"Mrs. Randall...Was anyone else in the home?
The room was silent as everyone watched and listened. Natalie, distraught, began to rock. She wrapped her arms around herself, peering at Joseph's bloody body from the living room.
"Mrs. Randall? Do you recall anything from last night? We found two phones on the victim. One was an old pay as you go phone. Would you happen to know what that is about?"
Natalie remained silent. Detective Carter leaned back on the ottoman and caught a glimpse of something shiny beside Natalie.
"Mrs. Randall, I see something near you in the chair, do you mind if I reach beside you and take it?"
Natalie never responded. She was lost somewhere in between a dream and a nightmare. Observing intently from the office, Neil reached for the box of gloves and furbishes a pair to Carter. He snapped the gloves on quickly and carefully. He reached over and pulled out a knife with a wooden handle. Everyone in the room gasped. "I need this collected and bagged" Carter demanded.
"Mrs. Randall, what happened here? Was your husband involved in any illegal activities? Did he have any enemies? Do you know anyone that may have wanted to hurt your husband? Is there a reason why you had a knife lying beside you?
Natalie continued to rock. Her eyes glued to the office. Mendez walked over to Carter. She tapped his shoulder and motioned for him to get up. She sat down on the ottoman. She observed Natalie's blank stare. Frustrated, she sucked through her teeth and took a deep breath, furnishing a trusting smile.
"I know you are grieving Mrs. Randall. I would be upset also if I lost my husband in such a cruel manner but we need to know who did this. You had a knife in the chair you are sitting in. Did he hurt you? Did he try to hurt you? Is it possible that you did this to him?" Natalie never acknowledged her presence.
I mean...he is a big guy. If he tried to hurt you, you had to defend yourself, you had to protect you and your child. It's o.k. to admit that". Mendez watched Natalie intently. She snapped her fingers in front of her. Natalie offered no response. Becoming frustrated, Mendez's voice started to toughen.
"Look...I know for a fact that you did this. At the least, you will serve 5-7, Hell. You may even get a slap on the wrist with a jury trial and serve no time. So let's just cut the bull shit and talk about how you killed him".
"That's enough! An older white woman approached from behind the chair where Natalie was sitting.
"Who are you and how the hell did you get in here", Carter yelled.
Mendez rose from the ottoman and walked over to Carter.
"That's the neighbor that saw the men arguing in the driveway with Mr. Randall two weeks ago".
"I don't give a damn who she is. This is an active investigation. Who's responsible for this?" The officers stood in silence looking at one another for answers.
"No one is responsible so hold your horses. I slipped in when no one was looking".
Mrs. Victoria Pritchard was a small framed woman who was relatively short in stature. She wore a pink feathery robe with matching slippers. Even as night prepared to leave and dawn slowly set in, her wrist and neck glistened with diamonds. She held a small dog with a diamond pink encrusted collar. She was the epitome of wealth, And wealth commanded respect.
"Get her outta here", Neil bellowed peeking out from the office. Two officers approached her, grabbing her by the arm.
"Let go of me! She snatched her arm from the officers as the little dog growled and snarled his teeth towards them.
"C'mon lady it's too late for a woman your age to be out here", his remark earned laughter from the fellow officers in the room. Mrs. Pritchard's eyes turned into slits and her lips formed a tight line.
"Young man how dare you talk to me like that! Do you know who I am?
"Yeah. An old lady! The young officer retorted causing the room to erupt in laughter.
"Show the woman some respect officer", Carter spoke sternly.
"My husband is Malcolm Pritchard. He owns nearly half of the land in Montgomery County, including the piece of dirt where your measly police station sits and the lodge where you idiots unwind. I think you better start showing his wife some respect or half of you will be unemployed before the sun hits the sky this morning".
"Let her go Shane", Neil yelled from the office. The young officer backed away.
"I am taking Mrs. Randall and her son with me". Mrs. Pritchard tapped Natalie on the shoulder. Natalie never budged.
"Ma'am. You cannot do that. You are intentionally hindering an open investigation". Mendez said aggravated by Victoria's lack of criminal procedures.
"Let her take Mrs. Randall and her son to her home". A voice boomed from the entrance of the living room where they were all standing.
Everyone looked up and saw police chief David Windsor standing in the entryway of the living room. He was a brute of a man. He stood at 6'5 with a wavy ginger mane. His mustache was red and thick and looked as though it ate dinner before his mouth had a chance to open. Unimpressed by his presence, Mendez's aggravation only seemed to escalate.
"Chief Windsor, Mrs. Randall is a key witness toward this investigation, we really need to--
"Don't you think I know that?" he said cutting Mendez off. "The Pritchard's have always been fine and upstanding citizens in this community. I trust their judgment. And it is very obvious that this woman is too traumatized to help with anything".
"Thank you, David". A soft-spoken wiry older gentleman walked in. We'll make sure she gets to the precinct first thing in the morning for further questioning".
An officer brought J.J. out of the kitchen. Seeing the scared toddler's face, Victoria walked over and picked him up relieving the young man. Wide-eyed and bewildered, J.J. clung to Victoria's neck sharing glances with the small dog in her other arm. Careful not to walk J.J. past the office, she called out to Natalie from the hallway.
"Natalie...I have Joe Joe. He's tired love". Natalie's eyes never wavered. Her gentle rocking never ceased.
"Joe Joe, tell your mother you are tired sweetie so we can go to my house and eat a slice of warm apple pie". She beckoned her maids, Cecilia and Anna to walk over. The two women had been in the kitchen waiting on Victoria's command. J.J.'s eyes lit up and a smile beamed across his round face.
"Mommy! Mommy! I'm tired. Can we leave and go to Ms. Victoria's and eat pie...Please!
The sound of her child's voice broke her out of her trance. She lowered her eyes and stopped rocking. She turned to Victoria and J.J. Her eyes began to shed tears, melting the last trace of makeup on her face exposing the bruise under her right eye. Mendez elbowed Carter, hinting to the bruise. He noticed it before she did but shook his head silently in agreement to what she saw.
Victoria gave J.J. to Natalie and gathered her in her free arm. "It's o.k. darling. I'm here for you". Cecilia and Anna covered her with a throw found on the couch in the family room. The blood from her gown had dried to a murky brown, sticking to the chair and clinging to her thighs. The detectives watched in disbelief as their only witness walked out the door.
"Collect whatever evidence you find. I need a full report in four hours based on your findings tonight". Like a brash gust of wind Chief Windsor and the frail old man left as swiftly and they came in.
"Who the hell was that old man standing next to Chief Windsor", Mendez asked with her mouth still ajar. She shook and scratched her head.
"That my dear was Malcolm Pritchard. He is the richest land developer in the state of Maryland", Neil said rubbing the sweat of his brow with his sleeve.
"So that makes him above the law?" Mendez asked with her hands out desperate for answers.
Removing his gloves and tossing them in a nearby trash can, Carter put his hand on Mendez's shoulder.
"It makes him above everything".