Chapter 48

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Gary and Duncan looked over what they now had. The video in which Angel accusses Jimmy and Mary Elizabeth of stealing her hunting knife, and Abby also indirectly accusing her of this. Any competant public defender would say this was not evidence, it only showed that Angel suspected Mary Elizabeth of stealing her knife, not that she did. They could also claim that Carmen stole the knife, but why hadn't Carmen mentioned this? It could have helped her case, that she tried to prevent Angel from committing suicide. And even if Mary Elizabeth did steal the knife, anyone could have bought this in town for less than 20 dollars. But they might have motive. Angel and Mary Elizabeth were in love, both had been survivors of sexual assault, both were struggling with certain tendancies. If Angel gave into her temptations, maybe Mary Elizabeth might have been so horrified that she murdered Angel. They didn't have evidence, but they had something to question her with. When they questioned Mary Elizabeth they reminded her she had the right to speak with an attorney, but she declined.

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Mary Elizabeth: I don't need a lawyer, I did nothing wrong.

Duncan: Very well. A couple of weeks before she died, Angel got into an argument with Jimmy Tinker.

Mary Elizabeth: I remember. We were both trying to convince her to quit smoking, she didn't want to.

Gary: She accused the two of you of trying to control her.

Mary Elizabeth: That was Samantha Larabee's influence. She manipulated Angel, got her to do a lot of stupid things.

Duncan: Believe me I know. Ofcourse Jimmy has a bit of a temper himself, like when he egged my house. Some psychic, he videotapes the vadalism and posts it on Youtube. Apparently can't see it coming that he's going to get caught.

Mary Elizabeth: He knew he'd be caught, he wanted to impress Angel as a bad boy. And yes he knows now it was selfish and really stupid.

Gary: He payed his debt to society. Besides, I did pretty stupid things to impress girls when I was his age. I understand you and Angel had some disagreements over you being a vegetarian.

Mary Elizabeth: I don't judge people who eat meat, but I don't see the point in hunting.

Gary: I agree. For thousands of years humans have killed animals for food, clothing, tools, shelter.

Mary Elizbeth: Shelter?

Gary: Yes. You put enough animal skins on tree branches and you've got yourself a crude but useable shelter. But yes, there is little point in killing animals for pleasure. As for vegetarians, your role models range anywhere from mister Rogers to Adolf Hitler.

Mary Elizabeth: I'm somewhat in the middle, closer to mister Rogers. For me vegetarianism and animal rights are a natural evolution from my embrace of the consistent life ethic. I opposse war, abortion, the death penalty. I'm more flexible on euthanasia, provided that there are safeguards in place to prevent people from being pressured into taking euthansia. Hitler being a vegetarian is more complicated. I believe it started off as an invention by nazi propogandists to paint him in a more favorable light, and by the end he believed his own hype.

Duncan: Actually evidence suggests that he genuinly loved animals, couldn't even watch animals being hurt in the movies. I agree that it's weird that anyone would support animal right but not human rights. You didn't approve of her hunting, I understand you even stole Angel's hunting knife.

Mary Elizabeth: We got into an argument, I don't even remember what it was about. So yes, I stole her knife, and buried it in the woods.

Gary: Where in the woods?

Mary Elizabeth: I don't remember. But anyone could have bought a similar knife.

Gary: True. But you had access to the murder weapon.

Mary Elizabeth: A possible murder weapon.

Gary: And this support group you and Angel participated in, it didn't seem to work for her.

Mary Elizabeth: According to an alleged psychic.

Duncan: During the seance William Lambert got very angry when Lillian made this accusation.

Mary Elizabeth: Can you blame him? She accussed his dead daughter of being a child-molestor.

Duncan: You didn't get angry over your deceased girlfriend being accused of this.

Mary Elizabeth: When you asked us all to come, I assumed that this "psychic" was going to put on a show, I prepared myself for the possibility that she would make wild accusations, probably accuse Jimmy of being the killer.

Duncan: Why would she accuse Jimmy of murdering Angel?

Mary Elizabeth: Because she hates him. She can't forgive him for being the son of her rapist.

Duncan: And yet she didn't, claimed that Angel killed herself. And that it was an unknown female who carved that pentagram into her chest.

Mary Elizabeth: I read "Hamlet" last year, I was somewhat skeptical of the fact that Hamlet really saw his father's ghost. I think he was hallucinating. He did know that his father was killed by his own brother, but most people in the play, including Hamlet, suspected Claudius. The fact that they guessed right does not mean that Hamlet wasn't hallucinating. To make a long story, slightly less long, I think the psychic made a lucky guess about Angel commiting suicide. As to whether it was a male or female who carved that pentagram, she had a 50/50 chance of being right. Look, you clearly consider me a suspect, I don't know what I can say to make you believe I'm innocent, and I'm not going to accusse some innocent person of being the killer to save my own skin. I'd like to speak with an attorney before I answer any further questions. So, unless I'm under arrest, I'd like to leave this station right now.