dressed.
“You have to go to work already?” she mumbled.
“Ben called,” he said.
“I didn’t hear the phone.” She managed to get to a sitting position.
Frank sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hair out of her eyes.
“He called my cell,” he said. “They picked up Tammy and Slick just outside Rosewood. The GBI is having Ben and me do the interview here in Rosewood. Want to watch?”
Diane jumped out of bed. “Yes. Definitely.” Finally, the promise of some closure.
Diane had never seen Frank interview a suspect. This was going to be interesting on many counts. She stood in the observation room between GBI agent Gil Mathews and Chief Garnett. Gil Mathews was a friend of Frank’s. Diane had heard Frank speak of him many times. Gil was a tall, thin man with silver hair and nice clothes. Chief Garnett, a snappy dresser himself, was watching because he was interested in any case that Diane was involved in.
They had Slick in a separate room away from Tammy. Ben said he and Frank liked to keep the weaker witness waiting. He said by the time you got around to interviewing them, they often were more than willing to talk.
In the interview room Tammy Taylor was sitting on a chair at a metal table with her arms folded across her chest.
“You got that skinny bitch watching?” She shot a finger at the two-way mirror.
Agent Mathews and Chief Garnett both looked at Diane and smiled.
“She doesn’t like you, does she?” said Mathews.
“Apparently not,” said Diane.
Tammy had signed the waiver saying she understood her rights and knew the interview was being recorded. She appeared confident and relaxed.
“Would you like something to drink?” said Ben.
“So I’ll fill up my bladder and admit to anything just to get to go pee? No, thank you. I’m just fine. Let’s get this over with so I can get out of here. It wouldn’t work anyway. I’d just as soon sit in my own piss as to let you thugs get by with that kind of abuse,” she said.
Frank was sitting in a chair a few feet away from the table with his legs crossed and arms folded. He had a briefcase at his feet. Ben sat closer to the table with both feet flat on the floor, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Both looked comfortable and amused.
“Miss Taylor,” said Ben, “we have no desire to have you uncomfortable. If you need to visit the ladies’ room at any time, you only need to let us know and we’ll have that nice policewoman escort you.”
“Let’s just get this over with,” she said.
“Do you know why you’re here?” asked Ben.
“It has something to do with that stupid bitch who got hysterical over a tree falling on her car,” said Tammy.
“Close,” said Ben. “It’s about what was in the tree that fell on Dr. Fallon’s vehicle.”
“Our sheriff said it was some real old skeleton of a kid,” said Tammy. “We didn’t even know it was there. We thought it was our Halloween decorations she saw. You got no reason to drag me in here over that,” she said.
“We offered to allow you to call a lawyer,” said Ben.
“I don’t need to be paying no lawyer. They’re as crooked as you. You got nothing to hold me or Slick on,” she said.
“Actually, I misspoke,” said Ben. “It’s not about the skeleton in the tree; it’s about Norma Fuller.”
Diane saw Tammy’s eyes flicker for just a moment. “What about her?” said Tammy.
“You know her?” said Ben.
“Of course I know her. I was taking care of her. Good care too,” said Tammy. “I’m a nurse and I take care of people. Miss Norma had a real nice room, and her own bathroom. I had a program all worked out for her to get her health back.”
“You’re a nurse?” said Ben. “Where did you go to school?”
“Regency Tech,” she said. “Near Atlanta.”
“I don’t believe they have a nursing program,” said Ben. “Do they, Frank?”
“No,” Frank said.
“They have a medical program for nurses’ aides,” said Tammy, lifting her chin just a fraction. “I’m just as good as them that went to a full-blown nursing school.”
“Tell us about this program you had worked out for Norma Fuller,” said Frank.
“It was a good program. It had exercise-nothing hard. Light exercises that she could sit down in a chair and do. Nutritious meals. And lifestyle exercises.”
“Lifestyle exercises?” said Frank, raising his eyebrows.
“You know-laughter, being around baby animals, that kind of thing,” she said.
“She could have been allergic to animals,” said Frank.
“She wasn’t. I wouldn’t have let her handle the puppies if she was allergic. I’m a nurse,” she said.
“So you did make an effort to fashion specific programs for different patients?” said Frank.
“Yes,” she snapped. “I told you, I’m as good a nurse as those that went to other schools.”
“So, you had other patients,” said Frank.
“Yes. .” She stopped.
“Nice,” said Agent Mathews to no one in particular.
“Tell us about the other patients,” said Ben.
“They were just people like Miss Norma. I got them on their feet so they could go about their business,” she said.
“What were some of their names?” asked Ben.
Tammy squirmed in her seat. “I can’t recall their names right now.”
Diane noticed Tammy’s voice was different. Not as sure, not as feisty. She knew she’d made a mistake. Diane expected her to lawyer up, but she didn’t. Probably thought that would make her look guilty.
“Maybe we can help,” said Ben. “Frank, can you jog her memory?” Ben smiled at Tammy. “I have a bad memory for names too,” he said.
Frank reached in the briefcase and pulled out a file. Tammy stretched her neck toward Frank as if that might help her see what was in the file.
“Greta Mullsack,” said Frank. “Does that ring a bell?”
Tammy shrugged her shoulders.
“By shrugging your shoulders do you mean you don’t remember?” asked Ben.
“I don’t remember the name,” she said.
“How about Alicia Green, Linda Meyers, Johanna Evans, or Ruby Marshall?” Frank asked.
“I don’t know,” said Tammy.
“You know, Norma Fuller is very anxious about her money,” said Ben. “She told us you took her to a bank and had your name put on a joint account with hers and had her check automatically deposited into that account. Why would you put your name on the account?” he said.
“I had to buy her medicine,” said Tammy. “All Norma has to do is take my name off the account.”
“That’s the problem,” said Ben. “She doesn’t know which bank you took her to and she doesn’t know your real name.”
“I can’t help it if she can’t remember,” said Tammy.
“You know she has health problems. Wasn’t that why you were taking care of her?”
Tammy didn’t say anything.
“Tell me about Terry Tate, Theresa Thomas, and Tracy Tanner,” said Frank.
Tammy looked from Frank to Ben and licked her dry lips. She was breathing a little heavier. She still didn’t ask for a lawyer.
“Shall I repeat the names?” asked Frank.
Tammy shook her head, but said nothing.
