Page 74 of Feared

Mary and Judy made it through the gauntlet of press outside the Roundhouse, rode upstairs in the grimy elevator, and got out in the lobby, where Mary put a steadying arm on her best friend’s shoulder. “The key thing is, don’t worry.”

“How can I not?” Judy grimaced.

“Because you’re innocent and you’re in excellent hands.” Mary flashed her a smile that was intended to be reassuring, though it took effort. “Detective Krakoff said you could go to the lab directly. Just give them your samples and obviously don’t say anything.”

“Of course not.”

“I’ll come get you when I’m finished. I won’t be long. Don’t go back into the squad room on any account.” Mary gave her a brief hug. “See you in about twenty minutes.”

“Bye.” Judy rallied, turning away and striding down the hall toward the lab, and Mary went down the hall in the opposite direction, getting buzzed into a bustling squad room full of detectives. She was shown to Detective Krakoff, who took her into an interview room, where they could talk privately.

“So is Ms. Carrier giving her samples?” he asked, sitting down.

“Yes.” Mary sat opposite him, her phone in her lap, and she didn’t hide her contempt for what happened the last time. “That was quite a stunt you pulled with the engagement ring.”

“It was no stunt.”

“Yes, it was, and it was unprofessional.” Mary met his eye directly. “I’ve worked my share of murder cases and I know detectives here. I don’t know a single one who would’ve pulled crap like that.”

“I got the answer I wanted.” Detective Krakoff blinked, his expression impassive. “Ms. Carrier was the victim’s girlfriend.”

“That engagement ring doesn’t prove that. You don’t know who John bought it for, nor do you know if he was seeing any number of people. You don’t even really know if it belonged to him. He could even have been holding it for someone, a friend of his who intended to propose to his girlfriend.”

“That’s highly unlikely.” Detective Krakoff lifted a groomed eyebrow.

“But it’s certainly possible, and you can’t eliminate any of those possibilities, which is another term for reasonable doubt.” Mary wanted to shift the conversation. “In any event, you said on the phone that Judy Carrier has become a person of interest.”

“Yes, she has.”

“Why?”

“For all the reasons I told you at the interview. She was the girlfriend, and they were fighting up to and including the time when the victim was killed.”

“But she’s not yet a suspect.”

“No, a person of interest.”

“Then why do you want the samples?”

“We’re investigating. That’s our job.”

Mary let it go. “I advised her to give them because she has to legally, but they will be completely consistent with her innocence. In fact, we went to John’s apartment last night and examined the scene.”

“Oh?” Detective Krakoff look genuinely surprised, which was what Mary had hoped for.

“I have two theories about who killed John Foxman, which I’d like to share with you. The first was the one I mentioned to you, that a burglar entered through the fire escape. The window was unlocked, and the climb is easy enough. In fact it was your first thought, and sometimes the short answer is the easy one.”

Detective Krakoff didn’t say anything, but Mary didn’t need him to. She had come here for a reason. The difference between a person of interest and a suspect was a critical one, and she still had a chance to give the police information that would challenge their initial assumptions and findings. She had a credible alternative in Mike Shanahan, but she also wanted to throw as much as possible on the wall to make Detective Krakoff suspect anybody other than Judy.

“But the second theory, and one I wanted to share with you, involves facts you may not know.”

“Like what?” Detective Krakoff asked, skeptically.

“John Foxman was the guardian of his brother William, who has cerebral palsy and lives at a group home, Poplar House at Glenn Meade in Devon. The supervisor there is Michael Shanahan, and Shanahan has only been there for six months.”

Detective Krakoff slipped his hand inside his breast pocket and pulled out a pen and his skinny notepad, flipping open the cover.

Mary spelled Shanahan for him, but she was going to save the best for last. “John and Shanahan have had a contentious relationship over the past six months.”