not your first language?”
“Oh, I’m getting your message loud and clear, Tobias. And for the record, if I were bilingual, I could ignore you in two languages.” She stood toe-to-toe with him, her arms crossed. “Who’s Sophia Tanner? And why are you protecting her?”
“What? That’s ridiculous.” Chief Cook glared at her and worked his jaw like it pained him. “Anyone ever tell you, you’re a pain in the ass?”
“Yeah, but if it’ll make you feel better, you’re the first one today.”
Before Cook could mount a second wave of ornery, Jessie looked beyond him and waved her hand and smiled.
“She looks real friendly.”
Chief Cook turned to see Sophia Tanner standing on the porch. She was returning Jessie’s wave with one of her own.
“I might have to come back, to say hello.”
“Now I told you . . .”
“I know what you said, Chief, but the way I see it, you have two choices. You could invite me to stay, and both of us talk to her, or I can come back later—alone. Your choice?”
“There is another way to go. I could arrest you.”
“For what? Bird-watching?”
Cook dropped his chin to his chest and let his shoulders slump. None of this was going like he’d planned, but before he thought about things too hard, Jessie’s mouth was making promises it couldn’t keep.
“If I promise that I won’t say a word, will you let me sit in?”
Chief Cook clenched his jaw, and finally said, “Fine.”
The Tanner residence was the closest acreage to the house where Angela DeSalvo had been murdered. It was a mirror image of the DeSalvo place except that it was in better shape. The green clapboard house had a well-maintained yard with wooden steps that led to the front porch. Potted flowers hung from a cedar pergola near the front door. And Sophia Tanner was a collector of yard art, anything that spun in the wind.
By the time Jessie and Chief Cook parked their vehicles and got out, Sophia Tanner came out to meet them. She was wiping her hands with a washrag, wearing khaki slacks with a blue floral top.
“Hello, Sophia. Thanks for making time for me.”
“I didn’t expect you to bring a visitor, Tobias. Not with you wanting to talk about . . . that DeSalvo murder.”
Mrs. Tanner did not look happy with the chief, but when she turned her attention on Jessie, the woman smiled.
“I’m Sophia Tanner.” She extended her hand and waited for Jessie to reciprocate. The woman’s hand was icy cold.
“My name’s Jessie. Jessie Beckett.”
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
“No, ma’am. I’m not. I drove up from Chicago. I’m an investigator, helping Chief Cook with an old case.”
The woman squeezed her hand and held it a little too long. And the way she looked at her, it made Jessie feel uncomfortable. Chief Cook must have felt it, too. He cleared his throat and put his hand on Mrs. Tanner’s shoulder.
“Let’s go inside. Would that be okay?”
Mrs. Tanner blinked, almost as if she hadn’t heard him.
“Yes, of course. Please . . . come in.” The woman led them into her living room. “How’s that arthritis of yours, Tobias? You walking like I told you?”
“Sophia used to push me to walk at lunch when we worked together,” the chief told Jessie. “And she wasn’t a woman you could say no to, at least not often.”
Mrs. Tanner listened to Cook and smiled, but when she thought Jessie wasn’t looking, the woman stole glances at her. Jessie felt like a damned lab rat. The staring made her uncomfortable until she got distracted with the woman’s house.
The Tanner house was real homey inside, especially with the smell of coffee and cinnamon lingering in the air. And she collected antique furniture, good-quality stuff, and had lace and pastel frills everywhere. But when Jessie saw all the family photos in the living room, the smiling happy faces reminded her of what she’d never had—a family.
She’d been a ward of the state of Illinois and had never been around a real family, except for those in the foster-care system that she’d stayed with when she wasn’t in an institution or halfway house. All of her belongings had been kept in a trash bag, ready to move when the state ordered it. That was no kind of life for a kid.
“Can I get you some coffee?” the woman asked.
“None for me,” he said.
Taking a cue from Chief Cook, Jessie shook her head and said, “No thanks.”
“Please, sit.” Mrs. Tanner took a seat and folded the washrag on her lap, something to do with her hands. “How can I help you?”
The chief sat in a wingback chair, and Jessie took a spot on the sofa.
“Like I said on the phone, I’m lookin’ into the Angela DeSalvo murder case,” he began.
“I don’t know. That’s been so long ago. I thought I read somewhere that you’d closed that case, Tobias.”
“That case never went to court. And murder cases stay open until they do. You remember how that works, right?”
“Terrible thing.” The woman shook her head. “I had nightmares over that for such a long time.”
“I can understand that.”
“So why are you here . . . talking to me, Tobias?”
“I hate to admit this, but we’re missing some paperwork on the case. Everyone whose property was adjacent to the DeSalvo house got interviewed, except for you. And I’ve come to rectify that.”
“But I did talk to someone. One of your men, I think.” She wrung the cloth in her hand. “Maybe that old paperwork will show up. Maybe it was misfiled, is all.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Sophia, but while we’re here, I’d like to ask you a few question. Will that be all right?” Without waiting for her reply, he continued as he opened a notepad, “What can you tell me about the night Angela DeSalvo was murdered? Did you see any strangers or hear anything out of the ordinary?”
Sophia Tanner told Chief Cook all she remembered. The more she talked about Angela De Salvo, the more her fingers worked the washrag she still held in her hands. And she avoided eye contact as she spoke. She was uptight about something more than recalling the murder of a neighbor.
While the police chief made a note, Jessie had a question of her own.
“How well did you know Angela?” she asked.
Chief Cook gave her a sideways glance, and, under his breath, he said, “So much for not saying a word.”
When Jessie saw him raise an eyebrow, she ignored him and turned her full attention on Mrs. Tanner.
“I knew her as well as anyone would know a neighbor, I suppose. We didn’t socialize, if that’s what you mean. We talked on occasion, as neighbors. That’s all.”
“Do you remember seeing any children at the DeSalvo home?” From the corner of her eye, Jessie saw Chief Cook shift in his seat, and she heard his sigh, but that didn’t stop her. “Maybe she had kids at her place that week prior to the murder.”
“Tobias, what is she talking about? Kids? You never said anything about wanting to talk about children.”
Sophia Tanner’s eyes watered, and she looked confused. If Chief Cook had been doing his job, he might have attempted to calm her down, so he could continue his questioning, but that’s not what he did.
“I think I’ve got everything I need.” He stood and reached for Jessie’s arm, heading her for the door. “Thanks for your cooperation, Sophia. If you think of anything else, give me a call.”
“I will. I promise.” The woman forced a smile. “Have a good day, both of you.”
When they got outside, out of Mrs. Tanner’s earshot, Jessie had plenty to say.
“You call that an interview? You clearly don’t watch
