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“WE FOUND OUT THE SOURCE of the outage, sir,” Officer Sam said to Troy as he walked into Troy’s office at the precinct later that evening.
“What happened?”
“It was the entire block that was knocked out of power for that time period.”
“The entire block?”
“Yeah, that darn utility box at the end of the street. It’s near a tall tree. Whenever there’s a snow storm, it always gets knocked out. It looks like a vehicle hit it.”
“Well, how convenient for the killer,” Dana commented as she sat in Detective Troy’s office.
“Yes, it is very convenient,” Detective Troy agreed.
Katie was being questioned in the next room by another detective on the case as a person of interest. Imagine that? Katie. A person of interest in a murder investigation? Dana swallowed hard and tried to keep her heartbeat from smashing against her rib cage.
Keep calm, Dana. There’s no way they would arrest Katie for the murder of Shags.
At least she hoped they wouldn’t arrest her.
Aunt Nia and Uncle Merv were on their way down to the station to see Katie.
Troy had been so nice to Dana and offered her the opportunity to wait in his office while her cousin was being interrogated, knowing how difficult it was for Dana to have her own family member under suspicion. He probably also felt a bit guilty for abandoning his date for the evening, too. It was turning out to be some date. A date with crime more like it.
“Oh, Katie, are you all right?” Dana rushed to Katie’s side as she came into Troy’s office looking visibly shaken.
What on earth did they do to Katie?
“I...I’m fine, cuz. Just a little shaken up.”
“What?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that, they were nice to me. I just...it’s just so much happening this evening.”
“I understand.”
“Ma’am,” the officer who walked in with Katie said, “We’re going to ask that you not go anywhere and to surrender your passport.”
Katie looked as deflated as Dana felt.
“Yes. Of course.”
“It’s standard procedure, Katie,” Troy said.
“I know,” Katie said, quietly.
“I’m so glad you’re not under arrest,” Dana said.
“You and me, both, cuz.”
They were probably gathering more evidence to use against Katie. Dana was going to have to act fast if she wanted to spare her cousin. She remembered Katie was claustrophobic. She couldn’t handle being in a small closed off enclosure for too long. Katie couldn’t even last in an office cubicle at a regular job. That was why she always tried to get into showbiz. She had to work in wide open spaces.
Speaking of wide open spaces. Dana just thought of something.
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* * * * *
“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Katie asked Dana as they hurried back to the car after leaving the police station.
“Back to the scene of the crime, cuz.”
“Hey, no way, hosay. I’ve had enough of that creepy place.” Katie hugged herself in her winter coat and pink scarf and matching hat.
The snow flakes fell softly on the town as the wind gently blew a light dusting of snow. It wasn’t too cold. Just right.
“Katie, you don’t understand. I think we’re missing something. Don’t you want to find out who really killed Shags?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well, we’re going to have to do a little observation of our own if we want to make sure the cops don’t miss anything. The last thing you want is to be pinned down for a crime you didn’t commit.”
“But there’ll be caution tape around the area.”
“I left some of our trays there. We have a reason to go back to the Town Hall.”
“True.”
“Besides,” Dana said starting up the car, “look around you, cuz. What do you see?”
“Katie sat in the passenger side and looked around outside. “I see two young chicks siting in a car outside the police station waiting to do something really stupid. What do you see, cuz?”
“Very funny, Katie,” Dana grinned. “Look at the ground outside.”
“Yes. It’s snowing.”
“It’s snowing now, but it wasn’t snowing earlier.”
“What’s your point, cuz?”
“My point is the snow flakes are literally melting on the ground now.”
“And?”
“And I’m curious to find out how on earth, during a perfectly nice evening where the roads are clear that a truck, car or van or whatever it was, rammed into a utility box to knock out power in the area of the Town Hall.”
“Oh. I never thought about that.”
“Precisely. I recall the last time something like that happened it was during a terrible storm and the driver of the vehicle lost control and slammed into the utility box. There was zero visibility then and the roads were slick and slippery. Not the case right now, of course.” Dana pulled out of the parking lot and drove up Maple Street toward the Town Hall.
“I see the wheels spinning in that mystery-solving head of yours, cuz. What are you thinking?” Katie interjected Dana’s thoughts.
“There’s something that’s a bit off, Katie. Something is bothering me. Something is just not adding up here. And I am dying to find out what it is.”