“Yeah,” Kate said.“Yeah, good point.”
They reached the address a few minutes later.Bridgeport was the sort of neighborhood Kate imagined when she thought of the “big city” as a kid.Townhomes and apartment buildings stood clustered together on both sides of narrow streets.Strip malls every half mile or so sported liquor stores, delis, discount electronics stores, and various benign vice hubs like smoke shops and massage parlors.There was one supermarket, an ALDI, just visible a mile down the street where Michael Parker lived with his mom.
A few kids played on the sidewalk as Kate and Marcus walked up to the house.They stopped playing and watched silently as the agents climbed the steps of the short porch and knocked on the door.Their sober faces and wide eyes made Kate’s skin crawl.She wasn’t entirely sure why.
The blinds on the window next to the door shifted.A female voice uttered a muffled curse before the door flew open and the same voice said, much louder, “Get the hell off my property!”
Kate’s eyebrow lifted.“Good afternoon to you too.”
“No.Get off!Go!”
The shouter was in the last flush of her prime before middle age sank its teeth in.Her blond hair was dyed, but only a few scattered grays showed at the roots.Her brown eyes were concealed behind a considerable but not excessive dose of makeup.Her five-foot-seven frame carried a touch over two hundred pounds by Kate’s estimation, but she carried it well, and the flush in her cheeks bore a remnant of what would have once been considerable beauty.
Marcus flashed this beauty a movie-star smile.“Good afternoon, ma’am.I’m Special Agent Marcus Reid.This is my partner Special Agent Kate Valentine.You must be Caroline Parker.”
“I must be my boot in your ass if you’re not off this doorstep in ten seconds!”
Marcus continued as though she hadn’t spoken a word.“We were hoping to talk to your son for a few minutes.It’s about your ex-husband.”
“Bullshit it’s about Gene.He’s been dead three years.The FBI doesn’t want shit with a man who’s been dead three years.Get off my property.”
A for effort on Marcus’s part, but it was clear that honey wasn’t going to attract this fly.
“To be clear, ma’am,” Kate said, still polite but much firmer than Marcus had been.“We’re investigating the murder of Derek Hammond.We need to talk to your son.”
“No.”
“I’m afraid I must insist.”
“I don’t give a shit.Getoffmyproperty.”
Caroline’s eyes were wide and blazed with anger, but the fear behind it was clear.Please not my baby.Please don’t take my baby.
“Ma’am—”
“Don’t ma’am me!Leave!You’renotwelcome here!Idon’tconsent to this conversation!”
The kids who watched Marcus and Kate approach now formed a half circle on the sidewalk behind them.A few pairs of parents had joined them, making token efforts at shooing their kids away.Marcus sighed and said in a sheepish voice, “Look, I know this is a pain in the ass, but we just have to clear it off our list.We’ll talk to him for like, five minutes, you can be present, and—”
She stepped forward and shoved her finger close enough to Marcus’s face to be borderline assault.“Get your fucking asses off of my porch right now, or I will sue the FBI for every damned cent it has.You arenotwelcome here, this conversation isover.”
Kate shifted her feet irritably.They couldn’t force their way inside without a warrant, and she wasn’t sure they had enough for that.She was already on thin ice due to past bending of the rules, and she didn’t think this circumstance called for it.
On the other hand, they needed to talk to Michael Parker.He was the most likely candidate to be the murderer, and he’d gotten into an altercation with Hammond less than a month ago.
“Mom?”
And sometimes, opportunities presented themselves when they were most needed.
“Michael?This is the FBI.We need to talk to—”
“No!”Caroline shrieked.The blood had drained from her face the moment she heard Michael’s voice.“Michael, go back upstairs!You two, get… Getoffmyproperty!”
She appeared to be on the verge of tears.Kate sympathized with the fear of a mother, but she had a job to do.
“Mom, I want to talk to them.”
“No!Get back upstairs!You two piss off!”
