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"Alright," Sylvie responded in kind. "A cat. Decision made."
It would have been nice to have someone accompanying her to the Snyders, especially considering that she'd never really interviewed anyone in an official capacity before. She'd been going over and over a list of questions in her mind in reference to the suspects who had been discovered recently. It helped that she'd brought along her leather-bound notebook with the notes that she'd compiled from each meeting the team had every morning.
"Turn left. You have arrived at your destination."
The Snyders had chosen to purchase land right outside of an upper-class neighborhood. There were still Christmas decorations in place, though the home appeared almost deserted. There were no vehicles in the driveway, and the quiet of the property was almost serene. Almost, because Sylvie was certain that she had caught sight of a drape moving in one of the windows.
She didn't immediately turn off the engine. Instead, she took her time to exchange her sunglasses for the ones that she wore on a daily basis. She'd attempted to wear contacts before, but it hadn't gone so well.
As a matter of fact, her first foray with contacts had landed her in the emergency room, where the doctors had to flush out the flimsy film that had gotten stuck to the back of her eyelid. It was not an experience that she wanted to repeat anytime soon.
Once she'd stored her sunglasses in the container above her, she then collected her purse and leather-bound notebook. She might resemble the standard appearance of a librarian, but she found that most people underestimated her because of it. Besides, she liked the classic style she presented with her black-rimmed glasses and her hair pulled back in a bun.
Once she had everything in hand and the engine turned off, she then proceeded to the front door of the residence. She didn't even have to ring the doorbell or knock on the door. Mrs. Snyder was waiting for her with what one could only describe as a mixture of concern and agitation.
"I received a call from Ms. Sloane that someone else would be coming in her place today," Mrs. Snyder greeted as she held the door open for Sylvie. "Please, come in. Can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you," Sylvie replied softly, doubting that she was going to be able to put this woman at ease. She'd lost her daughter, her husband was currently deployed, two of her sons had gone back to their own duty stations, and the middle son was a viable suspect in their case, not that Mrs. Snyder was aware of the last tidbit. "Something smells delicious, though."
"I had some frozen cookie dough left over from the holidays that I decided to bake." Mrs. Snyder closed the door behind Sylvie. The woman motioned that Sylvie didn't have to remove her shoes since the small walkway had basically been cleared of any slush. That would change come morning. "It's just something I do when I have a lot on my mind. I'm sure you still have a lot of questions, but I have to ask about Rich. Are you absolutely positive that he couldn't have committed those murders? The hat that he was wearing was practically the same one that Lori had me draw in the sketch."
Sylvie quickly reassured the woman of their findings.
"We're positive, Mrs. Snyder. Rich Mundy had concrete alibies for the dates in question, including for your daughter's murder."
"Please, call me Brenda. Here. Let me take your coat."
Sylvie set her purse and leather-bound notebook on the small entryway table so that she could remove her dress coat. Once Brenda had hung it up in the hall closet, she led Sylvie into the living room. The ranch style home was stunning, with mixtures of greys and whites throughout the house. Honestly, the décor could have been featured in a magazine.
"I'm sure that Brook has already filled you in, but I'm Sylvie Deering. She got held up with another matter in the city and asked that I meet with you to ask a few more follow-up questions that we believe can help the case." Sylvie took a seat on the couch, while Brenda sat in a wooden rocking chair with a grey cushion. Behind her was a wall of black and white infant paintings that must have been some of her earlier works. They were simply beautiful, capturing the innocence in the newborns' eyes of each of her children. "I know this is an odd request, but do you by chance have any photos that your daughter may have kept in her belongings?"
"I kept everything," Brenda admitted, her gaze glancing toward the back of the house. "Lori was full of life. She feared nothing, she was outgoing, and she always fought for the underdog."
"I'd like to take a look at them, if possible." Sylvie hadn't wanted to start their meeting off with questions about the woman's son. It would have immediately put her on the defensive. It also wouldn't have been a good idea to rattle off the names of their suspects. The best way to approach the situation was to ask about photographs, because Brenda would assume there wasn't a catch to any and all inquiries. "What I'm really hoping for is her phone. She might have pictures on them that weren't uploaded to the cloud. We noticed that her phone wasn't collected as evidence."
"I do have her phone," Brenda exclaimed with a bit of anticipation. She was a smart woman, and she understood the implication of what Sylvie had been trying to convey. "Do you think that she took a picture of him? I'm sure she would have told me. I'd sketched the drawing a month or two prior to her deployment overseas. She never mentioned seeing her stalker in the weeks leading up to her death."
"I'm not saying that she took a picture of him specifically, but that doesn't mean the male subject we are looking for wasn't caught in the background somewhere," Sylvie explained as she reached into her purse for her cell phone.
"I'll go find both her phone and the polaroid pictures that I found in a box," Brenda said as she stood from the rocking chair.
She had walked out of the room before her words had registered in Sylvie's head.
Polaroid pictures?
That could change everything. If Lori had used a polaroid camera, which seemed highly unlikely, there could definitely be some pictures that could be enhanced for better clarity of her background. If that was the case, Sylvie would have to cart the box of photos back to the city with her so that Bit could work his magic.
Sylvie shot a quick text to Theo, hoping that there was word about NCIS Agent Derek Tonkel's arrest. Bit had also promised her that he would reach out with updates. Unfortunately, neither of them had gotten in touch with her.
"Here they are," Brenda exclaimed as she came back into the living room a few minutes later. In her hands were a large shoebox that boots usually came in, along with a cellphone and charger. "We'll have to charge her phone. It's been sitting in the backroom since..."
Brenda let her voice trail off as she set the items down on the couch so that it took up the middle cushion. Sylvie had shifted to the far left cushion, while Brenda had taken the one on the right. This way, they could both sort through the photographs while Lori's phone charged during that time.
"You said polaroid pictures," Sylvie reminded her as she reached for the lid of the shoebox.
"Oh, Daniel thought it would be one of those quirky white elephant gifts at Christmas one year." Brenda smiled fondly at the memory, but there was a sadness in her eyes that would never dissipate completely. General Elliott had the same look when he spoke of his family. "Lori got a kick out of it, and she took the thing with her everywhere for a while. See?"
Brenda had set the lid aside and had already reached into the pile of pictures. She held up one of Lori and another woman showing the palms of their hands to the camera, which were full of flour. The photo embodied happiness, and it was as if Sylvie was there in the past with them. They had clearly been laughing at the time, enjoying life as it was meant to be. Not cut short by a murderer.
