Dana looked like she'd seen a ghost. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"Not in and of itself. But conspiring with him to kill your husband is illegal. That would be conspiracy to commit murder.”
Dana swallowed hard again. "I did no such thing!”
"Dana, I know you thought you were doing the right thing, getting a monster like Ray off the street. But Ray wasn't the monster."
Regret tortured her face, and her brow knitted. Her eyes brimmed.
"I think Ray was an innocent guy, and now he's dead."
The tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks.
"As it stands, you're going to go down for conspiracy to commit murder unless you become a prosecution witness. I promise, I can get you a reduced sentence as long as you agree to testify and fully cooperate with law enforcement.” I didn't have anything conclusive. Just a solid hunch and a list of phone calls and texts. "You’ve got two kids to think about. You don’t want them in a foster home. I will do everything I can to make sure you don’t see any jail time.”
I didn’t have the authority to make a deal, but I wanted answers.
The thought of losing her kids put the fear of God into her.
36
Dana broke down into sobs. “How could I have been so wrong about this?”
“I think a lot of people were wrong about Ray for a long time,” I said. “Tell me about Stephen Pike.”
“Chris put us in touch,” she said, wiping her eyes. “He told me about his sister, about the horrible things that were done to her. After what Chris had shared with me, I despised Ray. I was convinced he was a killer.” She paused. “I don’t know how the idea first came about. I spoke to Stephen on a regular basis. Truth be told, I grew quite fond of our conversations. They weren’t all about horrible things. One night, he said he could take care of the problem. I knew what he meant.” Tears filled her eyes again. “He told me to just say the word, and he would serve justice. I think he wanted my permission. I didn't want anything to happen around the kids or near the house. When Ray went out on the house call, I let Stephen know. I gave him the address, and that was it." The tears spilled over, and she broke down into sobs again.
"I need you to come down to the station and repeat what you just told me," I said.
She nodded.
"I’m going to take you into custody. Stand up, turn around, and place your hands behind your back."
Panic filled her eyes. "What about my kids? They’ll be out of school soon.”
"Is there someone you can call to look after them?”
She nodded. "I can call Tricia."
"I'll let you call her from the station," I said. “DCF will be notified.”
Dana complied, and I slapped the cuffs around her wrists. “You have the right to remain silent…”
Denise called for a patrol unit, and I escorted Dana to the curb when the squad car arrived.
A few curious neighbors peered through blinds. She’d be the talk of the neighborhood before long.
I stuffed Dana into the back of the patrol car, and she was taken to the station, processed, and printed.
Denise and I returned, filled out after-action reports, then I paid Dana a visit. She repeated her statement for the camera, then I filled out an application for a warrant.
Judge Echols signed off on it.
I called Jack. “Hey, we’re going to pop the guy who killed Ray.”
“What!?”
I told him the story.
