“Might,” Coop said.
“A good friend. Satisfied?”
“And can this––”
“Kristin Tanner.”
“Can this Kristin Tanner back up your story?” Coop said.
“She flies in this weekend, you can ask her yourself.”
“When did you see her last?”
“Kristin?”
“Charlotte.”
He looked at his fingers like he was trying to count it out.
“Not for a couple months at least.”
“Well that’s interesting,” Coop said.
Parker attempted to lean back in his chair, but the metal on the legs slid around on the floor.
“Why is that?”
Coop careened forward and stuck his pointer finger about an inch from Parkers face.
“A valet at Wildwood puts you outside Miss Halliwell’s car about three weeks ago.”
Parker looked startled. And he wasn’t the only one.
“I’ll ask you again,” Coop said. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“I told you, a couple months ago. The valet must have me confused with somebody else.”
Coop turned up one corner of his mouth and smirked. Parker didn’t get it yet, but I did. He had him right where he wanted.
“Is that right,” Coop said.
“That’s right.”
Parker’s hot shot lawyer, who up until now sat idly by without so much as a word, decided it was time he made some use of himself.
“I’m not sure what you’re playing at Mr. Cooper, but I won’t tolerate you harassing my client.”
“It’s Detective Cooper,” he said, “and I asked a simple question.”
“And I answered it,” Parker said.
Coop recoiled back in his chair, but from the look on his face it was far from over. He said nothing for about twenty seconds. He just fixed his eyes on Parker and remained still.
“Let me lay it out for you son,” he said. “The witness said you confronted Miss Halliwell at her vehicle and when she tried to open her car door, you stopped her.”
Parker scoffed at the comment.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Oh, I’m not done,” Coop said.
“You also physically held her down and didn’t allow her to get into her car.”
“This is outrageous,” the lawyer said. “He already answered your question. It wasn’t him, and he wasn’t there.”
Coop was on a roll now, and he wasn’t about to let up.
“You were there son,” he said. “You know it and I know it.”
Parker loosened his tie and adjusted his collar which appeared damp. He uncrossed his legs and then crossed them again on the other side.
“I came in here voluntarily to answer your questions, but all you want to do is paint me into a corner. If that’s the case, I refuse to answer any more of your questions.”
Coop glared at Parker. Parker stared back. The lawyer looked at his legal pad and pushed the top of his pen up and down. It made a snapping noise.
“I want you to find whoever did this to Charlotte,” Parker said. “Despite what you people think, I cared for her. My feelings haven’t gone away just because she’s dead.”
Coop pretended to regard his sentiments for a moment.
“Would you like to help me Mr. Stanton?”
“That’s why I agreed to come here in the first place.”
“Then cut the bullshit and tell me the truth,” Coop said.
Parker flung out of his chair. It turned sideways and clanked when it hit the floor. He grabbed his lawyers arm and jerked him out of his seat. They both headed in unison for the door. Coop made no movement of any kind and remained calm and collected.
Parker reached for the doorknob and twisted it.
“If you don’t want to believe me that’s up to you,” he said, “but you know as well as I do that you don’t have enough to hold me. Enjoy the rest of your day Detective.”
“Oh I will,” Coop said. “Would you like to know how I’m going to spend it?”
“What interest is that of mine?”
“Did you know Wildwood has 24-hour surveillance set up in almost every location of the resort? Five in the parking area alone, to be exact. And I expect copies of those recordings to arrive anytime now.”
Parker loosened his death grip on the door handle and turned to his lawyer. They exchanged glances. The lawyer closed the door.
Coop stood up and pushed his chair in and turned toward Parker. The lawyer leaned over and whispered in his ear. Parker didn’t say a word.
“Let’s go over this one more time,” Coop said. “You went to Wildwood that day and you and Charlotte argued.”
Parker looked at his lawyer who shook his head.
“We engaged in a civilized conversation between two people, so what.”
“When I review the surveillance all I’m going to see is a friendly little chat between two people?”
“So I got a little angry with her, what about it. Couples fight all the time.”
“Don’t say another word,” the lawyer said.
“It proves you have a temper,” Coop said.
Parker laughed.
“Doesn’t everybody?”
“Not everybody hits women,” Coop said.
Parker’s lawyer applied a fair amount of pressure to his arm.
“I must advise you not to say another word,” the lawyer said.
He then turned to Coop.
“We’re done here.”
Parker reached for the doorknob again, but this time with his other hand. He winced when he remembered his fingers were out of commission.
“By the way,” Coop said, looking at Parker’s bandaged hand. “How did it feel to get beat up by a girl anyway?”
Parker returned the comment with an icy stare, but his lawyer shoved him out the door before he had the chance to say anything further. Interrogation over.
CHAPTER 33
“How did you get so lucky?”
Vicki wore a tight black mini skirt that looked like it belonged on someone half her age and a button-up suit coat. The buttons on her jacket were barely fastened into the holes and looked like they might burst.
“I’m not sure I follow,” I said.
“That hunky detective boy toy of yours, of course.”
“Ah, Nick. He’s great.”
“And then some,” she said. “He has the most gorgeous blue eyes I’ve ever seen. And those dimples, oh my.”
She smacked the side of my shoulder.
“Good for you,” she said.
I let it slide.
“I wanted to ask you a few more questions,” I said.
She nodded.
“Did Charlotte keep copies of her files here at the office?” I said.
“Which files?”
“Client files and real estate transactions.”
She motioned to the pair of drawers lodged in between her desk and Charlotte’s.
“We keep all client files for the current year in there. But there’s nothing in there now.”
“Why is that?” I said.
“Charlotte bought new color-coded file folders about a month ago and took them home to switch them over. The old ones were worn out.”
I thought about it, but didn’t remember seeing colored folders when I looked through her house.
“What about the real estate transactions, HUD’s?” I said.
“All other documents are kept downstairs in the office manager’s file cabinet. Her name is Wanda. I can call her if you like.”
She picked up the phone and pressed thee digits.
“You know what; I’ll talk to her on my way out,” I said.
She nodded and put the phone back on the receiver.
“What about her office computer,” I said, and pointed to Charlotte’s empty desk. “Last time I met with you there was one on her desk. It’s gone now.”
“One of the other agents has it. It belonged to the agency, not Charlotte. She never utilized it much anyway. She always carried her laptop with her.”