Julia looked surprised and a little nervous.
“May I come in?” Codella asked.
“Of course.” Julia opened the door tentatively.
“Thank you.” Codella walked in. The young woman was still wearing pajamas. Her hair was uncombed. She looked as if she’d just gotten out of bed. “I wanted to give you an update on our progress,” Codella explained.
Julia sighed. “I’ve read all the papers. It’s so upsetting. I can’t believe Baiba is dead, too. Please, have a seat.” She gestured to a gold couch, but Codella remained standing. “Can I get you some water? Coffee?”
“Water would be great.”
When Julia disappeared into the kitchen, Codella walked around the spacious living room. The decision-making of a talented professional interior designer was evident in the lush upholstery, carpeting, and curtain patterns that complimented each other. She noticed the fresh-cut flowers in a vase on the fireplace mantle. She saw the shopping bags on the floor near the built-in bookshelves. She read the titles of novels on the shelves and studied the souvenirs that had come from many continents. Julia Merchant had been raised in privilege, and she continued to enjoy it.
Julia returned with a glass of sparkling water and set it on a Museum of Modern Art coaster on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. Then she sat and stared at the detective.
“We’re making progress,” Codella told her. “I think we’re actually close to knowing how your mother died.”
“It was murder, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was murder.” Codella sat.
“Who do you think did it? Was it Brandon Johnson? Was it the nurse?” She paused. “Or was it my father?”
Codella sipped the sparkling water. “I can’t tell you that, Julia. I’m not really at liberty to tell you everything we’ve got, but you have to trust me. We’re going to have a resolution soon. We’ll arrest the person responsible for your mother’s death. I give you my word on that.” She smiled. “But I need your help.”
“Of course,” said Julia. “Anything. What? Just tell me what you need.”
“When you first came to my office, you showed me a video you recorded on a hidden alarm clock camera, the video that jump-started this investigation. You remember?”
“Of course. How could I forget that?” Julia nodded earnestly. She pushed her long hair behind her left ear. “I’m just so glad I looked at that recording.”
Codella nodded. “Have you ever heard the term chain of custody, Julia?”
“No. What is it?”
“It’s an expression police and prosecutors use. It refers to the evidence we collect. Every piece of evidence we use to build a case and convict someone of a crime has to meet chain of custody rules. For example, when you brought those rug fibers to my office on Monday afternoon, they did not meet chain of custody. I couldn’t have stood up in court and testified that those fibers truly came from your mother’s room. I couldn’t prove it. I had to go back to Park Manor and collect my own samples, put them in an evidence bag, fill out forms, and then voucher them before I sent them to toxicology. Now every time those fibers move from one individual to another, they will be signed for, and the chain of custody will be unbroken. You understand? That makes for solid evidence.”
Julia nodded, but her look seemed to say, Why are you explaining all of this?
“I’ve also got to establish chain of custody for the video you showed me. That’s an important piece of evidence in this case. We’ll use it to convict your mother’s murderer.”
“So you do think it’s the caregiver—or the nurse?” she asked.
Codella ignored her question. “I need the camera that took that video, Julia. Otherwise, I can’t prove my case.”
“I see.”
“You still have it, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, of course.”
“Good,” said Codella, and she pulled a form from her jacket pocket. “Then we can establish the chain of custody right now. Can you go and get it?”
Codella watched the flare of Julia’s nostrils on the intake of a breath. She saw the paralysis of her diaphragm as she held the air in and the blankness of her eyes in panic. “Who are you going to arrest? Is it Brandon or the nurse—or is it my father?”
Codella placed her palm on Julia’s knee. “Listen to me. You have to be strong in this. Whether it’s a stranger or someone close to you, that person is a murderer who must be punished. You can’t protect them. You need to help us.”
Julia nodded. “Yes, of course. I know that.”
“Get it now,” Codella insisted, and she watched the young woman rise slowly and uncertainly from the couch.