Bobby had already called the airline, and confirmed Charles had been on the plane. There had actually been complaint reports filed against him by other passengers and even the flight crew. Parker had made quiet an impression. He was on hold with the hotel when Alex walked up, holding a computer print out to him. "Parkers lugs." She told him as he took it from her. She walked around to her own side of the desk, sitting down she began to type on her keyboard.
Bobby moved the receiver slightly away from his mouth, his eyes immediately going to the end of the list, the call made at one in the morning. "You checking for priors on this Neil Jamison?"
"Yeah. And I've got a hit." She read the screen for a moment, and then related to him what it said. "He's been in trouble since his early teens." Alex's eyebrows rose as she kept reading. "All minor stuff, but a lot of it. Possession. Bar fights. Purse snatching, couple of muggings."
Bobby held up a hand, stopping her, and raised the receiver back up to his mouth. "Yes, I'm still here." Pausing, "He was. You're positive? Yes. Thank you." He hung up, and before he'd even taken his hand off the receiver, the phone rang. "Major Case, Detective Goren." He paused listening. "Yes, Mr. Parker . . ." he glanced at Alex who had turned her attention to him when she heard Parkers name. "Yes. We were about to call to arrange an interview." He listened. "That'd be fine. We'll see you then." Hanging up, he met Alex's eyes. "One o'clock." He answered her unasked question.
Alex turned back to her computer screen. Paging down, the list of Neil's arrests gave way to his mug shot. She furrowed her brow, concentrating. "What?" Bobby asked, seeing her expression.
She glanced over at him, then back at the pc. "Come look at this." He did. Standing behind her, he leaned down over her shoulder, studying the screen.
"Neil Jamison?"
"Yeah. Does he look familiar to you?" She glanced over her shoulder to look at him. Bobby scrutinized the photo for another moment.
"Yeah. But I don't know where from. Scroll back up, let's look over his arrest record."
Alex scrolled up, and they read Neil's history, from his most recent arrest back. They'd come to his mid teenage years when Alex stopped scrolling. "What do you see?" Bobby asked.
"Here" she said pointing with the mouse. She doubled clicked and the arrest report file came up. She read aloud: "Age 16, arrested for arson at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Parker." She read further down the report. "Here." She pointed with her finger to the screen, and began to read again. "Neil had been staying with the Parkers since their son Charles brought him home from school, after his father kicked him out." Again, she glanced over her shoulder to read Bobby's expression.
"So they've known each other since high school . . ." He straightened himself, and moved so he stood next to the pc, facing Alex. "You want to get rid of your wife, who better to ask than a childhood friend?" He stopped, thinking. "Let's go talk to the people at Connie's office. If Parker was in love with her, she might have known."
"And she may have told somebody." Alex finished for him.
*****
At the corporate offices of Imperial, where Connie had worked for the last five years, Bobby and Alex waited in the lobby only a few minutes until Connie's assistant came to lead them to what had been her office.
"We're all so shocked. If there is anything we can do to help . ." She let the sentence dangle.
"Did, ah, did she mention anything unusual in the last few weeks? Any hostile letters, former boyfriends making sudden contact?" Bobby asked.
The secretary thought for a moment, staring at the carpet. She shook her head after a moment, "No. I don't think so."
"Any unwanted attention . . ." he paused, looking for the right words, his hands in the air as if he could pull the words from it, "or relationships taking a turn she didn't expect?"
"No. The last man she was seeing, I think I remember her saying he moved to Baltimore a few months ago."
Bobby nodded, "Ok, thanks. We'll uh . ." he glanced over at Alex, "we'll let you know if we have any other questions."
The secretary turned to leave, going back to her desk. She stopped in the doorway, and turned back around, something occurring to her. "You know. . . I don't know why I even bring this up, but Connie did mention once, a while ago that her sisters husband was beginning to give her the creeps."
Encouraged, Bobby took a few steps, closing the gap between them. "Did she mention why?"
"Yes, she did. She told me she'd been over visiting one Saturday afternoon, she was standing at the kitchen sink when Charles came up behind her, and started kissing her neck. When she pushed him away, he claimed to have thought she was Cynthia. What made Connie upset was that while their faces looked the same, their hair and clothes were different. And how could a man not know his own wife from her sister?"
Glad to have his suspicions confirmed, Bobby glimpsed over at Alex on the other side of the room, smiling.
Bobby moved the receiver slightly away from his mouth, his eyes immediately going to the end of the list, the call made at one in the morning. "You checking for priors on this Neil Jamison?"
"Yeah. And I've got a hit." She read the screen for a moment, and then related to him what it said. "He's been in trouble since his early teens." Alex's eyebrows rose as she kept reading. "All minor stuff, but a lot of it. Possession. Bar fights. Purse snatching, couple of muggings."
Bobby held up a hand, stopping her, and raised the receiver back up to his mouth. "Yes, I'm still here." Pausing, "He was. You're positive? Yes. Thank you." He hung up, and before he'd even taken his hand off the receiver, the phone rang. "Major Case, Detective Goren." He paused listening. "Yes, Mr. Parker . . ." he glanced at Alex who had turned her attention to him when she heard Parkers name. "Yes. We were about to call to arrange an interview." He listened. "That'd be fine. We'll see you then." Hanging up, he met Alex's eyes. "One o'clock." He answered her unasked question.
Alex turned back to her computer screen. Paging down, the list of Neil's arrests gave way to his mug shot. She furrowed her brow, concentrating. "What?" Bobby asked, seeing her expression.
She glanced over at him, then back at the pc. "Come look at this." He did. Standing behind her, he leaned down over her shoulder, studying the screen.
"Neil Jamison?"
"Yeah. Does he look familiar to you?" She glanced over her shoulder to look at him. Bobby scrutinized the photo for another moment.
"Yeah. But I don't know where from. Scroll back up, let's look over his arrest record."
Alex scrolled up, and they read Neil's history, from his most recent arrest back. They'd come to his mid teenage years when Alex stopped scrolling. "What do you see?" Bobby asked.
"Here" she said pointing with the mouse. She doubled clicked and the arrest report file came up. She read aloud: "Age 16, arrested for arson at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Parker." She read further down the report. "Here." She pointed with her finger to the screen, and began to read again. "Neil had been staying with the Parkers since their son Charles brought him home from school, after his father kicked him out." Again, she glanced over her shoulder to read Bobby's expression.
"So they've known each other since high school . . ." He straightened himself, and moved so he stood next to the pc, facing Alex. "You want to get rid of your wife, who better to ask than a childhood friend?" He stopped, thinking. "Let's go talk to the people at Connie's office. If Parker was in love with her, she might have known."
"And she may have told somebody." Alex finished for him.
*****
At the corporate offices of Imperial, where Connie had worked for the last five years, Bobby and Alex waited in the lobby only a few minutes until Connie's assistant came to lead them to what had been her office.
"We're all so shocked. If there is anything we can do to help . ." She let the sentence dangle.
"Did, ah, did she mention anything unusual in the last few weeks? Any hostile letters, former boyfriends making sudden contact?" Bobby asked.
The secretary thought for a moment, staring at the carpet. She shook her head after a moment, "No. I don't think so."
"Any unwanted attention . . ." he paused, looking for the right words, his hands in the air as if he could pull the words from it, "or relationships taking a turn she didn't expect?"
"No. The last man she was seeing, I think I remember her saying he moved to Baltimore a few months ago."
Bobby nodded, "Ok, thanks. We'll uh . ." he glanced over at Alex, "we'll let you know if we have any other questions."
The secretary turned to leave, going back to her desk. She stopped in the doorway, and turned back around, something occurring to her. "You know. . . I don't know why I even bring this up, but Connie did mention once, a while ago that her sisters husband was beginning to give her the creeps."
Encouraged, Bobby took a few steps, closing the gap between them. "Did she mention why?"
"Yes, she did. She told me she'd been over visiting one Saturday afternoon, she was standing at the kitchen sink when Charles came up behind her, and started kissing her neck. When she pushed him away, he claimed to have thought she was Cynthia. What made Connie upset was that while their faces looked the same, their hair and clothes were different. And how could a man not know his own wife from her sister?"
Glad to have his suspicions confirmed, Bobby glimpsed over at Alex on the other side of the room, smiling.