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“That’s right, she didn’t do it,” Sanders said, looking at Katrina.
“No, I didn’t!” Katrina said. “And I have no idea who did do it—but whoever it was, they’re getting away while you waste time playing games with me!”
“This isn’t a game, Mrs. Hobson,” Melnick said.
“Nope, we don’t play games,” Sanders said.
“Then let me go—and find the real killer!” Katrina snapped.
Sanders shook his head. “See, that’s the problem,” he said reasonably. “We think we found the real killer.”
“We think it’s you,” Melnick said.
“That’s just plain stupid!” Katrina said.
Sanders nodded. “Sure, why not. After all, we’re just stupid cops. But here’s the thing, Mrs. Hobson.” He held up the folder in his hand. “This is the preliminary lab report,” Sanders said. “They found some fingerprints on the knife.”
“Very good prints, too,” Melnick said. “Very clear.”
“Your fingerprints,” Sanders added.
“On the knife,” Melnick said.
“You know—the murder weapon?” Sanders added. And they both looked at her expectantly.
The room began to wobble again. “That’s not . . . I didn’t—”
“The prints show up so nicely because whoever made the prints—”
“Your prints,” Melnick added happily.
“—they had cocoa powder on their fingers,” Sanders said.
“Cocoa powder that’s an exact match for the cocoa powder we found in the dish beside your bed,” Melnick said.
“Your bed where forensics says that last night you had sex with somebody. They also say your husband did not have sex in the last twenty-four hours,” Sanders said.
“Who was he, Mrs. Hobson?” Melnick asked, and he was definitely emphasizing the “Mrs.” “And what time did he leave your house?”
Sanders nodded at her. “We kind of need to talk to him, too.”
“Just so it all kind of fits together,” Melnick said.
“Motive, means, and opportunity,” Sanders said. “Plus the prints and the DNA evidence.”
“This is really the kind of case that makes the DA love us,” Melnick said. “She doesn’t like to work too hard?”
“She won’t have to work very hard at all with this. Open-and-shut case,” Sanders said.
“Open-and-shut,” Melnick agreed, and they nodded at each other.
“So it might be a good thing to let it all out now, Mrs. Hobson.”
“Confession is good for the soul,” Melnick said.
“It’s also good for reducing your sentence,” Sanders said. “You may want to think about that.”
And the two of them just looked at her, with matching expressions of mild and patient amusement.
