Page 38 of Craving Vengeance
Shannon rested her hand on Spinelli’s shoulder. “I’ll wait for you in the lunchroom.
A nod was all he could muster before he headed in the direction of the small dimly lit room adjacent to the interrogation room. He stood in front of the two-way mirror staring into the next room as he waited for the suspect to arrive. Walker entered a moment later.
“Where’s Marsh?” Spinelli asked.
“He’s with Lisa in IT. They’re still combing through Bethany’s emails, looking for anything that ties her to the victims.”
Spinelli shifted his gaze back to the empty interrogation room. The room was dimly lit and clean. A metal table sat in the center. Its color a gloomy gray. The room was so tiny one was hardly able to walk around the table. One burnt orange, plastic chair sat on each of the long sides of the rectangular table, making the room even tighter. He hated those old, ugly, uncomfortable chairs. He was sure they’d been in that room since the beginning of time. But those crappy old chairs did exactly what they were supposed to which was to keep the suspect from becoming too comfortable. He hated the smell of the room, too. The odor reminded him of a musty basement.
He wished they would just get here so they could get this over with. He glanced at Walker who’d partially propped himself up on the table behind him. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he stared through the two-way mirror into the empty interrogation room. The door to the interrogation room opened, drawing Spinelli’s attention.
Bethany stepped into the room then looked back at Captain Jackson who followed on her heels. Jackson gestured toward one of the chairs, and Bethany slid it out from under the table and took a seat. She scooted the chair up to the table and rested her arms on the tabletop. She drummed her fingers as if annoyed.
Jackson remained standing on the same side of the table in which Bethany sat; about an arm’s length away. Spinelli was sure Jackson stood between Bethany and the door by design. It was an interrogation strategy. The suspect would have to go through the interrogator if she tried to make a run for it.
“Bethany, did the officers tell you why we wanted you to come down to the station?” Jackson asked. Her voice was soft and controlled.
Bethany nodded. “They mentioned something about me knowing one of the dead cupids.”
“That’s right. How did you know him?”
“What do you mean? How did I know him? He worked in this building. Mostly I saw him in the parking lot when we arrived in the morning or left at night.”
“You’re talking about Chad Williams?” Jackson questioned.
“Yeah.”
Spinelli arched a brow and looked at Walker. “Question diversion?” An attempt often made by suspects to get the interrogator to move in a different direction.
“Could be.”
Jackson’s gaze stayed on Bethany. “Oh, so then you know two of the cupids.”
“What?”
“Joshua Meyers. You knew him as well?”
“No.”
Jackson arched a brow. “Hmm, he didn’t look at all familiar to you when you examined him?”
“No.”
“That’s odd. You’d think after all those years in medical school together you would have run into him at one time or another.”
“Well, it’s not like we were the only two in the graduating class.”
“You’re right,” Jackson said as she cocked her head to the side.
“What do you know about tropical fish?”
Bethany studied Jackson for a few beats. She looked puzzled. “They’re pretty.”
“That’s it? Nothing else?”
Bethany’s jaw clenched. “The males tend to be prettier than the females.”
“Does that upset you?”
