Jessie found herself not wanting to push him even farther before suddenly getting pissed at herself.This was ridiculous.The guy might be sympathetic and almost preternaturally charming, but this was an interrogation.She needed to snap out of it.
“One other thing we’re a little confused on,” she said as if it was just an afterthought.“Your firm booked you a room at a hotel in downtown San Diego while you were there.But we recently learned that—according to the housekeeping staff—you didn’t seem to sleep there.The bed was made and it looked like the room was unoccupied the whole time.”
He looked at her sheepishly.“If I tell you something in confidence, can you promise that it won’t get back to my employer?”
She wanted to say yes and had to fight the urge.Before she spoke, Karen jumped in.
“It depends on whether it’s relevant to our investigation,” she told him, her tone far more forgiving than usual.Apparently, Jason Mannix’s magnetism were having an effect on her too.“Tell us and we’ll decide from there.”
“Okay.I always accept the hotel booking they provide because I don’t want to give up the perk or the points.But a lot of times when I’m travelling, I’ll stay with a buddy.It allows me to relax a little more.I get to hang out with a friend, maybe go out for a bite and a beer, or stay in and watch a game.The road gets lonely and being able to have people around that I’m close to is a real luxury.Then again, sometimes I just want some alone time in an anonymous hotel.So, I let the firm book stays for me.I figure they can afford to eat the cost when I’m grinding away for them for over eighty percent of the year.Maybe that’s wrong, but it’s how I get by.”
“That’s fine,” Karen said in a tone that suggested it wasn’t.“We’re not here to judge your lodging decisions.But you gave your address last night as the hotel, which sent us down an unnecessary rabbit hole.You should have given us your friend’s address and contact information.”
“You’re right,” he said.“That seems obvious once you point it out.I’ll give it to you now.”
As Mannix scrolled through his phone there was a knock on the door and Ryan poked his head in.Jessie got up and walked over.
“I’m ready to leave for the day,” he whispered.“But if you’re not going to be much longer, I can stick around.Otherwise, are you cool taking a rideshare home?”
She looked back at Mannix and tried to think about what else they could ask him.Unfortunately, by his own admission, he didn’t know as much about his own wife’s personal life as he should.She wasn’t sure how much more she could glean from him.
Karen, still seated, seemed to read her mind even though she hadn’t heard their conversation.
“Go home, Jessie.I’ll wrap this up.”
“You sure?”
“Trust me,” she said.“I’ll be right behind you.”
Left unsaid was what both of them were thinking.Assuming that Mannix’s alibi held up, they were out of leads for the day.They’d start fresh tomorrow.Maybe by then there would be something new to pursue.
Because right now, they were no closer to catching Laren Mitchell’s killer than when they first encountered her lifeless body.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Detective Van Castiglione wasn’t in a good mood.Of course, being called to a murder scene at four in the morning tended to have that effect.
As he waited for his partner to arrive, he stared down at the victim.Her name was Sarah Winters, and it looked like her last few moments had been rough.She was lying on her back on the floor of her kitchen.Her throat was slit clean across, and blood from the gaping wound had settled into her long blonde hair.The medical examiner, who had already been here for fifteen minutes, pointed out several red spots on her chest that looked like small burn marks.
“What are those?”Castiglione asked.
“I’m not 100% sure,” she replied.“But on first inspection, I think she might have been tased.We’ll know more once we get her back to the morgue lab.Will Carver be joining us?”
Castiglione chuckled darkly to himself.Even the M.E.knew about his partner's penchant for late arrivals.He had a brief internal debate about whether he should wait for the guy to show up before asking more questions.But he was tired, grumpy, and impatient, so he pressed ahead.
“He’ll be here when he gets here but I’m pressing ahead,” he grumbled.“Can you give me an approximate time of death?”
“Very approximate,” she said.“Looking at the blood that pooled around her on the floor, I’d say more than a couple of hours ago but less than eight.”
“So sometime between 8 P.M.and 2 A.M.?”
“Again, that timing is super rough until we run more tests, but I’d say that’s a solid range.”
Castiglione looked around.
“Who found the body again?”he asked the assembled officers.
A nervous-looking cop in his mid-twenties stepped forward.
