“Me? Now? Why?” I played dumb. Hadn’t Burton taken care of the instrument string?
Burton firmly gripped my elbow, guiding me down a long, dimly-lit hall, as if I were a ward of the state. “He just wants to ask you a few questions.”
Yikes! I glanced back at Derek, afraid I might be in the jail cell next to him soon. “What did you tell him?”
“I only said you uncovered some evidence at the crime scene.” His tone softened. “Don’t worry, I’ll be in the room with you.”
Small comfort. Burton led me into a large, orderly office where the captain sat behind a long mahogany table that doubled as a desk. Was this his headquarters or the interrogation room?
A few framed certificates and awards covered the walls, including a college diploma from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. So he wasn’t just some local yokel who’d done well, he was a degreed professional who could easily outsmart a society reporter into spilling her guts—if I had any left after this fiasco.
I’d never formally met Captain Johnson before, much less been grilled by him. Tall and thin, with spectacles and balding hair, he reminded me more of a mild-mannered accountant than a police captain. How should I behave? Shy and meek, like a shrinking violet, or as my usual Nosy Nellie self? My hands started to shake and I took a few deep breaths to calm down.
Great—now I really looked guilty.
Captain Johnson stood and smiled, followed by a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, Miss Cross. Agent Burton here speaks highly of you.”
“He does?” I shot Burton a wary look. “So why am I here?” What a tactful opening line.
The captain’s face broke into a grin. “You have the wrong idea, Miss Cross. You’re not here as a suspect. Agent Burton tells me you have some information in this case that might prove useful.” He sat down behind his desk and indicated the banker’s chairs across the table.
“First, I’d like to know your relationship with the suspect, Derek Hammond. After reading your glowing Gazette report, I take it you two are close friends?”
My face flushed and Burton turned toward me, waiting for my reply. Oh, boy, was I going to wring Mrs. Harper’s honking goose neck when I got to the office—after I broke out of jail!
“I only wrote the review. I didn’t write the glowing part.” Johnson seemed confused, so I started blabbering: “Yes, we were good friends in high school, but that was a long time ago. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago, I’m only twenty-one...” I took a breath. “We simply lost touch.”
“Obviously you’ve renewed your friendship since then?”
Was it so obvious? “No, I wouldn’t call it that...I mean, we’re friendly, but I’ve hardly seen him.” I cleared my throat. “Ask Agent Burton. I didn’t even recognize him at the vaudeville show.”
“I understand Hammond is an actor and from all accounts, he plays a believable villain. Does he have a hot temper? Is he hostile or violent, capable of killing someone? Could he be guilty of...murder?”
“Of course not.” I shook my head. “The Derek I knew isn’t a killer. He claims he’s being framed.”
“Is that so? Did you consider the fact he might be lying? Perhaps he was in character, as they say, and got carried away?” Johnson’s brown eyes glinted. “I hear he and the victim were rivals?”
“Not at all. Derek isn’t a vindictive or vicious person. He’s as decent as they come.”
“I know you want to help your friend, but so far he seems to be our main suspect.” The captain’s eyes drilled through mine. “Any other information you can provide?”
“Derek told me he and Patrick were good friends, not enemies. He thinks the troupe may be jealous about my...the stories in the paper. The Gazette.”
Burton shifted in his chair, signaling an end to this line of questioning. Thank goodness. “Jasmine found some evidence at the crime scene,” he spoke up, nudging my arm. He placed my wadded-up hanky on the captain’s desk, and revealed the steel wire.
“I think it’s from a violin or viola,” I stammered. “My fingerprints are probably all over the string, but I’m not guilty, promise.”
“I doubt we can remove fingerprints from a thin steel string.” The captain chuckled. “Sure would make our jobs a lot easier. So tell me, where’d you find it? By the body?”
“Not far. You know, in the alley.” I looked away, not meeting his curious gaze.
“The alley?” Johnson studied the string in the light. “Appears to have some blood residue which confirms our suspicions. Why didn’t you give it to the coroner at the crime scene? He determined the murder weapon most likely was a violin string—and this proves his theory.”
Was he trying to trick me? “I wanted to, but I..I..didn’t have it with me.”
Captain Johnson tilted his head, alert, like a dog perking up at a fire engine. “But I thought you found it at the crime scene? The alley behind Martini Theatre, right?”
“I found it in an alley, yes.” I squirmed in my chair, my face starting to perspire. Now I knew why they called it the hot seat. “Near Market Street.”
“And pray tell, what were you doing on Market Street, digging around in a back alley?” His once-warm brown eyes turned dull as dirt.
“I was just...helping someone. A friend lost something, and I was looking for it.”
“It? What’s it? Which friend? The suspect?” Johnson’s brows shot up. “Tell the truth, Miss Cross: Did you witness the crime? Did you see the killer’s face? If so, why are you protecting him? Don’t you want to help solve this case, and try to clear your friend?”
“Yes, I do. But I know he didn’t do it. He was just trying to save his...business.”
Johnson leaned forward, clasping his hands. “He—who’s he? How did he get involved? Doesn’t he realize that it’s against the law to move a dead body, not to mention tamper with a crime scene?”
Nervous, I glanced at Burton for help, but he just sat there, motionless and mute. What a pal.
“He wasn’t thinking straight at the time. He was so shocked, he panicked.”
“I see. And does this new friend have a name?”
When I didn’t reply, Captain Johnson gestured for Burton and whispered in his ear, hand by his mouth. Then they glanced at me with concern. What now?
Agent Burton stood up to leave when the phone rang on the captain’s desk. “On the victim?” Johnson blinked a few times, listening intently. Then he slowly put down the phone, eyes wide in surprise, his cheeks red.
“Well, doesn’t that beat all. That was the coroner’s office. I think we may have a new motive for murder. They found something unusual during the exam.”
“A weapon? A fresh wound?” Burton sat up.
“A diamond ring, like a wedding band.”
“A ladies’ ring?” Burton frowned. “We didn’t see him wearing a ring. Where was it?”
“In his..personal effects...under his clothing.” Johnson cupped his hands over his chest and shook them in front.
Seems he couldn’t bring himself to say the word out loud. “You mean he was wearing a brassiere?” I piped up.
The captain’s face flushed a bright pink. “Yes, a rather large one, they said. It appears he was hiding the ring...in his br-br-br...his lingerie.”
“A large diamond or brassiere?” I tried to hide my smile, enjoying seeing the captain blush.
“Both, apparently. Our victim was not a small man.”
Burton caught my eye. “Are you thinking the same thing?”
“Seems like a lot of theft is going around.” I nodded. “Remember the purse snatcher at Mario’s restaurant? Do you think the crimes may be related...?”
Burton picked up where I left off. “Perhaps Patrick was also a part-time jewel thief?”
******