Chapter Ten
"Play Santa a lot do you?" Catherine asked the woman sitting across the table from her in the interrogation room. It was the same middle-aged woman that worked at the Cinnabon. The woman looked at Catherine, and then glanced quicklyat Nick and Sara standing behind her.
Catherine continued, "Robin is it? You know how Santa works, right? He's making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty…"
Robin turned her head away, focusing on the floor.
"Look," Catherine took a folder from Nick, opening on the table before the woman, showing her picture. To Robin it was like looking in a mirror.
"We were able to manipulate the footage from the security camera, and the composite came out looking like you. I recognized you from the mall."
"If you manipulated it, how can you be so sure that it's supposed to be my image?" Robin asked quietly.
"From the DNA swab we took from you shortly after you were brought in, we were able to get a match to a strand of hair found on the Santa suit we can place at the crime scene due to some fibers we found," Sara shared.
Robin looked at them.
"You don't understand. All those kids," her throat caught, tears forming in her eyes. "Can you imagine, waking up on Christmas morning, running to the tree and not finding anything. There are thousands of kids out there waking up to this reality every year. I just wanted help the few that I could."
"Why not purchase the gifts?" Catherine asked, her tone softer.
"Puh." The woman looked incredulous at her. "I work at a Cinnabon in a shopping mall. You think I got a lot of money. Not to mention, I got three boys of my own to look after."
"Are they the ones that helped you out at the toy store? Your sons?"
The woman remained silent.
Catherine turned and looked at Nick and Sara. In silent agreement the three of them prepared to leave the room.
Robin called out to Catherine.
"The children are still goin' ta get the presents, aren't they? I mean they're all wrapped, just waiting to be handed out."
Catherine looked at her, sadly, lost for words.