AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Chelsea’s results have come back. The samples on her fingers are positive for sucrose, disaccharide glucose and fructose, as well as—”
“Wait,” Franklin cuts in. “Back it up, Doc. English.”
“Candy,” I answer. I want to smile, but if I tried, I suspect it would come out the way a wolf smiles just before it takes a victim. “She was holding hard candy prior to her death.”
“Good.” He makes an approving sound in the back of his throat. “Fentone works at that warehouse that packages snacks and candy.”
“Yes, Detective, he does. Chelsea’s stomach contents also indicate that same candy. I had my techs run the labs twice, and we also procured a sample from the warehouse for comparison. Results are promising.”
“Promising?” he asks, suspicious. “Why only promising?”
“Because it’s candy. Candy is candy, and often, it’s all the same. But with the trace evidence on her fingers, in her stomach,andmatching that which we found on Bella, we can officially connect your cases. Not only that, but I suspect you have enough circumstantial evidence to bring Fentone in for questioning. In fact, you could bring his alibi-giving friend in too. Put him in a room and convince him it’s either him or Fentone going down for this one. Break up the happy couple and see what pops.”
“We need more.” The scraping of a hand over coarse stubble echoes through the phone so the sound reminds me of Archer. Of his absence in Copeland, and the fact he’s probably still sleeping in his father’s backyard.
“Doctor,” Franklin sighs. “The candy is good. But we don’t have him handing it to her. We don’t have them in the same place at the same time. And until we do, the prosecution is gonna have a hell of a time proving he’s guilty. This is on us, Doctor Mayet, and traces of mass-produced candy, sold in any number of stores across the country, isn’t gonna cut it.”
“Detective—”
“The defense is going to say her mother gave it to her. How the hell do we prove otherwise?”
Anger lights in my blood and brings my fist tight. “You need to break his alibi, Detective.Youneed to get a confession. Or catch him slipping up. Or get his friend to toss him under the bus. That’syourjob.”
“I hear you, Doctor Mayet. But these are experienced criminals with a strong desirenotto go to prison again. They will not confess, which means we can’t depend on an accidental slip of the tongue to get us over the line. We need more.”
Gah! Frustration slides into my stomach and causes my heart to pound heavier with anger.
“I’ll keep working what we found at the scene,” I grit out. “Maybe we’ll find a stray hair and some DNA, since you so clearly want this on a platter.”
“Hey now,” he grouses. “I’m not your enemy, Chief. I’m trying to get us through this without our careers and aptitude being called into question. When we get Fentone on the stand, weneedto present enough evidence that he can’t slither out again. So while the candy helps, we need more.”
“Fine.” Shoving the computer off my lap and pushing up to stand, I hold my phone and head toward my kitchen. “Will you pull Fentone in for questioning anyway? Is the candy enough for that?”
Exhaling, his breath comes out a little heavier in exasperation. “Yes, I’m going to pay him a visit tomorrow morning. I’ll pull him in, question him, try for the slip of the tongue thing. But in the meantime, you’d be helping me out a whole lot if you found a hair or something that belongs to him. Saliva? Semen? Hell, I’ll take his wallet found on scene.”
I cough out a ridiculous laugh. “Yeah. That would’ve been helpful. Can I be present for your interview with him, Detective?”
“Can you…” He pauses. “What?”
“I’d like to be with you when you bring Fentone in. I’d like to be in the room, asking my own questions. Let him see me.”
“But…” He exhales. “Why?”
“Professional favor? This is something I’d like to do, and there’s absolutely no law that says I can’t be there. In fact, you wouldn’t be the first detective to invite a consultant in for that process.”
“I wouldn’t?” I can’t see him, but I sure as hell see the way his brain ticks in doubt. “You’re married to a detective, aren’t you, Doctor Mayet?”
I stop in the middle of my kitchen and narrow my eyes.
“Detective Malone outta downtown,” he continues. “Does he often invite you in to question his suspects?”
“You’re crossing a line, Detective Franklin. My personal life has nothing to do with my dealings with you. But to assuage your curiosity,no. Detective Malone has never invited me into his interrogations. I’ve never asked, he’s never requested. Though I assure you, if he was in need of a medical consult and he thought it would help, he would take the professional steps required to close a case.”
“If I invite you in, you can no longer be relied upon as an expert witness during trial.”
“That’s not true. The evidence stands on its own and I don’t take part in any portion of this case with a bias. However, if you were genuinely concerned, I can recommend any number of my colleagues to be that witness on the stand.”
Slowly, I move from my spot and make my way to the door to slip a pair of sneakers on. “I won’t risk your case, Detective. But I think my presence could benefit it.”
