PART III Chapter Eight
Cindy’s interview with Andrea Moore and Justin Marsh was an easier process than Kate’s because they both lived together in the same house. Cindy walked to the front door and the door opened even before she could knock. Andrea invited Cindy in and offered her a seat on a chair in the living room.
Cindy noticed the redness of the eyes and clear signs of tears from both of the young people she was about to talk to. Cindy’s first question was a standard question she always started with.
Cindy said, “I assume you both know why I am here. I know you both were friends of Susan Warren and her boyfriend. Do you know of anyone who would want to harm Susan?”
Andrea replied, “Susan was a real sweetheart and I couldn’t imagine anyone who could ever harm her. She talked a lot about the bank robbery and was scared of the guy they arrested.”
Justin said, “I can agree with that, it scared her. It made Todd mad that the robbery occurred. He wanted me to help him track the rest of the gang but I told him that wasn’t a good idea.”
Cindy asked, “Have you two hung out with Todd since the murder?”
Justin said, “Yes we met with him and also Darlene and Chad were there. It was kind of a mourning meeting since Susan wasn’t there with us.”
Cindy asked, “Was there anything special going on at the gathering?”
Andrea replied, “We just gathered and each person said a few words about what their relationship with Susan was like. Todd broke down before completing his.”
Cindy got what she expected, there wasn’t any need to just keep asking questions that she knew wasn’t going anywhere. These were young adults who had no experience with this kind of violence. She handed them her card with a request to call if they thought of anything else that might be relevant. She told them goodbye and prepared to go back to the station and compare notes with Kate.
Kate and Cindy had planned in advance to meet for dinner to discuss the case. Megan had been invited to join them because she knew about the evidence and was working the case just as much as they were. They decided to meet at “West on Center” since it was close to the station, wasn’t overly pricey and had good food.
Kate went to the station to pick up Megan so they could ride together and Cindy would drive herself so they could all leave for home after they ate. It was a common way for them to meet since Kate and Megan usually travelled to work together.
Cindy was the first one there and acquired a table for the other two. Kate was delayed due to waiting for Megan to finish up in the lab. Kate and Megan walked through the door of the restaurant in time to see Cindy waving to them from a table in the back. Kate liked being in the back, it was quieter and afforded them a chance to talk about whatever case they were all struggling with.
Kate ordered a bottle of wine for the table and three glasses. Megan was finally old enough to legally drink with her mother and friend. They ordered meals and started talking shop while they waited for their meal.
Cindy told Kate and Megan about the interview with Andrea and Justin. It was a short story because nothing new was learned. None of the women expected anything from the interview and they weren’t disappointed. It was obvious to both Kate and Cindy that none of the friends of Susan’s, including her boyfriend, had anything to do with her murder.
The bank robbery was the closest connection to Susan’s death they could find and the greatest motive of all. Dan Winters had the motive of self-preservation. He was facing a long prison sentence and the most damning evidence against him was Susan’s testimony. Kate and Cindy were sure Dan was their killer, all they had to do was prove it. He didn’t do it himself but Kate and Cindy had no doubts he had a hand in getting it done.
The three women finished their bottle of wine before their meals arrived at the table so Kate ordered another one. Kate didn’t want to fall into the trap of getting tunnel vision and not being open to where the evidence led them. Cindy and Kate discussed going back over the evidence and trying to not to be biased over what was there. They needed to go through the evidence with new eyes, minus any preconceived notions.
Kate, Cindy and Megan finally got meals delivered to their table and finished their second bottle of wine. Kate thought it would be easy to go back through the forensics since they had a member of the forensics team there at the table with her and Cindy. It was a Friday night and Kate was insistent that her team take the weekend off and recharge. Monday morning would find the trio back at trying to solve the murder of Susan and revisiting the evidence with fresh eyes.
The three women got up and left together. Kate and Megan told Cindy goodbye and got into Kate’s car while Cindy got into hers. The two cars left together and then went their separate ways. Kate and Megan went home, both tired from the long week. Cindy also went home with no stops along the way.
The weekend was plan free, a clean slate to do whatever they wanted. Kate had things to catch up with that hadn’t got done through the week. Laundry was prime on the list along with some general cleaning. Megan was there to help and always took a load from her mother. It was a partnership that worked for the two women. It was an unspoken agreement between the two women.
The arrangement was that Megan living in the house would be like a roommate and not like mother and daughter. Megan had even insisted on paying rent and contributing to the upkeep and work needed around the house. Her contention was that if she lived somewhere else she would have to pay rent and take care of her own meals and cleaning.
Megan being back at home had been like a good friend moving in for Kate. They had some issues when Megan was younger, typical teenage rebellion issues but after Megan got older the respect level improved. Megan could see the things her mother did to protect her and what she had achieved and felt some pride in those achievements.
The three investigators decided to regroup on Monday and start back through the evidence to see if there was anything that had been overlooked. Kate knew it was easy to get tunnel vision and it was important to keep an objective mind. They would go back and work the crime like it was the beginning and take the evidence on, one by one.
Kate wanted to spend some weekend time with Megan. A little mother daughter time would do them good, she thought. They could bond and more importantly get the evidence out of their mind so when they started again Monday they could get a fresh look. Weekend down time would rejuvenate them and make them better detectives.
Kate and Megan got up on Saturday morning and made breakfast together in preparation for a girls’ day out. Kate would handle the bacon and hash browns and Megan had put biscuits in the oven and got out a pan to cook eggs in. Megan set the table and poured coffee for her mom and her. Megan had been taught to cook by her mother but she had learned a few things from cooking in a microwave in her dorm.
Megan was making something she called dorm eggs. Kate had no idea what that was and all Megan would say is that it was a surprise and she would like it. Kate left eggs to Megan and reluctantly trusted her to make something they could eat and not die. Kate wasn’t allowed to watch but she could hear the sound of beating eggs and the hum of the microwave.
Kate started gathering things to take to the table and then Megan brought some cups over with what appeared to be some cheesy scrambled eggs.
Kate said, “That actually looks good.”
Megan replied, “I ate a lot of eggs in college. You should see me make a grilled cheese sandwich with an iron.”
Kate said, “I look forward to it. I think we will eat out the rest of the day however.”
When they sat at the table Kate had to try the eggs first. It was a surprise, they were actually good. Nice fluffy eggs with melted cheese. They even had salt and pepper and Kate thought it was as good as anything she had eaten cooked on a stove.
Kate asked, “Did you have salt and pepper in the dorm?”
Megan replied, “Yes, we had communal spices. We pooled our money and bought spices we could share. We even boiled eggs in a coffee pot.”
Kate was actually proud of her daughter. Ingenuity can’t be taught, you just have it or you don’t. Kate had seen prisoners make do with food preparation and of course making their own booze but she hadn’t imagined students doing that. She hadn’t thought about Megan making any booze and thought that she really didn’t want to ask.
After breakfast, the two headed out to the stores. The first stop was the mall. Kate detested the mall, but somehow with Megan there it was tolerable. They tried on clothes, each modeling for the other and smiles were in large supply. They ate a small salad for lunch with plans for a nice dinner out.
Kate had plans for Megan to go with her since they were shopping anyway. Kate’s idea of shopping was a little different from Megan’s. Their first stop was a sporting goods store that handled guns. Kate didn’t need any more weapons but she liked to look. Megan didn’t say much but was there to support her mother.
Kate did spend some time looking at clothes. It was important for her to wear clothes that were easy to move in and that offered a good place for her to conceal a weapon when in public and not on duty.
The dinner out was a nice treat and Kate didn’t know how she felt about watching Megan sipping wine across the table from her. Her daughter was grown and now a work colleague and Kate was processing that like most parents would. It was a mix of feelings, the child now grown was a contributing member of society and the pride was evident. It was a good day and Kate couldn’t imagine it getting any better, other than their murderer coming forth and confessing.
Kate had been impressed by the professionalism Megan had shown on the job. Megan had been very thorough in processing the evidence that had been collected from the crime scene.