| Q & A |
[12 Nov 2007|08:29pm] |
By the time Starnes got a chance to speak to Tonya Patterson, several days had gone by and the coroner's report had been filed. Henry Shockley had been shot once in the back of the head at point-blank range before he'd been put in that dumpster, and the lack of an exit wound indicated that a small caliber weapon had been used. She had meant to interview the woman the night of the killing, but she'd simply been in no shape to answer anything coherently, and so she'd been allowed to go home. Looking down at the information she'd been able to piece together from the other cops at the scene, the detective sat down in a folding chair across from the younger woman and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Are you feeling up to this today, Ms. Patterson? I understand this must be a difficult thing for you." Not her business how skeevy Shockley must have been picking up a girl this age, after all. Tonya was at least of legal age, so they didn't have to add statutory rape to the list of things that might have gotten him killed. Toying with a half-full cup of lukewarm coffee, the younger blonde shook her head.
"I'm fine. I guess. Henry's got family close by, they're taking care of the arrangements." She sniffled once, looked down into her styrofoam cup. "When did you see him last?" "We were supposed to go to a late dinner after he got off of work, but he never showed up." "Where did he work?" No eye contact now, the other woman was too busy looking everywhere except at her. "He was self-employed," Tonya Patterson replied, sounding just the tiniest bit sullen. "Self-employed," Starnes repeated, making a note. Wondered if Tonya knew her boyfriend dealt drugs, if maybe she had been buying from him. If the killing was a deal that had gone bad, she might be able to provide some relevant information.
"Did he mention any problems he was having at...work?" The interview room was cool today, almost cold. A window was open, letting in a November breeze. Starnes shifted in her chair, picked up her own mug. The contents were rapidly cooling, but it still tasted like coffee as opposed to something that had been scooped out of a mud puddle. She sipped at it, set the cup aside. Tonya shook her head, lifting her eyes to meet the cop's gaze. "If there was anything, he never mentioned it. Henry wasn't a complainer, he could solve his problems without bitching about them."
Henry. A gentle, sweet-sounding name for someone with a record of assault and larceny. Starnes had already seen Shockley's file, both his file and the autopsy report. And she wondered again how this girl had come into contact with such a man. "No problems? No one was angry with him? Maybe he owed someone money...?"
"No!" Dyed blonde hair brushed the frayed collar of Tonya's denim jacket as she shook her head, and she pushed the cup aside to clasp her hands together. She was wearing too much eye make-up, but beneath the facade of maturity, Starnes could see the eyes of a bewildered child staring out at her. "Everyone loved Henry. He was always a barrel of laughs, a good tipper when we went to restaurants, a real gentleman. He said he was gonna take me to California one day. That he was gonna m-m-ma-marry me..." Her lower lip trembled, and she bit down on it to hold the tears at bay. Her thin shoulders shook, and the cop in Starnes fought it out with the mother as she passed a few fresh tissues across the table.
"Do you know what he did for money?" A soft-pedaled question, trying to stave off any possible hysterics. Tonya shrugged, her posture turning defenisve in the chair. "I never asked. I knew he always had a lot of cash on hand, but I didn't..." She trailed off, letting out a shaky breath. "He was nice to me, y'know? He bought me stuff and he didn't hit me. Rina said he was bad news, but a lot of people get in trouble with the cops. That doesn't mean they're the devil."
"Rina?" Starnes looked down at her notebook again, found no mention of the name. "My sister. Our dad died a few years ago, so she sort of took me in for a while. She wanted me to go back to school and stuff, but after I started going out with Henry I told her I didn't want to. She said Henry was a bad influence." The younger woman's mouth tightened with remembered pique, then softened again.
"He was a nice guy." Stubborn now, digging her heels in. Not Starnes' problem. Thank God for small favors, she only had to solve the murder and not fix this child's life.
"Thank you for coming in, Ms. Patterson. Is there a number where I can reach you, in case I have more questions?" "Yeah, um..." Tonya rummaged through her imitation leather purse for a scrap of paper, coming up with a stub of pencil as well. She scrawled a number on a gas reciept and handed it to the detective, trying to shore herself up. "I'm stayin' with a friend from work until after the funeral. The cops won't let me into Henry's place, so I'm kind of livin' out of a paper bag right now." "I can authorize you to be allowed inside if you'd like to get some of your personal belongings." "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great."
Starnes escorted Tonya outside to the parking lot, then let out a breath. Rina. Rina, apparently, had not loved Henry Shockley. She would run Tonya's name through the system, check for next of kin to get a last name. Connecting the dots until she found the killer.
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