Whodunit

Rollie knew Poulson and Zambrano were good detectives; probably the second-best in the unit behind himself and Leslie. He knew if there were any evidence to find, Poulson and Zambrano would find it, which they did the next day. Doing a more thorough canvassing of the neighborhood, the pair spoke to the block busybody, and were further enlightened.

Helen Abernathy told the two detectives that she had seen Leonard's girlfriend at his home dozens of times over the last two years. She was medium height, had shoulder-length blonde hair, a curvy body and was pretty from what she could tell from her house three doors down. She had last been seen at Leonard's home on Sunday afternoon, just after lunch.

The two detectives knew Rollie's wife from being in the same unit as her husband for several years. Helen Abernathy's description of Leonard's girlfriend fit Rollie's wife to a "T." What was new was the fact that she was at his house Sunday afternoon, which would have been the time of the murder.

Although Rollie wasn't part of the investigation as he was chained to a desk as part of department protocol, Gray had included him in the briefings from Poulson and Zambrano as a courtesy. He sat practically frozen in place as the pair related what Helen Abernathy laid out for them.

"Fuck," he whispered when the pair was finished with their report. "She had motive, means and opportunity." The other three men in the room quietly nodded in agreement.

"Even though I had my doubts that she could actually kill someone, this is really bad, gentleman," he said.

In yet another interview with the detectives, Sandy again denied seeing Leonard Sunday afternoon.

"I told you guys, I was waiting for clients for a showing. They didn't show up. I sat in my car reading for two hours before I left," she angrily insisted.

"Then how come one of Mr. Leonard's neighbors saw you at his house Sunday afternoon, a little after noon?"

"She's wrong. I wasn't there."

"She knows exactly what you look like after seeing you for the past two years. She picked your photo out of an array," Zambrano said.

"No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!" she shrilled.

Sandy was scared when she got home. Her attorney had explained to her what a conviction for murder would mean... and unless the police could suddenly find something that would point to someone else...

"Seriously, Rollie, I didn't kill that two-timing prick," she wailed. "I didn't know he was cheating on me. You know I couldn't kill..."

She stopped ranting suddenly when she realized she had made that same pitch several times over the ensuing weeks. It was obvious that Rollie no longer trusted her. She supposed that she no longer deserved his trust.

It didn't escape Rollie that her assessment of Leonard had changed from love to something much less when she found out she was just one of several lovers for the artist. Huh. Love can be so fleeting, he thought to himself.

Rollie and Sandy had been living like estranged roommates for several months, making their own meals, doing their own laundry and rarely communicating. Even when the kids visited, Rollie mostly kept to himself. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Rollie's relationship with his children had deteriorated to barely above rock bottom as they continued to harp to their father that he needed to get over their mother's infidelity and support her unconditionally during her trial.

"I hope you two never have to experience this feelin' of havin' a broken heart," Rollie said to his children during one disagreement. "I gave her everythin' for 24 years. Somewhere along the line, my love wasn't enough for her, and she found someone else, only she apparently couldn't figure out how to tell me... or get rid of me."

The wheels of justice turn slowly, and it was about nine months before Sandy's murder trial started. From there, it only took five days before a jury came back with a guilty plea. Sandy wept uncontrollably in the courtroom. Several rows behind her, Rollie sat impassively. It had been a lifetime since the two had both said "I do" in a small church in front of about 100 people.

"What went wrong?" he thought to himself. "I thought we'd grow old together, bounce grandbabies on our knees, maybe even great-grandbabies.

"Did I ever really know her?"

Sandy was the cutest little thing he had laid eyes on when he spotted her in the greasy-spoon taco joint one Saturday after a night of drinking in his junior year of college. Jose's was the place to hit to help quell the ravages of the hangover that would be coming the next morning.

She had long blonde hair and really filled out her tight jeans. Considering his vision was a little blurry from the large amount of alcohol he had ingested earlier, he knew he needed to get closer to see if she was really as pretty as he thought she was.

"Wow. You really are gorgeous," Rollie said as he blatantly looked the woman up and down.

"I beg your pardon," Sandy Nesbitt said as she turned toward the obviously inebriated young man. The other three women she was with also turned toward the man, none looking very happy.

"Oh shit. Did I say that out loud?" the young man asked with a sheepish, drunk grin.

The girl to the right of the goddess stepped up to the drunk and put her hands up in a threatening manner.

"How about leaving before I kick you in the nuts so hard your kids will all have disabilities?" she rasped at him.

"Because I told the truth about your friend... Oh shit, she's your girl. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to diss you," Rollie said as he swayed in his spot.

"What? No, she's not my girlfriend, but she is my friend, and you're just being a rude drunk. Now go away."

One of the guys who came in with Rollie walked up at that point, hearing the exchange.

"I'm sorry. Is Rollie bothering you? Whatever he said, he's sorry for. He's had a bit more than normal for him," the friend said.

"Wait a minute. I'm not that drunk," Rollie insisted. "But she is seriously good-looking."

Rollie was pointing at the blonde. His friend looked over at her, then nodded in agreement.

"Yes, she is, but it's time for us to go," he said.

"I'll go, but I need to get your phone number," Rollie said to the blonde.

The blonde woman had been checking out the young man. He was over 6-feet tall, appeared to be fit and was handsome with bright blue eyes. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then told Rollie to stick out his hand. She took a pen out of her purse and wrote a phone number on his palm.

"I'll never wash this hand again," he slurred.

"Well, at least not until you call her first," his friend added as the two men exchanged high fives.

Sandy wasn't sure Rollie would even remember talking to her in the morning, so she was a bit surprised when she got his call the next afternoon. Although she wasn't that impressed with him the night before, she remembered he seemed to be smitten with her in his drunken state. She admitted to her friends the night before she thought he was cute, and truthfully, what girl can resist a cute guy who is willing to make a fool out of himself impressing a girl. She accepted a date for the next Friday night.

The two got intimate on their fourth date. They were married a year after they graduated. They had their ups and downs like any couple, but Rollie never had a clue his wife was unhappy with him or their marriage. He wouldn't have been happy had she said she wanted a divorce, but at least that wouldn't have been deceitful, and she didn't have to cheat on him for two years, Rollie thought.

Still, he knew Sandy better than anyone in the world, and deep down he had a niggling doubt that this woman could have killed another human being. His doubts didn't count, though; the evidence pointed to Sandy. After what she had been doing to him for the past two years, he resolved to himself that he wouldn't lose a minute's sleep worrying about what would happen to her. As for Leonard, well, karma truly is a bitch, he chuckled to himself.

Rollie was reinstated to field duty after his wife's trial and he and Leslie were again teamed up. About a year later, they were sitting in a diner for their dinner break during a shift. Rollie was watching Leslie nibble on a dinner roll when for the thousandth time he noticed how closely she resembled the woman who had become his ex-wife four months ago.

"Why did you kill him, Les?" Rollie said just above a whisper.

Leslie never missed a beat in her chewing pattern. She figured it was only a matter of time before Rollie figured it out, and she wouldn't disrespect him by playing stupid.

"I was only going to hurt him a bit, but then he got mouthy and started saying shit about you. I gave him one free shot at you, then I took the second shot, literally."

Rollie decided that he and Leslie needed to finish this discussion in the privacy of his vehicle. He waited for about 30 seconds while Leslie stammered for a bit before she spilled.

"I found out that Sandy was cheating on you about two months before I ended him," Leslie said. "I debated about whether to tell you. I knew it wasn't going to go well for both you and him.

"So I finally decided to confront the bastard myself. I wore my regular clothes but I badged him to get into his home. I was just going to try to scare him, but he wouldn't take the hint. Then he started bad-mouthing you; said he and Sandy used to laugh about her idiot small-dicked husband all the time. He said he wasn't afraid of you and wasn't going to stop, so I shot him. Just that simple.

"I used the spare key to your house that you gave me years ago to get Sandy's gun from the hiding place you had told me about. I really wasn't planning on killing the douchebag, but I wasn't going to use my own gun if I had to."

"So it was you or someone you know who set up the Sunday showing for Sandy which went bust?" Rollie said.

She nodded her head and gave him a sideways smile.

"Can I tell you one more thing?" Leslie asked.

It was Rollie's turn to nod.

"I love you, Roll. I have for several years now. But I was never going to act on that, until your stupid wife fucked up. Now... well, I'd like to be considered for the open spot in your bed and your heart," she said.

Rollie looked surprised.

"You know, for a smart guy, you really are clueless, Roll," she said.

The two sat silently in the car for about a minute.

"Now what happens, Rollie?" Leslie asked. "Do you want to take me in, or should I turn myself in."

"So let me see if I've got the facts right," Rollie said. "The man who seduced my wife is dead, my cheatin' whore of an ex-wife is in jail for life and the woman who loves me is sitting in the seat next to me... I'm okay with the way things are. Let's just keep this between me and you."

Leslie smiled brightly at Rollie. He returned her smile, started the car and drove off.