Break-In Ch. 03

Joanne winced as she realized her mistake. I said "I know why you did it: you think Mr. Locklear is guilty, and you were trying to rattle him, to get something out of him."

"Yes sir, that's what I was thinking." Joanne admitted.

"Teachable moment, Detective." I said. "Teachable moment. Let the facts dictate your theories, not the other way around. We'll talk more later. In the meantime, go write up your notes on that interview..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As I got to my office, Lt. Mary Milton came up to me and followed me inside. "This report is trash, sir... literally. The Crime Lab techs did collect the trash from all the trash cans in the home as well as the big cans in the backyard." She handed me the report, and I saw what I wanted and needed to see...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2:30pm, Monday, June 7th. Marla Locklear arrived at Police Headquarters, accompanied by her attorney, Nadine Hall of The Women's Law Firm of Dewey, Burnham & Winn, P.C. She was ushered into I-Alpha. Patrol Officer Lisa Burrell was the Uniformed Presence.

Into the room walked Senior Detective Teddy Parker and... Senior Detective Joanne Warner. It was supposed to be Roark and Theo, but Claire Michaels had Joanne and Teddy go in, maybe to give Joanne a chance to redeem herself after what the Police Commander considered was a 'disaster' interviewing Mr. Locklear.

Claire had also gone to the Monitor Room to watch the interview, and she'd had Joanne put on an earbud. Teresa had gone into the Monitor Room with her, at my bidding. The Chief and I watched from the Chief's Conference Room. The Detectives, Intel personnel, and their Lieutenants had moved to Classroom 'E' for more room and better comfort as they watched on the 5x4 matrix of monitors.

Teddy Parker said "Mrs. Locklear, I'm Detective Teddy Parker, and I believe you've met Detective Warner. I'm going to read you your rights from the card---"

"Is my client a suspect?" Nadine Hall immediately asked.

Teddy Parker did not answer, but began reading the rights from the card. Nadine Hall interrupted him again. "Is my client a suspect? If so, of what?" she pretty much yelled.

"Do not interrupt me again." Teddy Parker said, putting as much venom into his voice as I'd ever heard from him. "I will answer your question after I've read your client her rights." He did so from the card, and Marla just nodded when asked if she understood the rights.

Joanne said "Mrs. Locklear, you are not a suspect, but you were read your rights... in spite of your lawyer attempting to prevent us from doing our legal duty... because there are some questions we have for you, and some serious discrepancies between what you've told us and what others have told us."

She's redeeming herself, I thought to myself. That shot at Nadine was not only well deserved, but badly needed to show that legal beagle who is boss in Town & County Police Headquarters.

Nadine said "I'm not trying to stop you from doing your jobs, but I'm not going to have you intimidating my client---"

"One more time." Teddy Parker said, interrupting her as she'd interrupted him. "You were interrupting me as I was reading your client her rights. We are going to follow the law and procedure, and if you keep up with those antics, we'll bring you up for disbarment."

In the awkward and oppressive silence in the room, Teddy finally said: "Mrs. Locklear, your husband was doing ad work on his own for several years before joining Maple & Hogue. How was he hired by them? And by that, I mean who introduced your husband to Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue?"

Marla said "I'm not sure. All I know is that they contacted him, and after a series of interviews they brought him into the firm with the promise of making him a partner."

"A promise of a partnership?" Teddy asked.

Marla said "That was my understanding of it. But it never happened, and I began wondering why not. But Stanley was working and making money, so I didn't say anything."

Joanne said "Mrs. Locklear, how well did you get along with the Maples and the Hogues?"

Marla said "I got along well with Tom and Chuck... well, whenever Harriet Hogue let me even speak to Chuck. She was very controlling of him, and he told me once he felt suffocated by her. That's one reason I asked him to participate in our... roleplay the other night, to show him there was life and adventure away from her."

Teddy: "So you and she did not get along?"

Nadine: "What does this have to do with her husband shooting dead two men?"

Teddy: "One more time: there are discrepancies in the stories, and we're trying to resolve those discrepancies. Mrs. Locklear, again, what was your relationship status with Harriet Hogue and Tia Maple?"

Marla: "As I said, Harriet Hogue was very domineering, and I didn't play her game, so we didn't have much to do with each other. As to Tia Maple, she's a very nice person, and I thought we were friends. But she was just being the same way with me that she was with her husband's clients, and over time I found out that underneath the smile and friendly chat, she wasn't that good a person."

Joanne said "Let's talk about you and your husband." She asked Marla the basics: how she had met Stanley, how long she and Stanley had been married, how was their marriage. Marla's answers dovetailed with Stanley's to a point:

Marla: "Last year, last Autumn, I think it was, I finally told Stanley that I'd had enough, that I was not happy with our marriage. I had hoped that when he took the job with Maple & Hogue and had steady income, he'd put more effort into our relationship than he had while struggling on his own. But he didn't."

Marla: "When I said something, he asked if I wanted a divorce. That is not what I had intended; I wanted to jolt him into putting more effort into the marriage. But the first thing out of his mouth was to ask if I wanted a divorce. I thought it was over, but I suggested we go to marriage counseling, and he agreed."

Marla: "And things got better. Our counselor, Dr. Frost, suggested we share fantasies to spice up our sex life, and we did, and it helped. I knew Stanley consumed content about wife sharing fantasies, and when I asked about it, he admitted he thought about it a lot. And that's why I thought this roleplay would spice up our sex life."

This time, Joanne did not ask about the discrepancy between Marla and Stanley's stories. Instead, Teddy Parker asked: "About the marriage counseling... did you and Stanley stop going to Dr. Frost?"

"Stanley stopped." Marla said "Things were better between us, and he thought we didn't need to spend the money on the counseling any longer. But I continued the sessions with Dr. Frost. He gave me some really good ideas about spicing up our---"

Nadine Hall leaned over and whispered something to Marla, who nodded. Nadine then said "As you know, such conversations are protected by doctor-client privilege, so I'm advising my client to not discuss those conversations further."

This time it was correct for Joanne to say something about that, and she did: "Dr. Frost may be bound by that, but your client is not. She can speak of that if she wants to. And it would be very helpful if she does."

Nadine said "Then maybe we need to end this 'conversation' completely."

"Shit!" I muttered as I got up. I speed-dialed Claire's Police iPhone, but after four rings it went to voicemail. I then speed-dialed the Duty Desk and the phone was promptly answered.

"Don't let Mrs. Locklear and her attorney leave I-A until I get there." I told them. Disconnecting, I said "Excuse me, Chief." and hurriedly left the Conference Room. Instead of running down the side hall to I-A, I ran along the back hallway to the Monitor Room, and threw the door open with 'excessive force'.

"Captain," I said, "do you have your cellphone on you?"

"Yes, she does." Teresa said, knowing why I was there. "And it rang."

"So why didn't you answer it, Captain?" I thundered.

"I didn't realize it was you, sir." Claire said.

"Get on that goddamned microphone and tell Warner to stay in I-A and keep Mrs. Locklear and her attorney there until I get there. Commander Croyle, 'discuss' with Captain Michaels why she should answer my phone calls." With that, I left the Monitor Room and sprinted, yes sprinted, along the back hallway and side hallway to the opposite corner of the building.

In the anteroom, I saw that everyone was still in I-A. I took a second to catch my breath, then opened the door and walked in. I noticed that both Nadine Hall and Marla Locklear's eyes lit up a bit at my entrance.

"Mrs. Locklear," I said as I brought a chair up to the table next to Joanne, "I'm Commander Don Troy, and we met at your home the other night."

"It's good to see you again, Commander." Marla said, her voice friendly and almost flirtatious. Oh yes, she had charm, and she was trying to turn it onto me.

"I wish I could say the same." I replied as I sat down. "I have a couple of clarifying questions---"

"We're about to leave, Commander." Nadine Hall said, then let her eyes rest on Joanne as she (Nadine) said "My client's rights are not being honored." Joanne glared back at her.

I said "Oh, I'm not going to abuse anyone's rights. Just a couple of questions before you go, Mrs. Locklear."

Nadine wanted to stop Marla, but Marla said "It's okay." She turned to me and said as flirtatiously as she could: "What do you want to know, Commander?"

I said "The side of the bed where your husband retrieved his revolver, is that the side of the bed he normally slept on?"

Everyone looked confused by that question. Marla said "Yes. I always preferred being closer to the bathroom, as I got up more often."

I said "You said you'd continued to see the marriage counselor, Dr. Frost. We know you continued to pay him for those sessions. From where did that money come?"

Marla said "When Stanley and I began having problems, I set up my own bank account in case he wanted a divorce and moved out."

"And where did the money in that account come from?" I persisted.

Marla said "I had put some money from my job at the library into that account."

I nodded, then said "You also said that you'd taken the bullets out of your husband's revolver in the bedside table."

"Yes, but Stanley must've reloaded it." said Marla.

"And he never mentioned that?" I asked.

"No, he never said anything." Marla replied. And then I hit her with it:

"Tell me... what did you do with the bullets you removed from the revolver?"

You could have heard a pin drop.

Marla gaped, and her eyes widened in shock. She finally stammered "I think... I... I don't really remember."

"Really?" I asked skeptically, my eyes boring into hers, and not flirtatiously. "Unloading your husband's self-defense gun is not a normal routine act, especially for the reasons you did. You're telling me you don't remember what you did with the bullets you removed from the gun?"

Marla acted as if she was trying to make her brain work. "I... I knew I had to put the bullets where Stanley wouldn't see them. I think I threw them in the trash can in the kitchen."

"Really." I said flatly, leaning back in my chair. "Mrs. Locklear, the Town & County Police have an excellent CSI Team. They collected the trash from every receptacle in the home, and the big cans from the backyard. There were no bullets in the trash. So do you want to stick to that story? Or admit that you did not unload your husband's firearm?"

"Don't say any more." Nadine Hall interjected. To me she said "This interview is over. I need to talk to my client, and I'm advising her to not answer any more questions today."

"As you wish." I said. "Ms. Hall, your client is definitely a 'person of interest' in this shooting incident. I am releasing her into your custody for now, but she is not to leave the County, and she is not to have contact with her husband. Failure to adhere to that will result in her immediate arrest and incarceration in County Jail. Is that clear?"

"Yes." said Nadine. To Marla she said "Let's go." The two women got up and left.

Part 16 - Wrench In The Gears

3:30pm, Monday, June 7th. The Chief and I joined a meeting of the MCD Detectives, all of them. We sat in chairs against the wall instead of joining them at the table, and let Teresa and Captain Michaels lead the discussion. Needless to say, it was a 'spirited' exchange of ideas.

"So Marla set it up for her husband to kill his work colleagues." Roark Coleman said, a tinge of 'triumph' in his voice. Joanne was quick to reply.

"Just because she may not have unloaded the gun," she said bitterly, "doesn't mean she set it up for murder. And what would her motive be?"

Lt. Jerome Davis said "Her husband was going to be fired by Hogue and Maple. That's one motive."

"If she knew." Cpt. Claire Michaels replied. "But there's no evidence of that. She didn't get along with Harriet Hogue nor Tia Maple, so I doubt they told her."

Roark Coleman said "I have an idea that is outside the box, but I think it fits the data. From what I'm hearing of Tom and Tia Hogue, they're apart in ages but well-matched professionally. Maybe Tom married Tia to be a trophy wife, to help him in his business, but a guy like Tom would... want more. So I am wondering if, say, Tom Maple and Marla Locklear started having an affair."

Teddy Parker said: "That would explain Marla's increasing dissatisfaction with her husband, especially in bed. And both Marla and Stanley said Tia Maple seemed friendly to Marla, then something changed there."

Joanne said "But if that was the case, why would Marla arrange something that could get Tom killed... as that is what happened? That keeps me on track of my theory, that Stanley became aware of the affair as well as the roleplay setup, reloaded the gun without telling Marla that he knew she'd unloaded it, and shot Tom as well as Chuck."

Roark said "But Stanley said he did not reload the gun, and he didn't know who they were. Why do you assume he's lying?"

Joanne fired back: "Why do you assume he's not lying?"

"All right, guys." admonished Commander Croyle. "Stop sniping at each other, and support your own ideas."

Roark said "There's one other thing: Dr. Fredricson said there was a sexual familiarity between Marla and Tom. And I know I'm in her doghouse, but I think what she said corroborates the idea that Tom and Marla had started an affair."

I just had to cut in: "Started?" I asked. As everyone turned to me, I said "I like what you're thinking, Mister Roark, but expand on it."

"Wait!" Jerome Davis exclaimed. He turned to Mary Milton and said "Didn't you say Marla was 37 and Tom was 36? What if they knew each other already? Like in college? And they were having sexual relations far longer than just the last few months?"

Teresa looked back at me with a small grin and held up that piece of paper I'd given her. The first thing I'd written on it was 'Marla Locklear and Tom Maple are close in age. They could've known each other in college. Ditto that for Chuck Hogue and Stanley Locklear.'

I stood up and said "That is Iron Crowbar thinking there, Lieutenant Davis. And I believe you are correct. Here, hold this." I handed Jerome the red crowbar, then sat back down.

"Wow, that opens up new lines." said Theo Washington. "But we don't have anything actionable on either Stanley or Marla, do we?"

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

The door opened to reveal the Duty Desk Sergeant. "Chief," he said, "D.A. Walters is here, with ADA Fineman. She says she wants to meet with you, or with Captain Michaels... but not with Commander Troy."

"How dare she not invite me to the party." I said witheringly.

Chief Moynahan said "Bring them to the Main Conference Room, and I'll join them in a minute." As the Duty Desk Sergeant closed the door, the Chief said "I'll handle them, Mister Crowbarrrr. You guys keep at it. Stay seated, please." He got up and exited the room.

Teresa said "You might as well join us at the table, sir." I nodded and did so, sitting in the Chief's normal chair at the end of the table.

Theo Washington raised his hand, then spoke up: "Sir, many of your cases involved what you call 'Big Boys' and 'Swamp Frogs'. Tom Maple started his career at BigPharmaCorp, and Chuck Hogue at BigBenefitInsurance. What if Tom wanted to be one of those 'Big Boys', and was told he wasn't good enough for them. So he goes back to school, works harder to make contacts, and prepare himself for a better career with them."

Theo: "And maybe he was dating Marla out of school, but they told him he needed to 'upgrade' from her to be one of them. So he finds Tia and marries her, and she's a much better match professionally."

I said "That's good thinking... but not quite crowbar-worthy. Consider this---"

*BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!*

That was my Police iPhone, and it was Chief Moynahan. You better bee-lieeeve I answered it. "Yes, Chief?"

"Come to the Main Conference Roommmm, please." the Chief said.

After disconnecting, I said "Commander Croyle, you're with me. The rest of you, you're doing very well. Keep it up, and we'll talk more when I get back..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Teresa and I went to the Main Conference Room. Jerome still had my red crowbar, and I felt a little 'unarmed' without it. And rightly so... when we got to the Main Conference Room, we found the Chief sitting there with D.A. Miriam Walters and ADA Savannah Fineman.

"You rang, Chief?" I said as Teresa and I went around and sat down on the other side of the table.

"Yezzz." said Chief Moynahan. "D.A. Walters has a question for yoooo."

I turned my head and affixed my gray eyes onto Miriam's beady black peepers, and said "I have a question, too... why did you bring this piece of dog shit into my Headquarters? She's not welcome here, and you know it." Savannah glared at me. I just looked at Miriam, as if Savannah did not exist.

Miriam glared at me, too, then said "Because I've assigned the Locklear case to her. And that's my question: when are you going to refer that case to us for prosecution?"

I was surprised by that. I said "When we have a case to refer. I'm not sure there is a case at all. Right now it looks like a tragic accident."

"We don't agree." said Miriam. "We're going to go to the Grand Jury, to indict Stanley Locklear, for murder in the first degree..."

To be continued.