kate said, “As you know we are investigating the death of William Duncan. Did you know Mr. Duncan well.”
Dolly was soft spoken and you had to listen carefully to what she said or you couldn’t hear it. She said, “We were friends and once in a while we would go to dinner or to a movie. We have both been lonely since our spouses passed away.”
Kate asked, “Were you and Mr. Duncan ever sexually intimate?”
There was a long pause. It looked like Dolly was weighing her options and then finally she answered, “Yes, we called it friends with benefits. It seemed like a practical way to take care of those needs. I wasn’t interested in getting married, I would lose my husband’s retirement.”
Cindy asked, “Were you aware that Mr. Duncan had other friends he shared those benefits with?”
Dolly replied, “Oh yes, I knew. He seemed to have greater needs than I did and so we worked out a schedule. I knew there were others.”
Kate asked, “Were you with him the night he died?”
Dolly said, “No, that was bingo night for me, I am not sure who he was with that night.”
Kate thanked Dolly for coming in and gave her a card, along with the normal speech about calling if you think of anything.”
When Dolly left, Kate took a plastic bag and dropped the paper coffee cup that Dolly had used into that bag. She had held the cup with the bag to keep her own prints off of the cups. Kate and Cindy took the cup to the lab for them to swab for DNA. The photo copies, they had the lab made of William Duncan were ready and Kate grabbed them.
Kate said, “We can start taking these photos around the neighborhood to the restaurants that served steak. If he was with someone that night, she would have been with him the night he was killed.”
Cindy said, “It is a long shot that a busy restaurant would remember an individual patron, but we have to start somewhere.”
Kate and Cindy started canvassing the neighborhood for restaurants where William might have taken a date. They went from place to place with no luck.
Cindy said, “We are running out of places. What about “Abe and Louie’s”?”
Kate replied, “I guess we can go there, but it would be very pricey for someone who is retired.”
They walked into the restaurant and Kate held up the photo and asked if they had seen this man come into the restaurant recently.
The Hostess said, “Oh yes, William comes here all the time. We consider him a regular.”
Kate asked, “Was he in the restaurant four nights ago?”
The hostess replied, “I am not sure, I was off that night, but you can ask some of the wait staff. He was a very likeable guy and most of the wait staff knew him.”
Kate and Cindy stopped every wait worker to ask and found one that said, “I think he was here that night. He was with a woman?”
Kate asked, “Did you recognize the woman?”
The waitress replied, “It was someone new. He has a couple of women he brings here regularly but this was a new one. We have a video security recording that you might get a copy of, but you will have to ask the manager for that. He won’t come in till about eight tonight.”
Kate looked at Cindy and said, “I may be in the mood for steak tonight, how about you. I can get Megan and bring her out too. ”
Cindy said, “I couldn’t afford a piece of bread in this place.”
Kate said, “It is for a good cause and I’m buying.”
Cindy replied, “Well in that case, I’m in. I assume we are planning for after eight.”
Kate went over and made reservations for three for eight fifteen that night.”
Kate took Cindy back to the station to get her car. She said, “I have to go home and try to get more presentable. They just don’t make nice clothes that go with a shoulder holster.”
Cindy replied, “Really, are you going to be packing?”
Kate responded, “Yes, gun and badge.”
Megan was working on homework when Kate walked through the door.
Kate said, “Get dressed, we are going to “Abe and Louie’s”
Megan replied, “Holy crap, did you take a bribe or something?”
Kate said, “Nope, but it is for work. Our victim ate there the night he was shot. I am going to see if the manager will make us a copy of their video footage from that night.”
Megan asked, “We are still going to eat though, right?”
Kate replied, “Yes, we are still going to eat.”
Kate had a purse with a compartment built to carry a pistol, she had put her badge in a pocket at the front opening of her purse. It would be easy to get there.
Kate said, “We are meeting Cindy there. After we are seated, I will ask for the manager.”
When they left through the front door, Kate called Cindy and told her they were on their way.
Cindy replied, “I am just walking out the door myself. I think I am a little closer than you so I will wait for you when I get there.”
Cindy had the distance figured correctly and was waiting in the parking lot when Kate and Megan arrived. The three walked into the restaurant together and Kate gave them her name. The three women were led to their table and Kate asked if the manager was there yet.
The waitress began to protest thinking Kate wanted to talk about her with the manager. Kate laid out her badge and said, “This is official business and I just need to ask for the manager.”
The manager showed up after a short wait and asked, “Is there a problem?”
Kate introduced herself and told the story about their victim who was a frequent customer of the restaurant. Kate asked for a copy of the security tape from four nights earlier. She was told it would take some time to get a copy but she would get it started and give her a call in a couple of days.
They did what they set out to do, now they could relax and enjoy their meal. Cindy asked if Kate was packing and Kate pulled the compartment open that hid her gun and showed it to Cindy. Megan was impressed with all of the fancy atmosphere the restaurant had to offer. After their meal, they parted company with Cindy and headed home.
Megan said good night as soon as they walked through the door and went straight to her room. Kate thought at least she got to spend a few minutes with her. She went to her own room and turned in.