CHAPTER 17
BACK IN THE LIVING ROOM, Melissa apologizes again. “I am so sorry. I should have called you guys right away. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“We wish you had,” says Bree. “It might have made a difference.”
The first forty-eight hours after a crime are called the “golden hours,” the time to process the scene, find witnesses, and secure evidence before it goes cold or gets contaminated.
After those first two days go by, it’s harder and harder to pick up the threads of a case.
And once a case truly goes cold, the odds of getting it solved are only about one in five.
Bad odds.
Melissa glances at her watch. “I’m so sorry, I’ve got to get to class. But why don’t I arrange for us to meet with some of Damon’s and my friends tonight? They’re grad students too. Maybe together we can shake something out. Somebody might remember something.”
“Sounds good to me,” says Bree.
“Better than nothing,” adds Alex.
Melissa taps her forehead, thinking. “How about the Grotto Tavern on West Franklin?”
Bree nods. “We’ll be there.”
“Great. See you tonight,” says Melissa. And she’s out the door.
Alex watches Melissa get in her car and pull away. He turns to Bree. “What do you think?”
Bree doesn’t hesitate. “I think she knows more than she’s telling us.”