CHAPTER FIVE
Alison stood in the bullpen of the police station when Detectives Moore and Roisin entered.
The detectives and officers in the room clapped as they made their way between the desks.
Detective Roisin took his partner's wrists and raised her arm into the air. Detective Moore then bowed in appreciation. When she stood back up, she caught Alison’s eyes and looked almost nervous. The two detectives approached Alison.
"You owe me ten dollars," Detective Roisin said.
"What?" Detective Moore replied.
"We agreed that the first person to catch up to him would get ten bucks. You ran right past him."
"Yeah, and you were smacked in the face with his duffel bag," Detective Moore reminded him.
"Yeah, but I got to him first. I was right there beside him," Detective Roisin claimed.
"How about we figure this out later?"
"All right, but I won't forget about this. Hey, you want anything from the vending machine?" Detective Roisin asked.
"Maybe that dark chocolate thing with the orange pieces in it, and I’d love a cup of coffee before we go in to talk within."
"You got it," Detective Roisin said. He looked at Alison and raised his eyebrows.
"Coffee would be great," she said.
"Coffee coming up," he replied.
Samantha winced once her partner was gone. "I don't really know if I should apologize for him or not."
"No need to," Alison said. "He respects you, and I get the impression he has your back."
"He does," Samantha confirmed. "You really have this knack for reading people, don't you? I wish I had that."
"It’s a skill that can be taught quite easily if you have time and dedication. You should sit in on a few of my classes sometime," Alison told her.
"Really? I’d love that."
"Drop by any time," Alison said.
Samantha couldn’t look Alison in the eye as she tried to hold back the smile. Alison didn't need the adulation, but it felt good to be appreciated by someone in an adjacent field.
"I also wanted to catch you before you went in to talk with the suspect," Alison said. "I heard about you taking him down, and I have to say, I’m impressed."
"Ah, it was nothing," Samantha claimed. "I mean, you’ve taken down far more dangerous people in more spectacular circumstances."
"I have," Alison said with a smile. "I guess that means we’re both good at what we do. I’m just glad we’re on the same team.
When I heard that you had an address, I wanted to go down there myself with Special Agent Sullivan, but I’m glad it was you and your partner.
If he’d gotten away, he might have disappeared. "
"I knew we couldn’t let him get away," Samantha admitted. "And you’re more than welcome to sit in on the interview if you’d like. I don't know what protocol is—if you have special dispensation or something like that."
"I’ll observe from outside the room," Alison said. "If your actions so far are anything to go by, you have this under control."
"Thank you again," Samantha said. She looked over as her partner returned with the coffees.
Detective Roisin handed one to Samantha and one to Alison.
"He’s ready for us," Detective Roisin said. "He asked for a lawyer, but from what I’ve been told, he’s willing to cooperate."
"Alright, let’s see what he has to say for himself." She turned to Alison. "Right this way."
Alison followed them through from the bullpen into a quieter area of the station. Special Agent Sullivan was talking to someone in a suit in the wide hallway, and he finished up and came to join Alison, while the two detectives went to the interview room.
"There was an incident from six weeks ago," Derek told her. "The security company just sent the footage over. Franklin was at her door demanding to be let in. Margaret wasn’t in at the time, but she had the lights set on a timer, so it looked like someone was in there when the place was empty. It’s supposed to be a deterrent.
Anyway, he didn't get through the main gate, so he must have hopped the wall.
He was at the door for about four minutes, banging his fist and shouting at Margaret. We have the entire video."
"He got past the gate?" Alison asked. "Is there footage of him at the gate?"
"Not that I know of."
"So, he knows how to get over the wall and to the house without being spotted on any cameras."
"It would seem so," Derek replied. "Come on, we’re in here."
They entered a small room attached to the interview room. It had a one-way mirror through which they could view the interview, but through which no one in the interview room could see them.
Franklin Howard sat on one side of the table with his lawyer.
They were at right angles to the mirror, not looking directly at it.
Franklin was a large man, making it impressive that Samantha had taken him down before her partner arrived to back her up.
He looked rugged and a little unkempt, his medium-length brown hair sticking up in places as if he’d just gotten out of bed.
He wore a pair of jeans and a plain black long-sleeved tee.
A permanent sneer was at home on his lips, and Alison immediately disliked him.
The decision had been made not to have him handcuffed at the table.
The lawyer was as stereotypical as they came. He was average-looking and wore a dark grey suit with a thin tie. Alison wasn’t sure what detail or combination of details it was, but she would place him as a lawyer no matter where she saw him—he just had that look about him.
The two detectives entered the room and made their way slowly over to the table to sit opposite the suspect and his lawyer. Alison didn't know what to make of Franklin fully, but her initial impression of him was one of disdain.
Both detectives took their time taking out their notebooks, then pens, an effort that looked practiced. Detective Roisin linked his hands together and looked at the suspect, but didn't speak, waiting for his partner to do so.
Samantha cleared her throat before starting. "Mr. Howard, you ran from two police officers, and—"
"You didn't identify yourselves," the lawyer said. "My client had no idea who you were or if you were a threat to him."
Samantha flashed an overly large smile at the lawyer before she repeated the statement.
"Mr. Howard, you ran from two police officers, then you assaulted one of them before running again, and when we finally caught up with you, you tried again to assault a police officer.
You don't make the best first impression, do you, Mr. Howard? "
"Am I supposed to answer that?" Franklin asked.
The lawyer opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, Samantha jumped in again.
"The duffel bag you assaulted my partner with was filled with a few changes of clothes. Where were you going?" Samantha asked.
Franklin leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. His sneer increased by fifty percent. "I was off to do laundry."
Samantha noted something in her book, then continued, her tone not changing, unfazed by his answers. "Why’d you run from us, Mr. Howard?"
"As my lawyer said, I didn't know who you were," Franklin said. "I saw two people following me, and I thought it was better to run and fight another day."
"Mmm-hmm," Samantha said. "Does that happen to you a lot? Do you often have people following you on the street that you have to run from?"
"Here and there, I guess," Franklin replied.
Alison watched Franklin as he responded to each question. He had the self-satisfied sneer plastered on his face, and he answered like a man who’d been in the same situation many times before, and who didn't believe they had anything against him.
"Here and there," Samantha replied, writing something else in her notebook. "Maybe from the gangs you ticked off while in prison?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"When you make friends with one gang, it's at the expense of another, isn’t it? You have to pick sides. Do you ever have rival gangs targeting you?" Samantha asked.
"Can you get to the point?" the lawyer demanded. "What’s this about? Gang warfare? My client is not and never was part of a gang."
"When was the last time you saw Margaret Donovan?" Samantha asked.
The mention of her name caused Franklin to sit up a little straighter, and he struggled to maintain his composure.
"Margaret?" Franklin took a long breath and sighed. "I don't really know. We don't keep in touch all that much."
"No?" Samantha asked.
Franklin stared at her, not saying a word. Samantha played his game, staring back without asking anything else or elaborating.
"What do you want me to say?" he asked. "We’re divorced. We don't exactly see eye to eye, and she probably hopes I’m rotting in hell."
"Do you not remember when you saw her last, or…?" Samantha continued.
When Franklin didn't answer immediately, the lawyer leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
"I don't remember," Franklin shrugged.
"You don't remember," Samantha repeated. She wrote something else in her book.
"I like her," Derek commented from the observation room.
"Yeah, me too," Alison agreed.
"And when was the last time you had any sort of contact with Margaret Donovan?" Samantha asked.
Franklin smiled and said, "I don't remember."
"You don't remember," Samantha said pleasantly.
She reached down into her bag and pulled out a stack of documents, placing them on the table before her.
She lifted the first one and placed it before Franklin.
"This first one is from two weeks ago. You can read it if you like, but the footnotes are that you called her a bunch of names.
" She took the second one and placed it before him.
"From a week before that. You talk about doing things to her that she might not like.
" She took another and added it to the growing stack in front of Franklin.
"This one is kind of sweet. You talk about your undying love and how she should give you another chance. Aww."