Page 12 of Last Seen Alive
“And that’s what he did? He didn’t touch anything?” Fred had his pen poised over the page.
“That’s right.” She was almost leery to say as much even though it was the truth, as if her words would be twisted and used against her somehow.
“He went nowhere near the gun that you saw?”
“The gun?” She’d play stupid.
Fred smirked and scribbled something down. “What was Mr.Hunter’s reaction to the scene?”
“Genuine shock.” She hadn’t missed that Fred ignored her question.
“Genuine,” Fred parroted, his focus on his notepad as he wrote more.
He fired additional questions at her. When did she and Logan connect last night? Where? When? How? These were followed by ones more focused on Logan’s character. An hour and a half after entering the room, Fred closed his folder.
“Cop to cop, I’m going to tell you that things aren’t looking good for your friend,” Fred disclosed. “There was a SIG Sauer P320 left on the dresser. Logan has already confirmed it is his gun. Registration records back up his claim.”
Tingles spread across the back of her neck, down her arms. “And when did he say this?”
“When we asked if he owned one.”
“Before he requested a lawyer?”
“Of course.”
“So you manipulated things. What did you do… ask him in a conversational manner? Stress how important it was he be honest with you?”
“We didn’tmanipulateanything,” Fred said, “but the situation seems pretty damning against your friend.”
Situation…It hardly seemed strong enough a word. “You said her ID was Deb Smith. Any connection between Logan and a woman of that name?”
“Yeah. She was found dead in his bed,” Fred volleyed back, his gaze hardened.
This investigation was feeling pigeonholed, with everyone already pointing their finger at Logan. “You can’t just take some circumstantial evidence and run with it. You need to build a case.”
“Believe me, we’ve got one.”
“I would need to hear more to believe that,” she snapped.
“What more is there? His gun, his bed, dead woman in it. His prints are going to be all over the weapon.”
“Possibly, but it is his gun. That would make sense. But maybe… Now just entertain the possibility that someone is trying to frame him.”
Fred groaned. “I can understand you’d want to believe the best about this guy but, Amanda, you need to see it from our perspective—”
“Yours or Sergeant Graves’s?” She wished she could backpedal that one. Both detectives’ faces fell. Amanda toyed with the collar of her shirt, dropped her hand when she realized what she was doing. “I see the importance of handling this case by the book. A PWCPD detective was on scene, and there can’t be any media speculation of playing favorites, but Logan Hunter shouldn’t have to pay for my being at his home.”
“Amanda,” Natalie said gently, “even if you weren’t there, this would be where we are with the investigation. Mr.Hunter’s gun, a woman he claims is his estranged wife. There’s likely motive. He also doesn’t have an alibi for the time of her death.”
Amanda sat there, taking in all that Natalie had just said. Surely there had to be some mistake, something they were missing. She swallowed roughly.Think,she coached herself. All this emphasis being placed on Logan’s gun… “Has Mr.Hunter’s gun been confirmed as the murder weapon?”
“The vic was shot with a nine mil. Same as Hunter’s SIG Sauer,that was on scene.” Fred put special emphasis on the latter bit.
“Sounds convenient, but that doesn’t mean that it was the one used to kill her.”
“Just a matter of time before ballistics confirm.” Fred glanced at Natalie, and the glint in his eyes and the set of his mouth pissed Amanda off even more.
“You are rather confident, but I’m interested in solid evidence. I haven’t heard any yet. Cop instinct and common sense are telling me that.” She didn’t care if she offended either of them. Let Fred and Natalie take her words as they wished. She went on. “There hasn’t even been an autopsy conducted yet. The round that killed her might not have come from Hunter’s gun.”
