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The icy cold moisture still covered the lawn of the campus as we walked back toward the ramp. Giving way to a reprieve of deep blue autumn skies the late fall storm now replaced with warm angled rays from the sun above.
Marybeth Larkin lived at the end of a street lined with single story homes. A few of them had rental signs out front while others looked abandoned. It appeared that most the neighborhood autumn leaves had congregated on her lawn leaving wavy piles of yellowish orange hues among dotted patches of long bending blades of green grass.
The sounds of the television could be heard through the walls as we approached the steps to the small cement porch. Knocking on the door gave way to pounding when our introduction was not initially addressed. A small bedroom window slid open to our left.
“Who is it? If you’re a process server, you can fuck off and if you’re those assholes from the rental store we get paid next week and you’re not taking your shit today.”
“Ms. Larkin, this is Detectives Lee and Temple here about Melissa.”
“Just a minute.”
The front door opened slightly.
“Sorry about that, you can come inside.”
We walked inside to find a small living room overwhelmed with a large flat screen television. Room was scarce as the rest of the space was taken up by a small couch and recliner. Every home has its own unique smell. This one smelled like sweat and Kool-Aid.
Marybeth Larkin was in her late twenties with short spiked blonde hair and scattered pink highlights. About five foot four she wore a nose ring complimented by additional facial piercings. Several decorative tattoos covered arms and legs.
“You said you’re here about Sarah.”
“We’re sorry for your loss Ms. Larkin.”
Water that had been running in the bathroom down a short hallway stopped. A faint creaking sound of the door opening.
“Who is it Marybeth?”
“No one, just get ready for work you’re gonna be late.”
“We just have a few questions if you wouldn’t mind answering them.”
“Do you want to sit down?”
“We’re fine Ms. Larkin this won’t take long.”
“You know I warned her, kept telling her but she didn’t listen. Bragging about how she was going to make $45 an hour as some test subject. I told her it was a scam. She said it looked legit because it was from a Psychological Institute or something like that.”
“Do you remember how she was contacted?”
“She said it came in her email. We shared a computer.”
“Could we see it Ms. Larkin?”
“We lost it.”
“You lost your computer?”
“The rental store took it back. They said we were behind three weeks in payments. I only bounced one check but they took it anyway. Daryl and I can’t wait to be done with those sonofabitches. We get our insurance money we’re paying straight cash for everything.”
“Which store did you rent from Ms. Larkin?”
“It’s in that strip mall just before you get downtown off Haliday Road.”
“Do you still have your rental agreement or anything we can reference.”
“Just ask for the manager. When you get there tell him to stop calling our fucking landlord and neighbors. We have money coming next week and will pay him on Friday.”
“Are there any other family members in the area?”
“No, Melissa and I were adopted we moved to Kirkwood from Alabama about two years ago. I hope you kill that bastard that did this to my sister.”
Ideal Rental had several locations. Situated off Haliday Road located in a rundown strip mall was one of the original five. The property needed repair. Bent handicap parking signs and cracked concrete completed the look. The store front was located next to a Blood Plasma donation center. Another business that exchanged gold and jewelry for cash on the other side.
A delivery truck with the company’s logo sat parked out front along the curb in front. Preparing for another delivery a male with brown hair holding a clipboard checked off items as they were loaded. He was wearing their standard uniform with a blue polo shirt and tan pants.
Parking in front of the truck we walked towards the door.
“The Manager around?”
“Past the showroom first office on the left.”
The store manager Zach Nolan was engaged in a heated conversation on the phone.
“Ms. Taylor, you need to make your payments on the refrigerator or we simply need to retrieve it. You simply cannot keep it without paying for it. This isn’t a charity Mam we simply do not give our merchandise away. I expect your payments to be prompt going forward.”
He acknowledged us with a nod half way through his conversation. Typing rapidly, he finished talking and hung up his phone.
“How can I help you gentlemen? Are you two interested in renting something from the showroom floor?”
Lonnie got to him before he could pitch another line.
“Actually, we’re here about one of your customers. A Marybeth Larkin.”
“You might say I’m familiar with that account. Did she let you inside the house?”
“Yes, she did.”
“You didn’t happen to see an extremely large flat screen television in the living room, did you?”
“We did.”
“I need to get that back from her she has had it for months and has not made a payment. My district manager has been all over my ass regarding her account. I’m looking at a big write-off with that flat screen.”
“We have something in common then.”
“How’s that?”
“We need to see that computer that she rented from your store.”
“That’s an interesting story about that computer. Something to share at the next corporate party. Every manager has those difficult accounts. Marybeth Larkin broke the mold. My newest employee is a bit aggressive. So, on his way home he notices the lights on at her house and the driveway empty. He gets a little closer and sees the computer on a table sitting near a window that’s open. Ms. Larkin hadn’t made any payments on that either at the time. He texts me five minutes later that he had the computer. Apparently, he reached through the window grabbed the cords and pulled the monitor and computer out at once. It made a little noise plus took some plaster from a wall. She tried slamming his hands in the window cussing at him the whole time. Later on, calling the store threatening us.
“So where is the computer now?”
“We sent it back to have the drive wiped clean so we could rent it again.”
“Where did you send it?”
“Our corporate refurbishing center is in Raleigh, NC.”
Any chances of getting information off the hard drive were essentially gone at this point. We both knew it.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Marybeth wanted us to deliver a message to you. She said that she would have your money next Friday.”
“Yeah, never heard that one before.”