The Peake Sisters

Chapter 10: More Analysis

The two detective teams sat in the conference room again staring at the picture of the leather clad back of the curly strawberry blonde killer.

"We're missing something here, and I can't figure out what", Hutch grumbled.

Detective Gray mused, "My granddaughter has long curly hair just like that, only hers isn't that long."

Starsky's head snapped up, "That's it, look at the hair."

"Ya, strawberry blonde, long curly hair. It looks like the youngest daughter's hair."

"No, it lookedlike her hair. She just got it cut and permed Friday afternoon. The person in the video has long hair, Meredith's hair is isn't that long now, and it goes straight across in the back."

"Friday?"

"Ya, 'cause I picked her up for dinner and she still smelled all ah… chemically, ya know?" Starsky said while scruntching up his nose.

Starsky added, "The someone that used the wig didn't know she got her hair cut Friday afternoon and believed she still had longer hair."

Starsky nodded toward the screen with the person frozen, "Look at the body and the hair," then speeded up the tape to where he and Meredith were in the room later in the afternoon. He squinted at the picture, analyzing it, "body frames are similar, but look at how the hair is shorter and squared off across her back. Based on the hair, it's a different person."

"Or Meredith could have intentionally cut her hair on Friday so it would obviously be shorter than the wig, since she knew about the camera", Gray speculated out loud.

"So who does that eliminate from the list of suspects?" Hutch interrupted cutting Gray off. He knew in his gut that Meredith wasn't a killer, but how were they going to prove it?

"Mercedes probably would have known she got her hair cut since I dropped her off at home after we ate. She changed while I ran home and grabbed a quick shower, then we went out to a club", Starsky offered.

Hutch shook his head in a 'no' response, "No, Mercedes was with me Friday."

Jane looked at Hutch, she really hated asking this question, "On Friday, do you remember when you picked her up and brought her home? Did she have an opportunity to see Meredith?"

Hutch's face went a little red, he couldn't avoid the answer, "I picked her up from the cycle store when I got off work about five o'clock Friday, we went out to dinner and she was with me until she left for work Saturday morning."

"Do either of you know if Meredith went to work Saturday morning so her sister could have seen her in the morning?"

"We kinda slept in late; she didn't have plans to go into work Saturday morning." Starsky said sheepishly and gave Hutch a quick glance.

Jane lifted her eyebrows and sighed, "I see. That's not real helpful, but it's a start." She got up and gazed out the window trying to think of something more solid that would prove Meredith was being set up, "But proving she had the shorter hair on Friday is good for Meredith, plus her alibi checked out when I called those resorts." She looked over at her partner who was grinning from ear to ear and all she could think was 'stupid macho men'.

"Good point. Ok, let's go with the theory that someone is setting Meredith up", Hutch pressed. "That leads us right back to who else has something to gain from Tom Peake's death?"

Dan Gray sat drumming his fingers on the table, staring out the window. "Could the older sister, ah, Mercedes, be setting up her younger sister? After all, she has no alibi for Saturday between the times she left the cycle shop and when her sister came home."

Jane sighed heavily, "And all the employees had left when the shop closed at noon, so it was just her and her dad in the building alone. No witnesses. Very convenient."

"Can't buy that", Starsky stated in a frustrated tone, "neither one of them are cold blooded murderers." Looking at his watch he stood and nodded at his partner, "The funeral is at two o'clock, we need to get dressed and get moving."

Hutch paused behind Jane and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "We'll get this figured out."



Jane Baxter closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose to fight off the headache this case was causing. All she had been doing the last couple of days was arguing with her partner and countering his moves like in a game of chess. He wanted to arrest one or both of the Peake daughters for the murder of Tom Peake. He had evidence, although circumstantial, and by the book, they should be arrested, formally questioned, and charged. Then it would turned over to the legal process with lawyers involved to determine their guilt or innocence. It would wrap up the case nice and tidy and he could step out gracefully.

Jane felt in her gut that these women were being set up. But did she feel that way because she truly believed it? Or was she allowing her feelings for Hutch to influence what she believed? She didn't move when he put his hand on her shoulder, but when he slightly squeezed, she felt heat shot through her entire body. One gentle squeeze, and then he was gone, and she reminded herself of departmental protocol before her mind could wonder further from the case laid out on the table in front of her.

Dan Gray watched her as she carefully picked up the papers and pictures they'd accumulated and placed them a box. She'd been a damn good partner and he knew he had been lucky to be teamed with her. She was quick witted and could think on her feet. He remembered she'd been paired up with Hutchinson a few years ago when he had been out for some surgery. But on this case she was distracted or being influenced by the infamous detective team a little to much in his opinion. He opened his mouth to express his opinion but closed it when he saw the intensity of concentration on her face.