Chapter 13 - Scene of the Crime
On the way to the hotel, Lee and Saul ran down a list of things to investigate.
"The pictures of the wedding might show something. We should get the photographer's film, probably from the police," Lee said.
"I'm sure that Detective Black already has that in process. The police use the same photo lab as N.C.I.S. does for film. We can probably get a set of duplicate prints with a phone call. I'll take care of that from the hotel. I'll also be collecting any of Miss Mattingly's personal effects. Maybe they'll be something among them that gives us a hint at the perp. I want you to focus on finding out as much as you can about Melanie from Commander Cresson, no matter how uncomfortable it may seem to you. That means sex, drugs, and so on."
"Roger wouldn't have anything to do with drugs. If he knew Melanie did them, he'd have walked."
"Don't assume anything, Lee. You ask or I will. Find out how they met, how long they've been dating, what they do, where they went, who they know."
"Roger briefly met Melanie in Santa Barbara a couple of years ago. I brought him to the club for a round of golf when he was visiting. Her father was part of our foursome. He introduced Roger to Melanie before we hit the links. As I recall, Melanie surprised us with an invite to dinner, but we declined for other plans."
"Did you really have other plans?"
"Only to catch up with each other more privately than we could on the golf course. O.N.I. stuff. Besides, I didn't want anything to do with her and I knew Roger wouldn't either."
"Why?"
"She was known to be officer hunting."
"Any special reason for that?"
"I tried not to get sucked in deeply enough to find out. I'd guess social status. Maybe economic security. Could be she just likes a man in uniform."
"Do you think she left some broken hearts behind anywhere?"
"Not to speak ill of the dead, but escaping Melanie seemed to be a cause for relief."
"Oh."
"She had a lot of personality. My XO compared her to a barracuda."
"So how do you think Roger Cresson fell into her jaws?"
"I don't know. Nothing happened back then and I didn't know they'd ever connected again. I was more than a little surprised when I got home this morning from a six week cruise to see the invitation for a wedding today."
"So you and Roger haven't really talked about how they connected yet?"
"No. Frankly, I was more focussed on Rachael when I did finally talk to Roger after the shooting. Sounds kind of callous considering."
"We have strong instincts to protect our friends and there's nothing we can do for the dead. Look, since you knew Melanie, you're well positioned to make inquiries into her life without ruffling as many feathers as I would. I'm increasingly curious about all the backfiring you mentioned. I'll follow that up on that."
"It could have been a total coincidence."
"One that dulled everyone's reaction to the real gunfire."
"Except Rachael. She knew it was the real deal."
"Why would she go down if she took the shot? Did she go down during the other backfiring?"
"Not so I'd noticed. The time before the real shot she definitely didn't. It was deep into the mass and frankly after we'd both been startled by it, I think we both found it kind of an amusing distraction to mass."
"Which direction did the backfiring come from?"
"It was off to the far back, on the right side, opposite the side Rachael and I were on. It happened that way three times, once before the ceremony, once early in the ceremony and again right at the end of mass before the ring ceremony. When the real shot happened, even I turned in that direction. It was like a conditioned response."
"It's likely most other folks did the same thing after the real shot was fired."
"Yes. That said, I realized quickly that the sound was a little different and closer that last time."
"Most people wouldn't have picked up on that."
"If that's the case, if the two were related, that might suggest two perpetrators. One who fired the shot and one who intentionally caused the backfire."
"Maybe, maybe not. Suppose you knew a vehicle was going to be kept running but had previously removed the catalytic convertor or punctured the exhaust system?"
"You couldn't predict the backfiring then, either the timing or the frequency."
"Yes, Lee, but it's not like anyone tried to cover the shot with the backfire."
"True. The real shot came fairly quickly after the last backfire. Maybe the timing of the shot wasn't all that important to the shooter?"
"More likely the timing of the backfiring was not of critical import. Holding the real shot until the ring ceremony, that pretty much guarantees that everyone's eyes would be locked on the bride. It could be a very clever use of calculated distractions. I can't dismiss that as a coincidence. If it's a rabbit hole, it'll be mine. You go to work on finding possible motives. Meet me in the lobby at 2300 and I'll take you back to base."
"I've got a car in the garage, so I can find my own way back. Heck, I probably could get a room for the night here now. I have a feeling they have some vacancies."
"Up to you, Lee. Now that Rachael's confessed, I don't think Detective Black will bother you. Just let me know."
"If you promise to keep a close eye on Rachael, I'll stay here tonight. I suspect the bar will be busy tonight with people who might talk freely."
"Good point. We'll catch up in the morning."
"Would you also follow up on the gun - the package that the Marines were supposed to forward? See if anyone signed for the package or if it was ever attempted to be delivered?"
Saul nodded and handed Lee a business card with his phone numbers. Lee went to book a room. It was easy. Many guests, including ones not at the wedding, had departed following the afternoon tragedy.