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Sean approached with a box of tissues. Dash took one, spat his gum into it, and then handed it to Sean.

“I’m sorry. I always chew gum when I’m nervous,” he said.

“Understandable,” I replied, opening the folder. “If you didn’t know Raymond Chandler, other than from work, can you explain this?” I pulled out three photos Craig had taken, showing him in a lip lock with Raymond in his SUV.

The color drained from his face, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “How… how did you get these?”

I didn’t answer his question. “By the looks of it, you had more than a working relationship with him… am I right in that assumption?”

His hand went to the photographs, and he dropped his head. “I…uh, we’d been seeing each other for over a year.” He looked at the photos but didn’t continue.

“And?” I prompted.

“And… and he was going to leave his wife to be with me.”

“That is until his wife had him followed,” I said, tapping a finger on the middle photograph. I then pulled out a photograph the forensic team had taken, showing a yellow evidence marker with a wad of chewing gum on the cement floor of the Chandlers’ garage. I dropped it on top of the incriminating photos Craig had supplied. Sean stepped forward and produced a small, sealed evidence jar containing the gum that had been found. He set it on the table next to the photograph.

“This is a wad of chewing gum found in the Chandlers’ garage next to where the Jaguar was parked. Forensics processed the scene. I assume you were nervous the night you snuck into their garage to cut his brake lines. It tells me you carelessly spit out your gum.”

“That doesn’t tell you anything. That gum could have been there a long time, and it doesn’t prove it was mine,” he retorted smugly.

I picked up the jar. “We’ve got ample DNA from this wad of chewing gum, and we’ll compare it with the gum you just handed Sean in a tissue. If the DNA is a match, that will prove it was you I saw on their home surveillance system.”

The look on his face spoke volumes as his eyes darted from Sean to me and back. He knew we had him.

He paused briefly before slamming his fist on the table, his face red with anger. “That fucker came to see me that night and told me we were through, that his wife knew everything and would probably leave him. He said she was the one with all the money, and he needed to make things right with her. She didn’t know he was bisexual.” He dropped his head into his hands, his anger subsiding. “Raymond told me months ago he was going to leave her for me.”

I pulled out a copy of the life insurance policy from the folder. “And you knew he’d taken out this life insurance policy on himself, naming you as the beneficiary. Is that correct?”

He glanced at the policy. “Yes. I knew. He named me as the beneficiary, since we’d eventually be together. His wife knew nothing about it. I-I figured maybe I could at least get something if I couldn’t have him.”

I almost felt sorry for the guy, yet he was responsible for what happened to Raymond, all for a quick buck. He took a man’s life for money. It hit me hard to know that Raymond had been killed in that car accident, whereas Craig had been spared the same fate.

I stood, pushing the chair back. I walked around the table and pulled Dash up by his arm. Sean came around to the other side and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

“I think I’d better call my lawyer,” he said, realizing he’d just confessed to killing his lover.

“Dashell Matthews, you’re under arrest for the murder of Raymond Chandler.”

44

CRAIG

Iwas surprised to hear they had a wad of chewing gum in evidence. Jonesy hadn’t told me that. It was brilliant how he effortlessly guided the interrogation, from presenting the photos I had taken to the gum DNA and then to getting a confession out of the guy. Color me impressed.

The thing that struck me most was that Dash was simply a pretty face with no sense of morals. His outward cockiness and bravado were a façade. His motivation was money and greed, which were usually top-tier reasons for murder.

I watched Sean escort Dash from the room, Jonesy close behind. Within moments, the door to the observation room opened, giving me the opportunity to start a slow clap at Jonesy’s expense.

“Stop it,” he hissed with no bite behind it. I laughed.

“I didn’t know you had gum evidence. That was brilliant, making him spit out his gum for you.”

“Gum is one of the best things that collects epithelial cells and spit for DNA. When we found out that a semi-fresh wad of gum had been retrieved, I had Sean call Brooke Chandler to see whether she or her husband chewed gum. She apparently took offense that we would think she and Raymond even put gum in their mouths,” he chuckled.

“I’m sure Brooke will be relieved that the case is solved. It’s still bittersweet, though, losing her husband.”

He blew out a long breath. “What a fucking day. But arrests and confessions make a mighty fine cocktail,” he said, walking up to me.