Chapter 22 #2
“Do you think we’ll ever find out?” Andi stared at the pictures, mostly black with an indistinguishable shape in the center. “Mothman? Bigfoot? A finger in front of the camera lens? So many possibilities.”
George started chuckling. “I think I would have loved your gran.”
Andi froze for a moment. Then he leaned sideways into the man who had changed his whole life. “And she would have loved you. Just like I do.”
George kissed his head. “You know what, we could carry the trunk downstairs and place it next to the sofa. It would look good there, an eye catcher, and when we’re bored, we can get one of the albums out and play a hundred guesses.”
Andi pictured it. The trunk next to the sofa in the living room, not here, removed from his life, but at the heart of it.
With sudden clarity, he realized that keeping Gran’s room closed off had also kept her memory in stasis.
Like a butterfly in its cocoon, waiting to be reborn.
Gran’s death had been the end of the caterpillar, so to speak, but by not letting her out of the room, he had denied her memory the chance to fly. It was time to remedy his mistake.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think that would be nice. Having her with me…us. Having her with us.”
George kissed him again then put the album back in its silk paper wrapping and into the trunk. They had to remove all the albums after a failed attempt to lift the trunk. Solid wood was a lot heavier than the plywood stuff George had had at his apartment.
“Quality work…” his man wheezed when they finally had the trunk downstairs next to the sofa. “Quality work is heavy.”
Andi kissed George on the cheek. He had earned it by lifting more than half of the weight. “I’ll get the albums. You rest for a moment.”
“I can help you!” George was following him upstairs, clearly not wanting to appear weak.
They stored the albums back in the trunk and then went back and emptied the wardrobe.
Gran’s clothing might be outdated, but it was all high-quality stuff.
George did a search for some of the skirts and dresses, and apparently, they were vintage and therefore worth quite a lot.
It was all about knowing one’s market. Andi didn’t like the idea of making money with Gran’s things for his own gain.
It felt wrong, knowing what a generous and kind person she had been.
“If we donated her clothes to the soup kitchen two blocks from the precinct, they could sell them and use the money to renovate. It looks pretty shabby.”
“That’s a great idea, dear. I’ll call them and see if that’s something they want.”
As it turned out, the manager of the soup kitchen, a woman named Sheryl, didn’t just want the donation, but she was over the moon.
And because Sheryl was obviously a go-getter, she asked if she could collect the clothes this afternoon.
They agreed, and Andi was even relieved because it made re-thinking his decision impossible.
Gran would spread her love and generosity one last time to those who needed it.
Her memory was slowly emerging from the grays of Andi’s sorrow and starting to sparkle in all the colors under the sun again. A butterfly ready to take to the sun.
The weekend had exhausted Andi emotionally and since there were no new developments in Spartanburg, they made the decision to stay at home two more days before they went back on Wednesday.
Andi felt a lot better, knowing deep inside that opening the room had been the right thing to do.
He was content sitting in the car next to George, thinking about some of the antique furniture his gran had stored and which would best fit into his man’s room.
It would be his birthday present for George, he decided, knowing he would love the opportunity to decorate the room the way he wanted it with the kind of high-quality furniture he appreciated so much.
These tranquil feelings evaporated the moment they arrived at the Spartanburg precinct. The plan had been to meet with Randy to get updates about the last few days, and what an update it was.
“Agent DeCapristo brought Rosalie Byrnes in thirty minutes ago. She’s put her in interrogation room four.” The young officer made a hasty step backward when he saw George’s face.
“On what charges? Do you happen to know that?” George’s voice had a hint of steel, and Randy clearly picked up on it because he answered quickly and with a slight tremble.
“The suspected murder of Jagger Thomasin.”
Andi closed his eyes. This was exactly what they had wanted to avoid.
With his senses, he went in search of the agent and Rosalie and found them both in a room, stuffy, sweat, delicious, electric fields firing like crazy, one blob aggressive, the pheromones acrid on his feelers, the other subdued, silent.
He grabbed his partner’s hand. “We better go.”
“Hmpf.” George followed then seemed to remember his manners and looked back at Randy. “You did well, Randy. I’m sorry for being so impolite.”
Randy’s entire body seemed to relax. He waved his hand.
“It’s fine, George. This was bad news on a Wednesday that hadn’t even seen lunch yet.
Though it would be more fitting for a Monday.
” He trailed off, clearly realizing how far off topic he was veering.
It didn’t matter because they had bigger fish to fry, so to speak.
They went through the lobby of the precinct and along the hall at the back until they reached interrogation room four.
Luckily, everything was signposted, or they would have lost even more time asking for directions because following the arthropods’ senses in a building was always trickier than out in the open.
For one, walls didn’t pose the same insurmountable obstacle to them than it did for blobs.
When they entered the outer room, they found Chief Savalle listening in on the interrogation.
Andi had sensed another person in the vicinity of the room but had paid him no mind because he’d been focused on the two women.
Chief Savalle looked up. “Ah, detectives, good day.” He sounded more cheerful than the situation called for.
George looked at him, not wasting time on niceties. “You sanctioned this?”
Savalle lifted his hands. “No. The agent did this on her own. And now I have the great pleasure of witnessing her running against a wall. It’s as you’ve predicted.
Rosalie has clammed up faster than I could say oyster.
” A gleeful shine entered his blue eyes.
“Please tell her ‘I told you so’ while I’m there. ”
“You’re enjoying this a bit too much.” George had his eyes on the one-way mirror.
“Well, this woman has been a thorn in my side for weeks now. I’m not going to apologize for enjoying her putting her foot in.”
They watched and listened as Agent DeCapristo tried first to cajole and then threaten Rosalie to talk to her. The woman pressed her lips tightly together and didn’t say a single word.
“I think we should end this before someone gets hurt.” Andi turned toward the door leading into the room. He wasn’t too happy to face off with the agent, but Rosalie didn’t deserve to be subjected to her wrath.
George stepped next to him, warming his lower back with the palm of his hand. Andi enjoyed the contact for a brief moment and then opened the door without knocking. When they stepped through, George now slightly in front of him, Agent DeCapristo whirled around like a snarling tiger.
“Why are you interrupting my interrogation?”
Andi glanced at Rosalie, who seemed to huddle in on herself even more. George took on the raging agent. “It doesn’t look like much of an interrogation to me. You’re yelling, and Miss Byrnes is silent. Usually there should be some verbal interaction, don’t you agree?”
DeCapristo narrowed her eyes. “Actually, I do agree. And I’m sure Miss Byrnes will be a lot more amenable once she’s spent some time in a cell to think about her choices.”
George heaved a sigh. “You know as well as we do that you have no grounds for holding her. Not a single speck of evidence, not even a justified suspicion. We’ve told you Miss Byrnes can’t be our killer, and yet you drag her here, not caring in the slightest that she has to look after a daughter with special needs.
Did Tammy have to watch when you took her mother in? ”
“What? No! I went to Miss Byrne’s place of employment.” DeCapristo had the gall to look offended.
“And you have seen to it that Tammy Byrnes is taken care of while you’re holding her mother?”
“I allowed Miss Byrnes to call somebody who is going to look after Tammy. A woman named Celeste Higgins. It’s fine.”
“How gracious of you. And it will continue to be fine because you will let Miss Byrnes go immediately.”
“The hell I will!” DeCapristo straightened in front of George, reminding Andi of a spider lifting its front legs to appear more threatening to an opponent. “You have taken the lead in this investigation for too long and have nothing to show for it. Now it’s my turn.”
Andi could see his partner’s electric fields lighting up in response to the agent’s vitriol.
“Nothing to show for it?” George’s voice was deceptively calm.
He turned slightly. “Chief Savalle, I trust you can show Miss Byrnes out of the precinct?” Without waiting for an affirmative, he looked directly at Rosalie.
“Miss Byrnes, on behalf of the Spartanburg PD, I offer you my sincerest apologies. You are not a suspect in the death of Jagger Thomasin and dragging you here was a mistake that won’t be without repercussions.
Please follow Chief Savalle, who will escort you outside. ”