Capital Crimes Read Online Free PDF

screamed the blonde. “Bastards!”
    The cops looked to the detectives.
    Amanda said, “Crime scene, no entrance.”
    The young woman cursed. Her cheeks were tear-streaked, her eyes were bloodshot, and her breath reeked of alcohol. “Do you know who I
am
?”
    “No, ma’am.”
    “Her lover! Did you hear me—her goddamnfucking
lover
!”
    “Sorry for your loss,” said Barnes.
    “You still can’t go in there, but let’s talk,” said Amanda. She placed her arm around the blonde’s shoulders, closing her nostrils to the booze stink. A smell she knew so well, growing up.
    The blonde relaxed. Sniffed. “I’m Minette. Her lover.”
    Amanda motioned the cops to let her go. “Let’s go somewhere quiet, Minette.”

5

    I t took all of Amanda’s emotional and physical energy to ease the woman away from the scene and into a squad car. Minette The Lover sobbed until she’d cried herself dry. Amanda offered her a tissue.
    “Thank you.”
    “I’m so sorry, Minette. What’s your last name, please?”
    “Minette Padgett. What ha…happened?”
    “We’re at the beginning of the investigation, Minette. I wish I could give you some details but I can’t.”
    “But she’s…gone?”
    Feeble hope in her voice; this part never got any easier. “I’m sorry, but she is gone.” Fresh batch of tears, an explosion of grief. “Minette, right now we’re getting information about Davida. Is there anything about her life that might help us out?”
    “What do you mean? Like did she have enemies? She had a slew of them. Assholes in the capital hated her because she was gay. Lots of people didn’t like her messing with stem cells.”
    “We got some names from her aide: Harold Modell—”
    “Motherfucker.”
    “Mark Decody and Alisa Lawrence—”
    “Motherfucker
sss.
”
    “Artis Handel—”
    “Turncoat.” Minette looked up. “She expected grief from the others, but Artis…he’s a Democrat, she was especially upset about him.”
    “Anything more you can tell me about any of them?”
    Minette thought a moment, then slowly shook her head. “They were just giving her a hard time.
Politics.
”
    “Anybody else I should know about?”
    “I don’t know…I can’t think—my head is…I can’t
think.
”
    “What about personal relationships, Minette? Did she have any problems with friends or relatives?”
    “Her mother’s a profound pain in the ass, but that’s just the usual mother–daughter thing. She doesn’t have any sibs. Her father lives in Florida in case you want to talk to him.”
    “Why would I want to talk to him?”
    “Because he’s an asshole and deserted Davida emotionally after he remarried.”
    Amanda wrote that down. “Anyone else?”
    A pretty brow knitted, then returned to youthful serenity. “Look, I just can’t
process
right now.” A big sigh. “Has anyone called her mother?”
    “We’ll take care of that.”
    “Thanks, ’cause I sure don’t want to do it. The old bitch doesn’t like me, never did no matter how hard I tried.”
    “Why do you think that is?”
    “I don’t know. If I did, I’d work on it. Sometimes it’s like that, you know. People take an instant dislike to you. Sometimes
I
take an instant dislike to someone. In Lucille’s case, I think we took an instant dislike to each other.”
    “Tell me about your relationship with Davida.”
    Minette snapped her head up. “What about it?”
    “I know this sounds insensitive but I have to ask it, Ms. Padgett. Were there any problems between you two?”
    The young woman shot her a look of disgust. “No, there weren’t any
problems
between us two!”
    “I’ve been married for ten years, Ms. Padgett. There are always ups and downs. Please don’t take it personally.”
    Minette didn’t answer but it was clear from the look on her face that she wasn’t mollified.
    “So things were fine—”
    “I think I already answered that.” Minette faced Amanda. “So you’ll call the old