CHAPTER FIVE #2
"We get the point," the lawyer said. "It would help if you also got to the point, Detective Moore."
"You wanted her back, Mr. Howard, and you threatened her," Samantha said. "There are a lot of threats in those emails spanning a period of five years. Five years! That’s a lot of anger."
Franklin twisted his lip into an even bigger sneer but didn't say a word.
"Your ex-wife testified against your cousin," Samantha continued. "I can see how you’d be angry at her. She wasn’t solely responsible for putting him behind bars, but she’s one of the main reasons he’s in jail. You were close with your cousin, weren’t you?"
Franklin held his sneer and shrugged.
"Is that why you killed her?" Samantha asked.
It looked like Franklin moved both slowly and quickly at the same time.
The sneer remained on his face, and his eyes flickered from Samantha to her partner and the mirror to the side, while he leaned back a little and almost lost his balance in the chair.
There was a moment when he caught himself, and his face turned from one of disdain to one of shock, and then he pushed himself forward and grabbed the table.
"Margaret’s dead?" he asked.
Alison watched him from behind the glass, able to study his every feature and movement without it being obvious. She almost lost her footing as her legs became like jelly beneath her.
"Oh, no," she whispered.
"What?" Derek asked.
"I think we have the wrong guy," Alison said. "I don't think he killed her. The killer is still out there somewhere."
"Are you sure?" Derek asked.
"It’s either that or he’s a very good actor," Alison said. "I’ve been watching him since we entered the room, and he’s been smug and over-confident. He wasn’t expecting to hear that, and when he did, his reaction was genuine. He’s genuinely shocked to hear his ex-wife is dead."
"Come on," Samantha said from inside the room. "You expect us to believe you had nothing to do with her death?"
"She was murdered?" Franklin asked, sitting forward. For the first time since entering the room, he didn't have a sneer on his face.
"Why’d you kill her?" Samantha pushed.
"I’ll kill him." Franklin slammed his fist down on the table, startling Detective Roisin and the lawyer but not fazing Samantha.
"Who, Mr Howard? Who are you going to kill?" Samantha asked.
"You don't have to answer that question," the lawyer said.
Franklin ignored the advice from his lawyer. "Whoever killed her. I’ll rip his head off."
"Where were you last night, Mr. Howard?" Samantha asked.
"I didn't kill her," Franklin growled.
"Where were you last night?" Samantha repeated.
"I didn't have anything to do with this," Franklin claimed.
"You need to answer that question," the lawyer advised.
Franklin held the edge of the table with both hands, and Detective Roisin tensed, ready to spring into action if needed. Franklin looked like a wild animal, his breathing heavier, his eyes wide with pupils dilated.
"Mr. Howard," Samantha said calmly. "Where were you last night?"
"I didn’t… I was out," Franklin replied.
"Out?" she asked. "Where?"
"At a… bar," he said. "I got drunk, all right."
"Is there anyone who can corroborate that?" Samantha asked.
"I don't know," Franklin stated, raising his voice. "The server, I guess. There were other people in there. I didn't talk to anyone, you know?"
"It doesn’t look good for you, Mr. Howard," Samantha said. "You sent threatening correspondence for five years, and then on the night you’re out drinking with no witnesses, she’s found dead in her home. Cooperating with us is the best chance you have of getting a shorter sentence."
"I can't believe she’s dead," Franklin said softly, his earlier character stripped away.
"Okay, I need some time with my client," the lawyer said. "This is turning into an ambush, and my client is clearly distressed. Franklin, don't answer any more questions until we’ve had a chance to talk privately, okay?"
"This is a good time to take a break," Samantha said, her demeanor still measured and calm. "We’ll continue the interview once you are ready to talk again."
Samantha and her partner stood up from the table, gathered their things, and then left the room. Alison and Derek exited the small viewing room and met them in the hallway outside the rooms.
"What do you think?" Samantha asked Alison.
Alison grimaced a little. "He presents as the best fit for her murder, but I don't think he’s guilty—not of this. He was surprised to hear his ex was dead. I would say he was sincere throughout the entire interview, but that was when he let his guard down and showed some genuine emotion. He wants to play games with us, and he’s been in this situation multiple times before, but I don't think he was playing us in that moment. "
Samantha sighed, and her shoulders sagged a little. "I thought this was a slam dunk, and I want nothing more than to see him behind bars. What do we do now?"
"We get his alibi and check into it," Alison said. "I have my opinion on the matter, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right one. If I’m wrong, I’ll take ownership of that, but we need to explore other avenues while we have Franklin Howard in custody. We can hold him for forty-eight hours."
Alison could see that Samantha didn't like it, but she respected it.
"All right, we’ll see what he has to say after a chat with his lawyer," Samantha said. "In the meantime, we’ll look into anyone else who had a grudge against Margaret. We still haven’t ruled out Calvin Reynolds."
"Good," Alison said. "If Franklin is our guy, then we have him in custody; we just have to prove it. If not, we need to know who to go after."
"We’re on it," Samantha said.
***
Alison sat in the small office in the police station where she’d set up shop so she could remain close to Detective Moore and Franklin Howard.
She wanted to be there when they spoke to him again to monitor his reaction as he gave his responses.
It had been twenty-four hours since they brought Franklin into custody, and they hadn’t properly interviewed him again while they spent time trying to confirm any alibi.
There was a knock at the open door. Alison looked up to see Samantha.
"Come in," Alison said happily.
"We spoke to the barman and server at the bar where Franklin claimed he drank two nights ago," Samantha said as she entered the room. "And five of the patrons from the bar that same night. None of them can identify Franklin Howard as being in there that night. The server does remember serving someone matching his description, but she can’t be entirely sure. There’s a camera in the bar, but it doesn’t cover where he said he was sitting.
And there’s no record of him being there—he paid by cash and not card.
We’ve checked CCTV from around the area, but we can't find him on any. "
"How about the crime scene?" Alison asked. "Is there any way to link him to that? Any DNA? Anything from the cameras in or around the property?"
Samantha shook her head. "We can't place him anywhere that night," she admitted. "Karter and I are going to talk with him again to see what he has to say for himself. Maybe he confesses, or maybe he gives us something we can actually work with. Will you observe again?"
"Yeah, I’ll head over there now."
"Thank you," Samantha said.
Alison finished what she was doing and stopped at her desk just as Derek got to her door.
"We need to go," he said. "There’s been another murder."