coat.
“I’ll request a few minutes with you in private before the formal interview, ” she said softly, “but tell me right now if you killed this woman.”
“I didn’t.”
She gave me the laser eye. “My job during the interview is to protect your rights. If I tell you not to answer a question, don’t.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said and nearly saluted. If Maggie was a warrior, Sandy was a drill sergeant. The metal door to the sheriff’s inner sanctum hissed open, and Detective March stood in the threshold, his brown suit looking more rumpled than it had this morning.
“Good of you to finally get here,” he said to me.
“Most vampires aren’t up yet, Detective.”
“Most don’t surf after sunrise and find bodies, either.”
I smiled. “Touché.”
“Ms. Krause,” he greeted Sandy.
“Detective. I’ve only just met my client. May I have a few minutes in private with her before we begin the interview?”
March jerked his head toward the corridor I could see stretching behind him. “We’ll walk to the investigations building. Ten minutes is all I can give you to confer. My wife will shoot me if I’m any later than I’m already gonna be.”
Sandy nodded, and we followed March through a maze of hallways, finally reaching a room with eight desks neatly partitioned with low movable walls. Closed doors to what I guessed were offices or conference rooms lined the perimeter of the large space.
March opened the door to a room not much bigger than a coat closet. An old metal card table with a scarred top crowded against a gray wall. Three institutional and uncomfortable-looking metal chairs sat neatly around it.
“Ten minutes, Ms. Krause.”
She nodded, told me to sit, and pulled a yellow legal pad from her briefcase.
“All right. Maggie and Neil told me what they know, but that’s secondhand information, and the cops have had all day to interview witnesses. Tell me what happened this morning.”
I did, recounting everything as closely as I could remember it.
“That tallies with Neil’s account. Now tell me about the tours on Monday and Tuesday. The trouble you had with the Covenant guy.”
I hit the highlights of Stony ’s threats, first to me, then to Yolette, and tried not to blush again over Yolette ’s pass at me while we were at Scarlett’s.
“So this Stony physically attacked you. Did he hurt you?”
“My right arm was sore for a while. I think he pinched the GPS tracker under my skin.”
“Any bruising?”
I shrugged apologetically. “I didn’t pay attention, and I heal quickly.”
“What about Tuesday?”
“Stony was back, but there was no trouble, just tension.” I closed my eyes for a moment, picturing everyone. “Stony stayed in the back of the group. The victim, Yolette, followed the writers, who were right behind me.”
“Etienne wasn’t there?”
“He was, but he and Yolette seemed to have had a tiff. He walked with the older ladies.”
“Did the victim and her husband leave together?”
“More or less. Etienne kissed my hand, and Yolette stalked off. He followed her.”
“And? What did the others do?”
“Stony followed the couple, and Gomer followed him, then came back and walked me home.”
“Maggie mentioned this guy. Gomer had a gun, right?”
“Plain as day, but his name is Holland Peters. I just called him Gomer.”
“He show you an ID?
“No.”
“Then Gomer will do for now. Where were you on Wednesday?”
“I slept during the day and played bridge that night.”
“What about later? Maggie said you might have gone out after midnight.”
“I rode my bicycle from about one thirty to three thirty that morning.”
“Did you see the victim at any time after Tuesday night? ” When I shook my head, Sandy asked, “Can anyone alibi you while you were riding the bike?”
“Yes. A guy at the Gate station.” I nearly bounced in the torturous chair, excited to have something new to contribute. “I ran over some glass on Anastasia
“I’ll request a few minutes with you in private before the formal interview, ” she said softly, “but tell me right now if you killed this woman.”
“I didn’t.”
She gave me the laser eye. “My job during the interview is to protect your rights. If I tell you not to answer a question, don’t.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said and nearly saluted. If Maggie was a warrior, Sandy was a drill sergeant. The metal door to the sheriff’s inner sanctum hissed open, and Detective March stood in the threshold, his brown suit looking more rumpled than it had this morning.
“Good of you to finally get here,” he said to me.
“Most vampires aren’t up yet, Detective.”
“Most don’t surf after sunrise and find bodies, either.”
I smiled. “Touché.”
“Ms. Krause,” he greeted Sandy.
“Detective. I’ve only just met my client. May I have a few minutes in private with her before we begin the interview?”
March jerked his head toward the corridor I could see stretching behind him. “We’ll walk to the investigations building. Ten minutes is all I can give you to confer. My wife will shoot me if I’m any later than I’m already gonna be.”
Sandy nodded, and we followed March through a maze of hallways, finally reaching a room with eight desks neatly partitioned with low movable walls. Closed doors to what I guessed were offices or conference rooms lined the perimeter of the large space.
March opened the door to a room not much bigger than a coat closet. An old metal card table with a scarred top crowded against a gray wall. Three institutional and uncomfortable-looking metal chairs sat neatly around it.
“Ten minutes, Ms. Krause.”
She nodded, told me to sit, and pulled a yellow legal pad from her briefcase.
“All right. Maggie and Neil told me what they know, but that’s secondhand information, and the cops have had all day to interview witnesses. Tell me what happened this morning.”
I did, recounting everything as closely as I could remember it.
“That tallies with Neil’s account. Now tell me about the tours on Monday and Tuesday. The trouble you had with the Covenant guy.”
I hit the highlights of Stony ’s threats, first to me, then to Yolette, and tried not to blush again over Yolette ’s pass at me while we were at Scarlett’s.
“So this Stony physically attacked you. Did he hurt you?”
“My right arm was sore for a while. I think he pinched the GPS tracker under my skin.”
“Any bruising?”
I shrugged apologetically. “I didn’t pay attention, and I heal quickly.”
“What about Tuesday?”
“Stony was back, but there was no trouble, just tension.” I closed my eyes for a moment, picturing everyone. “Stony stayed in the back of the group. The victim, Yolette, followed the writers, who were right behind me.”
“Etienne wasn’t there?”
“He was, but he and Yolette seemed to have had a tiff. He walked with the older ladies.”
“Did the victim and her husband leave together?”
“More or less. Etienne kissed my hand, and Yolette stalked off. He followed her.”
“And? What did the others do?”
“Stony followed the couple, and Gomer followed him, then came back and walked me home.”
“Maggie mentioned this guy. Gomer had a gun, right?”
“Plain as day, but his name is Holland Peters. I just called him Gomer.”
“He show you an ID?
“No.”
“Then Gomer will do for now. Where were you on Wednesday?”
“I slept during the day and played bridge that night.”
“What about later? Maggie said you might have gone out after midnight.”
“I rode my bicycle from about one thirty to three thirty that morning.”
“Did you see the victim at any time after Tuesday night? ” When I shook my head, Sandy asked, “Can anyone alibi you while you were riding the bike?”
“Yes. A guy at the Gate station.” I nearly bounced in the torturous chair, excited to have something new to contribute. “I ran over some glass on Anastasia
Similar Books
