Chapter 9
Her mind was spinning, first her DNA and now her fingerprints; she was only in Manchester for one murder. Her analytical mind was working things like she was investigating the case. Physical evidence from the scene shows her DNA under the nails of the victim's cat. The DNA evidence was sufficient to get the accused charged with the murder of Stacey Gibson. Her alibi was rock-solid, she thought, 'Damn,' her only witness was Jennifer; the bat cave area had, for obvious reasons, no camera coverage. Any decent federal prosecutor could weave enough doubt in the Jury's minds, even say her alibi was a fabrication.
" Where did you go after leaving Quantico yesterday?" Asked ASAC Pink
"SSA Rossi drove me home; I spent the evening at home with my wife, consoling her after she had been fired. I never left the estate until I got a lift into Quantico this morning." She answered vaguely, not wanting to discuss her sex life if she didn't need to.
"Anyone else see you apart from Mrs Prentiss? Does your house have CCTV?" He asked
Emily cringed internally, " No, we wanted to be alone; the estate does have a camera system." she replied, knowing she was about to cast doubt on her alibi. "We spent a few hours in our special place in the estate's gardens, which does not have coverage, but the wooded path has a camera,"
ASAC Pink's face remained unchanged. SSA Mickelson allowed a smirk to appear on her face; she had cast doubt on her alibi.
"We are getting a warrant for the camera footage. So, as I understand, we will find gaps in the coverage where we can not confirm your exact location. It is not a solid alibi, but it would give you time to slip out and murder Stacey Gibson and return to your garden unnoticed. You will have to do better than that, Agent Prentiss," Smirked SSA Mickelson.
"You don't need a warrant. I authorise you to get copies of the security camera feeds. I have nothing to hide. I will sign a waiver," Emily told them.
"Thank you. Why did you kill Stacey Gibson? Was it to get back at Chief Strauss for sacking your wife?" Asked SSA Mickelson. Her tone was beginning to annoy Emily,
Emily chuckled a little; she couldn't help the absurdity of the woman's notion. She might hate Strauss, but killing someone to get back at her….
"You find that funny? Prentiss." asked the ASAC.
"I find it amusing you think my motive for killing a human being is to get back at Strauss for sacking my wife. Are you both screenwriters in your free time? I did not kill Stacey Gibson; why do I get the feeling she has already convicted me?" Emily asked. "To recap, you have my DNA recovered from the claws of a cat the victim owned. I take it the partial print the M.E. found has been run against my prints?" She paused to get confirmation
"Yes, we are waiting for the results."
"Okay, So if I am that despicable, I can drain the body of its entire blood volume without leaving a trace. I would leave knowing a cat had my DNA under its nails. That looks pretty sloppy. How did the partial fingerprint get onto her right eyeball? Not by accident.." That helped Emily focus her mind; she was still reeling from her arrest.
"You're a clever woman, Prentiss; you have enough knowledge to do this. Your fingerprint could be your way of muddying the waters should you get caught. I am following the evidence, Agent Prentiss," SSA Mickelson answered.
Emily shook her head, "No, SSA Mickelson, you're fixated on a fragment of the evidence. A murder can not be solved with a single piece of the puzzle. Are you trying to manipulate everything to fit around your one solid puzzle piece? The trouble with your hypothesis is that your one solid puzzle piece doesn't fit correctly." She told her interrogators.
"We are in the early stages of our investigation, Agent Prentiss. We will conclude this interview now; I want to read the statements. We will reconvene in a couple of hours," ASAC Pink told her.
"Take her to the holding cells, SSA Mickelson," he ordered
EJ
"I didn't think I would be back so soon," JJ muttered as she walked through the entrance of Quantico. She smiled at the security personnel whom she knew by name.
"Hi Barry, back again," She greeted him, flashing her new Interpol credentials," You should have a new security pass for me, Barry, Agent Jennifer Prentiss Interpol," she smirked
He smiled at the blonde, "Sorry about what happened to you. Emily has been taken to the holding cells about fifteen minutes ago. I don't believe she did it for one minute." Barry smiled as he handed over her new security pass.
"Thanks, that means a lot, Barry; how is your granddaughter?" She enquired
He smiled at her interest, knowing Jennifer was genuinely interested and not just being polite. "She is excellent; I can't thank you enough for helping her."
Taking her pass, she walked off to her meeting with ASAC Pink, and she had expected Emily to have been released by now. She did not know why she hadn't. Alarm bells rang in her head; this all felt off.
She took out her cell and dialled a number she had hoped not to need," Rebecca, it is Jennifer Prentiss. We are going to need your services. Can you come down to Quantico? Emily has been arrested for murder and is currently residing in a holding cell," She asked when the call was answered.
"What! Okay, Jennifer, I am on my way. Can you shoot me an e-mail with the pertinent details so my assistant can read it out as we drive? Tell that stubborn wife of yours. No more talking without her attorney present." Answered a shocked Rebecca Blair.
"You know her so well," smiled JJ. "Ring me when you're at security; thank you. You are a good friend," she replied and ended the call. Rebecca Blair was Emily's friend from Yale, and she was now a very successful defence attorney.
"Mrs Prentiss, thank you for coming in this way, please," The agent told her.
EJ
JJ took the seat opposite the two Agents in the interrogation room. "Mrs Prentiss, you are about to be questioned under oath," The Agent reminded her.
Jennifer Prentiss was beyond pissed by the treatment of her wife, the former FBI agent was not playing the game today. "That is Agent Prentiss," she corrected, pleased when both Agents looked confused. She had no intention of helping them. Her security pass clipped to her collar told them who she worked for.
"Would you like time to get your facts correct, agents?" She asked condescendingly.
" I believe you were terminated from the FBI yesterday, Mrs Prentiss," SSA Mickelson voiced as she entered the room.
JJ was happy her instincts were right; she was being watched from the observation room and noticed the earwig in the agent's ears. It was a common tactic during interrogations. She instantly disliked this female agent.
"Yes, you would be correct, Agent?" She waited for her name
"SSA Gabby Mickelson, Criminal Investigative Division," she answered.
Using her press conference smile, " Agent class 1 Jennifer Prentiss Interpol, I am the new Interpol liaison to the FBI. So my correct designation is Agent Prentiss, not Mrs Prentiss." She took extreme joy in correcting the smug agent.
"Can you account for your whereabouts yesterday evening?" SSA Mickelson asked.
She smiled and nodded, "After I was dismissed from the FBI, I drove directly home. I spent the remainder of the day. Emily joined me after she left the BAU, and we spent a quiet evening together; we walked in the garden and fell asleep in our special place." She paused, knowing she needed to tell them nearly everything they had gotten up to. "Emily was by my side all night; we awoke together intertwined. I have photographs. You can check the metadata." She explained as she handed over her cell phone.
The agents scrolled through the photographs of the two women wearing their cosplay outfits.
"So you both like dressing up?" Smirked one of the agents
JJ was not ashamed of her guilty pleasure away from work. She didn't want to share this with others but needed to help confirm Emily's Alibi. The vibe she was getting from Mickelson she didn't like one bit.
"Not illegal, agent; I permit you to download the data off my phone. Check my smartwatch app. We both have them, and we use them to track our workouts. And it continually monitors our heart rate, amongst other things. Check out Emily's left wrist," she told them, motioning to her cell phone.
SSA Mickelson zoomed into view of the smartwatch on Emily's wrist.
"You will note our pulse rates are erratic. We enjoyed each other during the night until we both fell asleep. Very content," She smiled as she remembered their night; unlike her wife, JJ had no issues about her adventurous sex life.
"You are aware of the consequences of perjury?" Asked an unhappy SSA Mickelson
"Seriously, you are asking me that. Never mind, agent, the Secret Service maintains the security system around the Prentiss estate. Check the exit cameras. We are done. You have my statement," JJ was beyond annoyed and needed to leave before she punched this annoying agent.
EJ