As Frank drove to the women’s shelter, my irritation with Tammy increased exponentially. She needed to either tell us what she was up to and come clean, or she would sit in lockup while we collected evidence against her. If she didn’t commit the murders herself, then that meant she had an accomplice, and if she didn’t have the money to pay that person, then they must have had a vested interest in murdering the victims.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Frank said.
I pressed back against the headrest and raked my hair even though I felt like pulling it out. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Everything related to this case. Tammy looks good for Trey’s murder, but that’s coincidental at best and highly circumstantial. I just don’t get the connection she’d have to anyone beyond Dwayne.”
“But they all have the same MO, remember?”
“They do, but we literally don’t have the smoking gun to prove it.”
Frank huffed. “Or even a smoking shell casing.”
“Yeah, or even that.”
“You know, the murders have happened nearly every night this week. If we hold Tammy for a few days and they stop, well, that in itself could be telling.”
“True enough.”
Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the women’s shelter. I gave the parking lot a look as Frank slowed to a stop.
“Good. Her car is here.”
“Probably because it isn’t ten o’clock yet, when she’s allowed to leave the premises.”
I grunted in agreement as we took to the sidewalk.
After we pressed the intercom and announced ourselves, the guard buzzed us in. He directed us to the woman behind the counter, aka the gatekeeper. We had dealt with that receptionist before, and I could see the look of recognition on her face. At the counter, we showed our badges, even though I knew that was unnecessary.
I spoke first. “Hello, Jan. We need Tammy Lincoln front and center immediately.”
“That’s impossible, Detectives. The ladies are having a confidence-building group session right now.”
I held up my palm since I wasn’t in the mood for lame excuses. “Either you go get her, or I will, so what’s it going to be?”
She huffed. “I swear, the problem with cops—”
I looked at my watch. “You have five seconds to get off that chair, or I’m going through the door.”
“Whatever.”
When she disappeared down the hallway, Frank chuckled. “Hardass.”
“My patience is about this thin right now.” I indicated my frustration with a quarter-inch space between two fingers.
Several minutes later, I heard two sets of shoes clacking against the tiled hallway and getting closer. Tammy appeared first, then the receptionist, who returned to her chair on the other side of the counter.
The surprised look on Tammy’s face spoke volumes. Either she truly had no idea why we were there, or she was shocked that we’d connected her to the crime so quickly.
“What’s going on, Detectives?”
“You need to come with us,” Frank said.
“Why?”
“Because we have more questions. Turn around, please.”
“Turn around? Are you arresting me?”
“Not unless we have to. The cuffs are for your own protection. I wouldn’t want you to do something dangerous to yourself or to us.” Frank swirled his finger over his head. “Go on. Turn around.”
She snapped her response. “I need to sign out first.” After checking the time and signing her name, she turned around and reluctantly placed her hands behind her back. As we led her to the cruiser, she continued to spout off. “You can’t haul me away in handcuffs unless I’m under arrest, and if I am, you have to read me my Miranda rights.”
With my hand on top of her head, I helped her into the back seat and closed the door behind her.
“Did you hear what I said, Detective McCord”
I climbed into the passenger seat. “Yes. Apparently you think you know how the law works. Guess you’ve seen Dwayne arrested plenty of times.”
“That’s right!”
“And I told you that you aren’t under arrest. That means I don’t read the Miranda rights to you. Understand?”
She grumbled then kept quiet for the duration of the ride. When we reached the precinct, Frank parked in an open space outside the evidence garage, then we entered the building through the lower-level door.
I pointed at the hallway on the right. “Let’s go. The questioning has to be recorded.”
Tammy jerked away defiantly. “You don’t need to guide me. I’m fully aware of where we’re going.”
I gave Bill a heads-up that we’d be in the first interview room. We signed in then removed our sidearms and stored them.
Frank opened the door and motioned for Tammy to have a seat facing the mirror.
“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. So who’s watching us from the other room?”
“There’s nobody behind the glass,” I said. “That’s why I’m going in there right now to turn on the recording equipment.” I pointed at the camera in the upper corner of the room. “Watch for the red light to go on. When that’s on, everything you say will be documented.”
“I’m aware of how it works. I do watch TV, you know.”
I shook my head as I walked out. The door to my left opened into the observation room, where I turned on the audio and video equipment, grabbed notepads and pens, then returned to the box. After taking my seat next to Frank, I began questioning her.
“Since the day we dropped off your car at the shelter, have you left the premises?”
“Of course. Why else have the car? I needed to visit Coby. So when will my house be released back to me?”
“We’re conducting the interview, not you,” Frank said. “You only need to speak when answering a question.”
“Why are you two so grumpy?”
We stared at her.
“Oh yeah, you’re conducting the interview, not me.” She mimicked the motion of zipping her lips.
I picked up where Frank had left off. “When did you leave, and where did you go?”
“I went out yesterday since I’m only allowed six hours a day, three days a week.”
“Six hours is a lot of time to be wandering about. How long did you stay with Coby?”
She shrugged. “A couple of hours, I guess.”
I raised my brows. “A couple of hours?” That was lie number one. “Then what?”
“Then I went home, checked the house—oh, and by the way, when are you getting that cleaning company in there? I nearly puked when I passed that bloodstain.”
I ignored her question. “How long were you at the house?”
She frowned. “Now I have to keep a journal of every stop I make and how long I was there? This is a free country, isn’t it?”
Frank cut in. “Zip it unless you’re answering our questions.”
She huffed. “I don’t know. I was probably there an hour or so.”
Lie number two.
“What did you do at the house?” I asked.
“I got my mail, walked around a bit, reminisced, made a cup of tea—”
I had to hold back my laughter. “You made a cup of tea? And then what?”
“Then I grabbed some clothes and went back to the shelter. I still had two hours left that I could use for another time.”
I pulled back. “Wait a minute. You can carry over hours that you didn’t use?”
“I asked Administrator Booth, and she okayed it.”
I scratched my cheek as I thought. That meant there was a good chance that Tammy had returned to Trey’s house later last night.
Nope, that wouldn’t work since she can’t go out after four.
I turned to Frank and tipped my head toward the door. “Sit tight, Tammy. We’ll be right back.”
After Frank closed the door behind him, I brought up my concerns as we stood in the hallway. “So now she can save hours to use later? That’s a new one. I figured she sneaked out last night and killed Trey, but then I remembered she isn’t allowed to leave the shelter after four o’clock.”
“Unless the guard turns a blind eye after the administrator and staff go home. Maybe he has a thing for Tammy and doesn’t record every time she leaves.”
“Hmm… Meaning she could have actually killed Dwayne. And don’t you think it’s odd that the shelter doesn’t have cameras?”
“Privacy for the residents, I’d assume. They must think the intercom camera and the twenty-four-hour guard presence is enough.”
“Okay, so we’ve already caught her in several lies. I think it’s time to apply pressure and see what she does with it.”
Frank agreed. “Sounds like a popcorn-and-beer kind of moment.”
I grinned. “It does, but on a serious note, Trey is dead, Tammy was stalking him yesterday, and now she’s lying about when she went out and how long she was there.”
“Well, she didn’t lie about stalking Trey, she just forgot to mention it.”
“Yeah, definitely a small detail.” I snickered as I headed down the hallway. “Let’s drop the hammer on her, but first I need a coffee.”