harassed enough here. The least you could do is talk to me. Give me some answers.”
Officer Didier moved her arm from the table, but she didn’t look up. “I don’t know about it. I didn’t go to the crime scene.”
“Did you hear anything about it?”
“Yeah.” She turned her head toward the door, then back to Jason.
He smiled. “What did you hear? Was it done the same way?”
“I shouldn’t say any more.”
Jason pointed to his forehead. “This is going to leave a nasty scar. And I bet I have two fist-shaped bruises on my chest. I’m thinking about filing a complaint. You want to be included?”
Didier took a deep breath and exhaled through pursed lips. “I don’t know much.”
“Was it done the same way?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
Jason leaned forward. “Who are they?”
“Detectives Bransome and Saroyan.”
“Did they get any new information from this one? Any prints?”
“I know they got DNA. I heard Bransome order the analysis. Then he was yelling at someone else on the phone. He wanted them to keep dusting the place. That’s what he kept saying. Keep dusting the place. So I doubt they found anything useful.”
“Did you nod off anytime during the night?”
Didier straightened in her chair. “I do my job and I do it well.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. Is there any way Agnes could have slipped out?”
“I’d have seen her.”
“Did you take any breaks?”
“Not without relief.”
“What about the back of the house?”
“Where would she go? The storage center has a six-foot fence with razor wire on top. If she’d gone out either side, I’d have seen her.”
Jason rubbed his temples. “Do you know why I’m being hassled?”
“You’ll have to ask Bransome that one.”
“Probably because he can.”
“He’s the most thorough detective I’ve ever seen. He must have a good reason.”
Jason rolled his eyes, then cringed. The laceration in his forehead complained with a burning bolt of pain.
The reporter worked through it. “You said the DA was on his back about this case. Shit runs downhill and I’m at the bottom of the slope. Right?”
“I bet there’s more to it than that. He’s probably checking to make sure you were where you said you were.”
“So, I’m a suspect now?”
“I said he’s very thorough.”
“Pardon me if I’m not so impressed.”
Officer Didier shrugged and settled back into her trance.
The door burst open, and a shock wave preceded Bransome into the room, jolting Jason from near sleep.
Jason’s head shot up. He could feel the indentation between his eyes from resting on his arms. He blinked, trying to focus. Every nerve in his body came alive, as if somebody had taken a bat to his forehead.
Bransome folded his arms across his chest. “You can go now, but keep us informed of your whereabouts.”
Jason tried to clear the cobwebs. “What did the odometer say?”
“Get out.”
“I gave you the information. The least you could do is tell me how it was used.”
Bransome blew a long, loud exhalation. “Twenty-one,
four sixty-nine.”
Jason remained in his seat. “Agnes said she had to go to the bank and the store. It’s what, thirty miles to Point Arena?”
Officer Didier stood. “More like thirty-five.”
Bransome shot her a dirty look.
“That’s still seventy miles round trip,” Jason said. “Her lawyer know yet?”
Bransome mumbled something that sounded like an expletive. “You got back what you gave. Now take off. I have a lot of work to do.”
Still sitting. “Don’t you want to know what Ella Hahn had to say? She was lucid for a few minutes the other day.”
“Will it help the case?”
Jason shrugged.
Bransome walked over and leaned on the table. “Well? What did she say?”
“She said, ‘Family secrets. Let them lie.'”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means there’s something here that goes beyond Agnes Hahn.”
“And I suppose you’re going to
Officer Didier moved her arm from the table, but she didn’t look up. “I don’t know about it. I didn’t go to the crime scene.”
“Did you hear anything about it?”
“Yeah.” She turned her head toward the door, then back to Jason.
He smiled. “What did you hear? Was it done the same way?”
“I shouldn’t say any more.”
Jason pointed to his forehead. “This is going to leave a nasty scar. And I bet I have two fist-shaped bruises on my chest. I’m thinking about filing a complaint. You want to be included?”
Didier took a deep breath and exhaled through pursed lips. “I don’t know much.”
“Was it done the same way?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
Jason leaned forward. “Who are they?”
“Detectives Bransome and Saroyan.”
“Did they get any new information from this one? Any prints?”
“I know they got DNA. I heard Bransome order the analysis. Then he was yelling at someone else on the phone. He wanted them to keep dusting the place. That’s what he kept saying. Keep dusting the place. So I doubt they found anything useful.”
“Did you nod off anytime during the night?”
Didier straightened in her chair. “I do my job and I do it well.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. Is there any way Agnes could have slipped out?”
“I’d have seen her.”
“Did you take any breaks?”
“Not without relief.”
“What about the back of the house?”
“Where would she go? The storage center has a six-foot fence with razor wire on top. If she’d gone out either side, I’d have seen her.”
Jason rubbed his temples. “Do you know why I’m being hassled?”
“You’ll have to ask Bransome that one.”
“Probably because he can.”
“He’s the most thorough detective I’ve ever seen. He must have a good reason.”
Jason rolled his eyes, then cringed. The laceration in his forehead complained with a burning bolt of pain.
The reporter worked through it. “You said the DA was on his back about this case. Shit runs downhill and I’m at the bottom of the slope. Right?”
“I bet there’s more to it than that. He’s probably checking to make sure you were where you said you were.”
“So, I’m a suspect now?”
“I said he’s very thorough.”
“Pardon me if I’m not so impressed.”
Officer Didier shrugged and settled back into her trance.
The door burst open, and a shock wave preceded Bransome into the room, jolting Jason from near sleep.
Jason’s head shot up. He could feel the indentation between his eyes from resting on his arms. He blinked, trying to focus. Every nerve in his body came alive, as if somebody had taken a bat to his forehead.
Bransome folded his arms across his chest. “You can go now, but keep us informed of your whereabouts.”
Jason tried to clear the cobwebs. “What did the odometer say?”
“Get out.”
“I gave you the information. The least you could do is tell me how it was used.”
Bransome blew a long, loud exhalation. “Twenty-one,
four sixty-nine.”
Jason remained in his seat. “Agnes said she had to go to the bank and the store. It’s what, thirty miles to Point Arena?”
Officer Didier stood. “More like thirty-five.”
Bransome shot her a dirty look.
“That’s still seventy miles round trip,” Jason said. “Her lawyer know yet?”
Bransome mumbled something that sounded like an expletive. “You got back what you gave. Now take off. I have a lot of work to do.”
Still sitting. “Don’t you want to know what Ella Hahn had to say? She was lucid for a few minutes the other day.”
“Will it help the case?”
Jason shrugged.
Bransome walked over and leaned on the table. “Well? What did she say?”
“She said, ‘Family secrets. Let them lie.'”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means there’s something here that goes beyond Agnes Hahn.”
“And I suppose you’re going to
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