“Hey, Todd, get anything from those deleted texts and voicemails?”
Todd spun his roller chair and faced Frank and me as we entered the tech department.
“I was able to pull up a handful of deleted text messages on Dwayne’s phone that seemed pretty threatening.”
“Really? That’s great news. From how many people?”
“Two.” Todd waved us over and tapped the computer’s mouse. “I mirrored what I found on his phone and put it up on the screen. Have a look.”
Billy grabbed two more roller chairs and wheeled them toward us, and we sat on either side of Todd.
Todd glanced at both of us. “Ready?”
“I better get out my notepad,” Frank said. After pulling it from his pocket, along with his pen, Frank flipped the page and nodded. “Ready.”
“Okay, first nasty message is from a Moe P.”
“No last name?”
“Nope, but you might be able to track him down by the phone number.”
I pointed my chin at the computer. “Let’s see the messages.”
After tapping the mouse, the entire exchange between Dwayne and Moe filled the screen.
“Damn,” Frank said. “By all the f-bombs being thrown out there, it’s obviously a heated conversation.”
“Yeah, and to paraphrase it, the conversation is about the three separate times Moe loaned money to Dwayne to bet on the horses at Arlington. Seems that Dwayne lost everything the first time, borrowed money again, and won a thousand bucks the second time.”
“That’s good.”
“Not really. Instead of giving what he already owed to Moe as a goodwill gesture, he kept it, placed it on the third race a week later, and lost the thousand bucks plus his entire paycheck. Moe threatened to beat the shit out of him if he didn’t get all his money and ten percent interest back by Sunday night.”
“And Dwayne was killed in the middle of the night going into Monday morning. Moe could be a contender. What about the other person?”
“There were several voicemails from a woman on his block, someone named Nancy.”
Frank raised a brow. “A woman?”
“Uh-huh, and she was pissed off. She said she was going to have her husband take care of Dwayne if he didn’t stop abusing Tammy. Apparently, Nancy stopped Tammy on the street when she was walking Coby, and saw how badly beaten her face was. Tammy begged her to leave it alone—it wasn’t her problem, but according to the voicemail, it’s obvious the woman wouldn’t let it go.”
“And Tammy probably got the business end of Dwayne’s fist because of it.”
Todd shook his head. “Yeah, that’s an image I don’t want to think about, but why would the husband get involved?”
Frank spoke up. “That’s something we’ll have to check into. We need that number, too, so we can find out where they live.”
“Tammy would know,” I said. “Strange that she didn’t mention that incident to me, though. Okay, is that it?”
“It’s all I’ve found so far.” Todd nodded at Brice’s phone still in the evidence bag. “I need to check out Mr. Guthrie’s phone too.”
I gave Todd a back pat. “Thanks, pal. Go ahead with the other phone, and we’ll get started on the leads you just gave us.”
Frank and I crossed the lot to the first available cruiser, and with a grunt, Frank planted his muscle-bound body behind the wheel.
“Why am I always the designated driver? Sometimes, I’d like to rubberneck too.”
I grinned. “Because I’m the lead detective, and while you’re chauffeuring me around, I’m making important phone calls and getting updates.”
He huffed and gave me his middle finger. “Speaking of phone calls, you better let A New Life know we’re coming to pick up Tammy.”
“Yep, I’m on that right now, but I forgot the administrator’s name.” I scrolled through my contact list until I found the number then saw the name attached to it. “That’s right. The administrator is Marie Booth.” I tapped the number, and a friendly sounding voice answered.
“A New Life women’s shelter. How may I direct your call?”
“Hello, this is Detective McCord calling. I’m wondering if Marie Booth is available.”
“I’ll connect you, sir. One moment.”
I stared at the red light we were stopped at until Marie picked up.
“Detective McCord, how can I help you?”
“Hello, ma’am. I wanted you to know that my partner, Frank Mills, and I are headed your way. Tammy has to ID her deceased husband at the medical examiner’s office at our precinct, and we’ll be stopping at her house to pick up her car. Having it will give her a little freedom to search for a place to live once she leaves the shelter. In the meantime, is there a chance that her dog, Coby, can stay with her?”
“Sorry, but pets aren’t allowed. If we do it for one, we’d have to do it for everyone, plus we barely get by on the ever-diminishing funding we get from the city, and donations have all but dried up. It really isn’t possible to feed a dog too.”
“Understood. Well, then it’s good that Tammy will have a vehicle. That way, she can visit her pup whenever possible. Please let her know we’re on our way. We should be there in fifteen minutes or so.”
“Certainly, and thanks for understanding about the dog situation. We’re a human shelter, not an animal shelter, and we don’t have the means to take on that added responsibility. I’ll let Tammy know you’ll be here soon.”
I thanked her and clicked off the call.
Frank glanced my way. “All good?”
“Yep, and hopefully, Tammy will give us access to their financial records, the will, and Dwayne’s life insurance policy. We have to clear her one way or another, even though I doubt she had anything to do with Dwayne’s murder.”
With a huff, Frank reminded me of our previous conversation with Tammy. “Don’t forget what she told us the first time we interviewed her.”
“About wanting Dwayne dead?”
“Yeah, that.”
I raked my hair. “True, but Tammy didn’t have a job, and the guard said she didn’t leave the shelter that night. The only way she’d be able to pay somebody to kill Dwayne would be to withdraw money out of their bank account. Hearing how Dwayne spent most of his paycheck on gambling and alcohol, I highly doubt there’s more than fifty bucks in their checking account. Hardly enough to pay somebody to kill another human being.”
“Guess we’ll find out if she lets us take a look at the bank statement and other important documents she might have at home.”
We reached the shelter a few minutes before ten and signed in with the guard at the front desk. We were told that Tammy would be out in a few minutes and were pointed in the direction of a small waiting area.
I paged through a two-year-old magazine as we waited. Moments later, a door at the hallway to our left opened, and Tammy walked out.
She nodded as she approached us. “Detectives McCord and Mills.” With a long breath, she added that she was nervous about seeing Dwayne’s body.
We stood, and I patted her shoulder. “Our medical examiner will walk you through everything, but if you’re hesitant, either Frank or I can stay with you during the identification process.”
“Okay, I think I’ll need that.”
I headed toward the door.
Tammy stopped me. “Wait. I have to sign out with the guard before I leave.”
After she signed out, we continued on.
“We’re planning to stop at your house, get the car, and go through a few things in the home.”
She furrowed her brows. “Like what?”
“We need to see the important documents you keep there, as well as your monthly bank statements.”
Tammy’s face soured, she shut down, and I felt the conversation was going in the wrong direction. We walked to the car, and she climbed into the back seat. I hoped that telling her she could visit Coby would lighten the mood.
I looked over my shoulder at her as she sat and stared out the window. “Tammy, you know we have to clear you as a suspect.”
“But I’ve already answered your questions, and honestly, I might add.”
“We need hard evidence and facts, not just words. You do want us to find Dwayne’s killer and bring him to justice, don’t you?”
She shrugged.
Frank gave me a concerned glance.
“Come on, Tammy. As bad a husband as Dwayne was, you do want to go forward with your life without a cloud of suspicion hanging over your head, don’t you?”
Frank added his comments. “And you did say you wanted Dwayne dead. That doesn’t help your case, especially since you said it in front of both of us.”
“Whatever. Everybody spouts off and says things they shouldn’t have said.” She lowered her voice. “Especially to cops.”
“Right. So let us look at the documents you have at home so we can clear your name. If you refuse, we’ll just get a warrant for that information, but your cooperation will go a long way.”
“Fine. I have nothing to hide.”
I shook my head. “Then why the hesitation?”
She rubbed her watering eyes. “Because I’m tired of people telling me what to do. Dwayne did that our entire marriage, and as bad as it sounds, I’m glad to be rid of him.”
I reached over the seat and patted her hand. “When we’re done, we’ll go visit Coby.”
“Really?”
As I looked over my shoulder, I saw a smile light up her face.