Retrieving his gun from its holster, the police officer repeated his demand, “Mrs. Rawlings, I need you to get out of the car and keep your hands where I can see them.” Holding his gun in one hand he leaned toward her door. “Unlock your door. I will open it. Let me see your hands.” Claire couldn’t believe this was happening. She just wanted a moment of freedom and this policeman was treating her like a criminal. Had Tony accused her of stealing his car? That didn’t seem like Tony. He wouldn’t want the public scandal.
Claire unlocked the door and swung her legs out. Officer Friendly roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled, handcuffing her wrists behind her back. It made her shoulders and wrists ache. “What are you doing? Why are you doing this? I didn’t steal this car, it belongs to my husband. I have every right to drive it!”
“Ma’am, I have orders to take you into the station for questioning.” He walked her to his car, steering her with her hands.
“What about my husband’s car? He will be very upset if anything happens to his car.” Claire’s voice sounded as desperate as she felt.
“Another officer is on her way, she’ll drive your car to the station. It will be kept in impound until it is picked up or you are released.” He kept listening to his shoulder. “The other officer will be here in a few minutes.”
“We better not leave until she gets here. I’m serious about my husband. He can become very upset. You don’t want to be the person he gets hold of if anything happens to his car.” She didn’t want to be that person either. Sitting in the backseat of the patrol car, she heard the door slam and felt the sensation of a balloon that popped. Freedom was sweet and gone.
When they pulled up to Illinois State Police Station 56, she watched the Mercedes drive around the building. Worrying about the car was silly. But she didn’t want to give Tony more ammunition for his punishment. The officer directed her into the station.
Multiple uniformed and plain-clothed officers met them at the door. She was then directed to a dingy room. The smell of stale coffee and perspiration filled her senses. The only furniture was a steel gray table with two metal chairs. Claire sat in one of the cold chairs as the officer removed the cuffs. Rubbing her wrists, she looked at him and sounded convincingly resilient. “Sir, I am Mrs. Anthony Rawlings. I am sure you have heard of my husband or at least had contact with one of his companies. I recommend you release me right now and I won’t tell him about this incident.”
He didn’t respond and left her alone where she waited. Feeling the twisting within her stomach she knew what was coming. Tony was probably on his way. Flying would get him there in less than an hour. The next time the door opened she would see his dark eyes. The only sound within the small room was that familiar pounding within her head. As she waited she resolved herself to the consequences she would face at home. She broke the most important rule, many times, and now it was public. There was no way that this wouldn’t be on the news. She waited. The door opened. A female officer entered. “Mrs. Rawlings, would you like a drink, water or diet soda?”
“Thank you, I would like some water.” Then she waited some more. The next time the door opened she looked toward the table. Enough time had passed, this had to be Tony.
“Mrs. Rawlings, I am Sergeant Miles and this,” pointing to the man on his left, “is FBI Agent Ferguson.”
“Hello. I am confused, why is an FBI agent here?”
“We would like to ask you some questions about today.” Claire nodded. “Ma’am, you must speak. Our conversation is recorded and movements can’t be heard on an audiotape.” Claire hated recordings, audio or visual.
“Yes, please go ahead and ask me anything. I was just driving my husband’s car and forgot my driver’s license.”
“Ma’am, what time did you leave your residence outside of Iowa City?” Agent Ferguson asked as Sergeant Miles took notes.
Claire wondered if the audio recording wasn’t thorough enough. “I left at eleven fifteen AM.” That was easy, she’d looked at the dashboard clock.
“Did you see your husband before you left?”
“Do you mean did I ask my husband if I could leave? No.”
“No, ma’am, I meant what I said. Did you see your husband before you left your residence?”
“Yes, I saw him just before eleven. He was in his office about to start a web conference.”
“A web conference?” Sargent Miles asked.
“It is a conference that is live on the Internet, you know, on the ‘web.’” The officers continued to ask questions about times and people. Claire told them the house staff was all present, except for their driver, Eric. He left before her, going to Mr. Rawlings’s office to retrieve some paperwork for her husband. Had Claire told anyone she was leaving the house? She shook her head no, then remembering, answered, “No.” Why would she drive over five hours without her purse or telling anyone where she was going? She really didn’t have a good answer. She couldn’t tell them she didn’t have access to her own ID and she wasn’t allowed to go out by herself. If she did, she would be breaking his rules and when Tony arrived he would be livid. Suddenly, she realized he was probably watching from behind a window right now. She felt her stomach twist.
Her only choice was ignorance. “I don’t know. The sky was so pretty and Iowa can get so gray. I guess I just wanted to go somewhere warmer.”
“Mrs. Rawlings, you should know your husband will survive.” Agent Ferguson’s tone was flat.
Claire didn’t understand, survive? Like he would crumble because she left him? “I’m not sure what you mean. Why wouldn’t he survive?”
“Mrs. Rawlings, someone tried to kill your husband today. He was poisoned at approximately eleven fifteen this morning.” Agent Ferguson answered as Sergeant Miles observed Claire.
She shook her head, trying to make sense of his words. But they didn’t make sense. Tony was fine when she left, same as always. “You are mistaken. Mr. Rawlings had a web conference at eleven, where he was speaking with many people from his corporation.” Her speech quickened as did her heart rate.
“Yes, he was supposed to be. However, after the web conference began, his associates witnessed him take a drink from a mug and suddenly slump to his side. Many of the viewers attempted to reach him via cell phone, but he didn’t move. Luckily, one of the house staff heard the phones ringing and entered the office. They were able to fly him by helicopter to a hospital in Iowa City. His vitals are good, although he has yet to regain consciousness. The doctors believe he will make a full recovery. I am here representing the FBI because this is an attempted murder investigation which has crossed state lines.” Agent Ferguson spoke as if he was addressing a suspect.
“I need to get to him immediately.” Claire stood as she spoke. Sergeant Miles directed her back toward the chair. She was dumbfounded. “I’m sorry, are you accusing me of murdering my husband?”
“No, ma’am. Your husband wasn’t murdered. You are being questioned regarding an attempted murder investigation.”
She was stunned. “You are accusing me of hurting him? You should know no one hurts Anthony Rawlings. If anything he has hurt me, numerous times.”
“So are you claiming self-defense?”
Claire’s neck stiffened and her voice became defiant. “I’m not claiming anything. I did nothing that needs claiming.”
“Mrs. Rawlings, do you have any idea what was in the mug that your husband drank from?” She knew exactly what was in that mug: coffee, made by her.
“Yes, officer. I would assume that the mug contained coffee. Just before I left, I took him a cup of coffee.” Her stomach was now a tangle of knots.
“You and your husband don’t have household servants that usually prepare the food and drinks?”
“We do. But he asked me to get him coffee.” Claire definitely didn’t like how this was going. “I believe I need an attorney.”
“Ma’am, you haven’t yet been charged. However, asking for representation is your right. Be aware that your husband’s legal staff has sent word that representing you would be a conflict of interest. You will need to secure your own counsel.”