STYLIST: A Psycho-Sexual Thriller Page 7
“Yes.”
“Good. First, it’s important for you to understand that you’re not under arrest. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.”
“Actually we’re conducting this interview with the intention of clearing you of any kind of wrongdoing. We need your assistance in order for us to do that. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.”
“So, we’re not going to read you your Miranda Rights, because you’ve not been charged with any crime. You’re free to leave whenever you want to leave. And we’re audio-recording the interview. Does all of that make sense to you?”
“Yes.”
“So, tell me. How’s the job going? You’ve been with the department for a few years now. Right?”
“Yes. It’s going really well. I love my job.”
“You still enjoy patrol work?”
“Yes. I love it.”
“I heard about that fight you got into in the holding cell a few weeks back. You’ve sort of become a legend in your own time.”
She smiled. “Well, I don’t know how to respond to that one. I was just trying to get this naked female to put her clothes on for transport over to the County Jail and she took a swing at me.”
“So I heard. I think you made yourself a reputation there.”
“I suppose. I was just doing my job.”
“Fine. Fine. We’ll move along now. I’d like to know about the vacation you took recently. Will you tell us where you went?”
“Sure. I flew to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for my family reunion.”
“Great. You must have had a nice time.”
“Yes. It was fun.”
“And how long were you in Ann Arbor?”
“Well, I spent a day traveling to Michigan and a day flying home. I was there for ten days, altogether.”
“I’m guessing you did some family get-togethers?”
“Oh, yes. The usual. Picnics. Barbeques. A day out on a rented boat. It was fun. I ate too much.”
“Do you know Sonia Lovello?”
A flash of alarm, then puzzlement flashed across her face.
“Yes. She’s my stylist. Why do you ask me that?”
“Well, Sonia came in to talk with me. She thought it was a little odd that you didn’t tell her about your vacation plans until after you returned.”
Now the anger showed in Tammy’s face. Her complexion whitened and her hands gripped the chair arms. Her voice took on an edge.
“Why is that her concern? What business is it of hers where and when I take my vacations?”
Terryfield softened his voice.
“Oh, I don’t know that it is her business. She said that her clients tell her everything that’s going on in their lives. Like she’s some sort of therapist or something. I guess it’s a stylist thing. I don’t know. She just thought it was odd that you were gone during the time that Emma Saunders disappeared and you never told her you were taking a vacation. That’s all. Was there a particular reason you didn’t say anything to her about your vacation?”
“No, there was no particular reason I didn’t tell her. And I can’t imagine why she came to talk to you about my vacations plans. I’m really offended that she came to you because I didn’t tell her when or where I was going on my time. What’s that all about? What’s going on here? Am I a suspect in a murder?”
“Wait, look, Tammy, remember, we’re trying to clear you. We’re just interested in why you wouldn’t tell your stylist about your trip. Surely you can understand that.”
Tammy relaxed her grip on the chair and took a deep breath. Her guts were shaking and she hoped Terryfield couldn’t see that.
“Yes. I understand that. Where is this going now?”
“Well, I’d like to believe what you’ve told us about where you were during your vacation, but we’ve got a little problem. Nothing serious. I’m sure you can clear things up for us.”
“What problem? What are you talking about?”
Terryfield turned away from Tammy and looked toward Glendowich. The Internal Affairs sergeant opened a file and slid two pieces of eight and one-half by eleven inch papers toward Tammy.
“What’s that?”
Terryfield spoke, “Take a look, Tammy. This is why we’re having a difficult time reconciling what you told us about your vacation with where you actually were.”
Tammy picked up the sheets and read. They were photocopies of the plane tickets she had purchased and used for her flight to Detroit, Michigan - and her return flight to Denver. Her face blanched.
Glendowich pushed two more pieces of paper toward her. She picked them up, as well. These were photocopies of bus tickets from the Detroit Airport to Ann Arbor and back to Detroit, used on the same day.
Terryfield waited for a moment, a silent moment that seemed to Tammy like it lasted twenty years.
“Is there anything you want to tell us, Tammy?”
“No. What do you mean? So, you have my plane tickets and two bus tickets. What’s this supposed to mean?”
Glendowich pushed two more papers in her direction. Her hand trembled visibly, as she read the photocopies of her plane tickets to Lisbon, Portugal and her return to Detroit.
“Okay. So, I went to Portugal. What of it?”
Glendowich pushed another piece of paper toward her. It was a page from the passenger manifest for a cruise ship. Tammy saw her name highlighted in blue on the list of names.
Terryfield said, “You boarded an ocean liner in Lisbon. The Estevao da Gama. Didn’t you.”
“Yes. So what does that prove?”
Once again Glendowich slid a paper toward their prey.
This one was the dagger to the heart.
Tammy Lenkovsky looked at another page from the same passenger manifest. Emma Saunders’ name was highlighted in red. Tammy’s face fell and her shoulders slumped forward in surrender. She spoke in a voice that was barely audible.
“Okay. I was there.”
“Did you kill Emma Saunders?”
“Yes.”
“Tell us what happened.”
“Can I have a glass of water?”
“Sure.”
25
Estevao da Gama
Terryfield did the questioning.
“I knew she was on the ship. I won’t tell you how I knew that. But I knew she was there.”
“How did you know what she looked like?”
“I had a photograph.”
“Who gave it to you?”
“I told you I’m not going to tell you how I knew she was there. And I’m not going to tell you where I got the picture.”
“Where’s the photograph?”
“I tore it up and threw it overboard.”
“When did you do that?”
“On the third night of the cruise. I didn’t need it anymore.”
“Who gave you that photograph, Tammy?”
“Look. Drop it. Or I’m done talking to you. You want to know what happened on the ship or not?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’m not talking about the picture. So don’t ask me any more about that or you and I are finished.”
“Agreed. Okay. What happened then?”
“I saw her sitting on a chaise lounge on the deck one day and I introduced myself.”
“What day was that?”
“I think the second day we were at sea.”
“Did you tell her where you were from?”
“Yes. She was delighted at the coincidence. You know. Both of us being from Colorado and the same town. So we talked. It was easy.”
“Then what happened?”
“I met her a few times on the stern. There’s a dining area back there. We had lunch together.”
“What about dinners?”
“No. She was assigned to a different table. I saw her in the dining room, but we never ate together. Nighttime dining is pretty formal on cruise ships. You can’t just go sit at someone else’s table.”
“What then?�
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“One night I met her in the Café Fado. We listened to some music.”
“What night was that?”
“The night before the last day of the cruise.”
“What’s the Café Fado?”
“It’s kind of a bar aboard the ship. They have a really good singer. You know. She sings Portuguese folk songs. It’s called Fado. Really sad. I think the singer’s name was Maria Angelica Colombo.”
“Then what happened?”
“Emma wasn’t a drinker. Not at all. She drank coffee while we listened to the music. I asked her if she’d like to join me for a midnight stroll around the deck.”
“And?”
“She said she’d love to. The show in the café ended really late.”
“How late was that?”
“Probably about one in the morning. Maybe later. Anyway, she went back to her state room to freshen up and I waited for her in the café.”
“Go ahead.”
“We walked around the deck together until about two-thirty. There was hardly anyone up on the deck. Everyone had gone to bed. She was telling me about her husband.”
“What did she tell you about her husband?”
“Just a bunch of stuff. The usual. What women talk about. I can’t remember any of it.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Yes. I’m sure about that.”
“Then what happened?”
“I took a look around. There was no one else there. I picked her up and tossed her over the side. She screamed all the way to the water.”
“And then?”
“I went to my cabin and went to sleep.”
“Why’d you throw her overboard?”
“I just did it.”
“Was it something you’d thought about before you did it?”
“No. I just did it.”
“Just like that.”
“Yes. Just like that.”
“No one induced you to do it?”
“No.”
“No one promised you anything to kill her?”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“What? Which part don’t you believe?”
“When you said no one told you or asked you or paid you to kill Emma Saunders. I don’t believe you. Why don’t you tell us the rest of it.”
“I think I’m done talking. I’d like to speak to a lawyer now.”
She made a move as if to get up out and leave. She could tell the arms on her chair seat were soaked with perspiration from the palms of her hands.
Glendowich interjected, “Wait just a moment. As a condition of your continued employment, you’re not free to leave yet. I’m giving you a direct order to read this document.”
The internal affairs sergeant slid yet another piece of paper across his desk toward Tammy. She picked it up.
Garrity Warning
At this time, I am going to question you about the death of Emma Saunders.
This questioning concerns administrative matters relating to the official business of the Roberts County Sheriff’s Office. During the course of this questioning, if you disclose information which indicates that you may be guilty of criminal conduct, neither your self-incriminating statements nor the fruits of any self-incriminating statements you make will be used against you in any criminal legal proceedings. Since this is an administrative matter and any self-incriminating information you may disclose will not be used against you in a court of law, you are required to answer my questions fully and truthfully. This requirement is set forth in our Roberts County Sheriff’s Office Rules and Regulations, Insubordination 427A and Truthfulness 435A and our departmental regulations requiring employees of this department to comply with all lawful orders. You are entitled to all rights and privileges guaranteed by the Constitution and the Laws of the State of Colorado and the Constitution of the United States, including the right to have legal counsel or union representation present with you during this interview. If you refuse to answer all my questions, this in itself is a violation of the rules and procedures of the department, and you will be subject to separate disciplinary action.
Do you understand what I have just explained to you?______
Do you have any questions concerning what I have just explained to you?_____
I, Tammy A. Lenkovsky, by my signature below, affirm that I have been advised of the "Garrity Warning" and have had its meaning explained to me.
Officer’s Signature____________________________________ Date___________
Interviewer/Investigator_________________________________
“I’m not going to sign this. I’m not answering any more questions.”
“You understand that by refusing to sign that document and answer my questions, you’re subjecting yourself to further disciplinary action, up to and including termination of your employment.”
“Yes. I know that. Do whatever you’re going to do. I’m not talking any more. Am I free to go now? Am I under arrest?”
“Yes, you’re free to go now. You’re not under arrest. Emma Saunders’ murder is out of our jurisdiction. And it’s not within the jurisdiction of the FBI. I intend to forward your statement to the Portuguese Navy. Don’t be surprised when INTERPOL shows up on your doorstep with an arrest warrant.”
“Thank you.”
Tammy slid her chair backward, stood quickly, turned away from her inquisitors, and walked out of the internal affairs chamber of horrors.
Two hours later, having finished drinking a pint of straight Bourbon whiskey, she hung herself from one of the cross-member roof truss supports in her garage. By the time her lover Tina Olivares found her a day later, the prolonged tension beneath Tammy’s chin, caused by the relentless pull of gravity on her lifeless body, had grotesquely stretched her neck.
For Tina, it was a scene from Hell, itself. In the semi-dark garage, the open-eyed face which stared at her was far more frightening, no, more horrifying than any crime scene or movie she could ever have imagined, either as a child or as a cop. She screamed until her voice became hoarse and she could scream no more.
Later she would have no recollection of going back into the house, picking up the telephone and calling the 9-1-1 line. And she would not recall any of her conversation with the police dispatcher.
27
Tina
There was no Garrity Warning on the table for Tina Olivares. Miles Terryfield was now full steam ahead into a homicide investigation. He was not at all interested in an administrative proceeding such as an internal affairs action. It had been a full week since he’d emailed a transcribed copy of the late Tammy Lenkovsky’s confession to Capitao-Tenente Alfredo Candido of the Portuguese Navy.
Candido happily closed his case with the suicide of the confessed murderer. His task was complete.
Terryfield was far from finished with his work. He was certain that there was an unsolved crime or two remaining within his jurisdiction. One of those crimes could be Criminal Solicitation for First Degree Murder. Another might be Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder. Both are class 2 felonies in Colorado, punishable by a whole lot of prison time – nearly a lifetime of incarceration.
It was Tina Olivares’ turn to sit outside Sergeant Lawrence Glendowich’s office, her heart pounding in her throat, her guts flipping upside down and the insides of her mouth drier than she could ever recall.
The door opened.
“Come in, Tina.”
Smoothly she arose her chair without using the arms to push upward, her powerful abdominal and thigh muscles working effortlessly. Glendowich held the door open, then walked around his desk to the oversized office chair. Terryfield gestured to an empty seat. Wordlessly, Tina sat and waited for what she knew was coming. The rims of her dark eyes were red from days of crying. Emotionally she was drained from all of the grieving she’d done following Tammy’s death and funeral. Those sad eyes darted quickly upward, looking over Glendowich’s shoulder at the photo of the America
n flag.
Land of the free. Not much longer.
Terryfield again played lead man in the questioning. Glendowich looked down at his desk in seemingly total disinterest.
“Do you know why you’re here, Tina?”
She answered softly, her voice barely audible. “I have an idea.”
“I want to talk with you about Emma Saunders’ murder.”
“Yes. I thought so.”
“I’m guessing you know that Tammy Lenkovsky confessed to killing her.”
“Yes. I know that.”
“How did you find that out?”
“Who doesn’t know about it? Everyone knows she confessed. There aren’t many secrets here.”
“I see. Understandable. Yes. That’s what I want to talk about. What I want to know is how you first knew that Tammy intended to murder Emma, and everything you know about how all of that came to pass. Do you understand what I need you to tell me?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not under arrest. Do you understand that?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“And you can leave whenever you want to leave. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.”
“So, I’m not going to read you your Miranda Rights, because you’re not in custody and you can leave at any time you want to leave.”
“Okay.”
Terryfield looked down at his notepad. “When did you find out that Tammy was going to kill Emma Saunders?”
“Maybe two, three weeks before she took her vacation. But I didn’t know it was Emma at the time. She didn’t give me a name.”
“What’d she tell you?”
“She told me that she was going to Greece on vacation and when she got back, we’d both get a lot of money.”
“How much money was she talking about? Or did she say how much it was?”
“Five-hundred thousand dollars. She was going to give me half of it.”
“Did Tammy tell you what she intended to do in order to get the money?”
“Yes.”
“And what was that?”
“She said she was going to kill someone.”
“Did she say who she was going to kill?”
“No.”