More often than not.
Kitt drew in a deep, fortifying breath. It didn’t change her feelings about the way M.C. had gone behind her back. But she had a job to do, and she meant to do it. Although, if this went any further she would be out of it. With personal connections to a prime suspect, she would be pulled from the case. At this stage, however, she could be a big asset in the interrogation process.
She crossed to the door, pulled it open. “Taking over, Sarge,” she said.
He nodded and stood. On his way out, he squeezed her arm reassuringly. She wondered if he had been a party to M.C.’s deception and hoped he hadn’t been.
“Hello, Joe,” she said, taking a seat across from him at the table.
“Kitt?” She cringed at the relief in his voice. “What’s going on here?”
“Just some questions. That’s all.”
“You already asked me questions. Why here? I would have answered anything you asked at the office.”
“Riggio here likes things official.”
The bad cop, obviously.
She smiled reassuringly, feeling like a fraud. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “So let’s get this going, I’ve got a crew waiting for me.”
Riggio began. “Your fiancee told us you met at the hospital where she works.”
“That’s right.”
“What were you doing in the pediatric ward, Mr. Lundgren?”
He frowned. “Valerie didn’t tell you? I perform magic tricks for the kids. I was there doing one of my shows.”
Kitt stepped in. “When did you start doing that, Joe?”
“A year or so ago. I was lonely…missed Sadie and-” He cleared his throat. “I had a lot of free time. To fill it, I worked on my magic. I remembered how the kids at the hospital had enjoyed it and approached the hospital about performing for the kids every couple of weeks.”
“Is Highcrest the only hospital you visit?”
“No. I go to The Ronald McDonald House. Children’s Hospital. I even performed at a couple of nursing homes.”
Kitt saw M.C. make a note. She would check those places and see if any of the other victims had a connection to them.
“Seems like all this philanthropy would take a lot of time away from work,” M.C. said.
“Work isn’t everything, Detective. Life is about giving back.”
“How would you respond if we said you had met one of the Copycat’s victims?”
He looked from Kitt to M.C. “I’d say you’re mistaken.”
“Julie Entzel. She saw one of your magic shows.”
“At Highcrest Hospital.”
The color drained from his face. “I didn’t know. I saw the picture in the paper…but I didn’t recognize her as one of the kids who…”
His voice trailed off. Kitt recalled how he had said the Entzel girl “meant nothing to him.” That he didn’t even “know her.”
He looked ill. M.C. changed direction. “Let’s talk about Buddy Brown.”
He didn’t comment, just nodded. “How did he come to be working for you?” she asked.
“He contacted me. And he had some experience. So, I hired him.”
“He was up-front with you about his past?”
“Yes.”
“That didn’t worry you?”
“Look, somebody’s got to hire these guys. How can they go straight if they can’t support themselves?”
“So you consider it your civic duty?”
He frowned. “Not really. I still expect a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. I’m not a charity.”
“Where were you the nights of March 6, 9 and 16?”
“May I consult my planner?”
She said he could, and he pulled out his PalmPilot. After navigating through the menu, he said, “The night of the ninth I was with Valerie.”
“All night?”
Kitt didn’t look away, though she wanted to. He shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. “I don’t normally. But Tami spent the night at her grandmother’s.”
“What about the other two nights?”
“Nothing. Valerie, Tami and I went to dinner on the sixth. I had a homeowner’s association meeting on the sixteenth.”
“You were home by what time?”
He thought a moment. “Both nights, 10:00 p.m. No later.” Joe looked at her. “Do I need to get a lawyer, Kitt?”
Riggio answered for her, quickly. A fact that once again proved the other woman didn’t trust her. “A lawyer is your right, of course. Only you know if you need one.”
A trick used to make a suspect feel as if he was incriminating himself if he lawyered-up. She had certainly used it enough.
So why did it feel so wrong now?
M.C. stood. “I’m sorry, but could you give us a few minutes?”
He looked at his watch, obviously frustrated. “How much longer do you think-”
“Not much.”
He looked at Kitt as if for reassurance. She longed to give it to him but couldn’t.
“Could I have a word with you?” he asked her. “Alone?”
“I’m sorry, Joe. That’s not possible. Not right now.”
Something passed across his features. An understanding. Realization.
Hurt.
“I think I would like to call a lawyer,” he said stiffly. “As you said, it’s my right.”
M.C. looked sharply at Kitt. “Of course. I’ll make a phone available to you right away.”
“I’d also like to call my crew foreman, so he can get started.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” She motioned toward the door. “The hallway, Kitt. Now.”
They exited the room and stepped away from the door. M.C. whirled to face her. “What the hell was that all about?”
“Excuse me?”
“Did you signal him or something?”
Now M.C. had pissed her off. “That’s insulting. I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer.”
“One look at you, and he lawyered right up. What would you think?”
“I’d think he was a bright guy. For God’s sake, M.C., he lived with a detective for twenty-five years. Do you think I never talked about interrogating suspects? That he doesn’t know the techniques we use?”
M.C. opened her mouth as if to argue, but Kitt didn’t give her a chance. “If we’re going to partner, even if only for this one case, we have to trust each other. Can you do it?” she asked, throwing the other woman’s earlier question back at her.
For a long moment, M.C. was silent. But instead of answering in the affirmative, as Kitt had, she murmured, “I’ll try. Right now, that’s the best I can do.”
49
Monday, March 20, 2006
10:10 a.m.
