in front of them in an interview room and laid out their theory about her boyfriend’s involvement in his wife’s brutal murder, Lauren had looked as though she was regretting the decision to be so cooperative; with every word, Feeny’s mistress had looked more and more disturbed. Then the silent fidgeting had begun.
“Maybe I should call Mike’s lawyer,” she eventually said, staring down at her fingernails as she picked them anxiously.
“Why?” Arena asked. “Do you have something to confess? Because we’re just having a friendly chat here, aren’t we, Detective Raymond?”
“Very friendly,” Berg replied, doing her best to look nonthreatening and helpful. “Of course, if you were involved in your boyfriend’s wife’s death, then we’ll cease this friendly interview, read you your rights, and get you a lawyer straight away.”
Lauren looked at each officer then bit her lip.
Berg leaned forward and prepared to dish out her best good cop. “You look like a nice girl, Lauren, from a nice family, am I right?”
Lauren nodded, looking at Berg with her big, innocent eyes.
Berg felt a flash of pity—she couldn’t be more than twenty-five and had clearly found herself in too deep with the wrong man. “There’s no way a good girl from a nice family would be involved in anything like a murder, right?”
Lauren shook her head emphatically.
“That’s what I thought. See, Detective Arena? I told you she wasn’t involved.” Berg flung her hands in the air, gesturing to the poor, innocent woman and opening the floor to Arena.
“The hell she isn’t.” Arena actually growled. “We’ve got enough to charge her with accessory after the fact, at least, if not the murder itself. She’s right, let’s charge her and get her lawyer in here.” Arena shut the blank file he had been holding in front of him as a prop with a slap, and stood up.
Lauren looked horrified, shooting a pleading glance in Berg’s direction.
“Come on, Detective Arena. If a nice, law-abiding girl from a close family, like Lauren, knew something about this crime, of course she would tell us, because that’s the right, honest thing to do.” Berg nodded, subconsciously prompting Lauren to do the same. “She’s smart enough to know that we would be able to offer her a deal and immunity. What decent woman is going to go to a federal prison for at least ten years for a murder she’s not even involved in? Just to protect a brutal murderer who killed a woman he claimed to love?” Berg scoffed theatrically. “I don’t think so!” Berg rolled her eyes and smiled at Lauren apologetically, shaking her head.
Berg and Arena fell silent, letting their none-too-subtle manipulations sink in. At first, it looked as if Lauren hadn’t fallen for the routine at all.
After a few minutes of silence, while Lauren resolutely studied her now bleeding fingernails, Arena sighed softly and looked at Berg.
Berg twitched her index finger slightly, indicating he should wait a moment longer.
Berg opened the file folder, pulled out some photographs, and plopped them down in front of Lauren—images showing Elena Feeny’s dead body in stark detail. While the body had been cleaned, her hair was wet and hanging back from her face, which was missing half its forehead. White, jagged bone showed in shards through pale pink and blue skin. The brain cavity was empty.
Lauren stared at the images before turning white and looking away.
“I mean, honestly, Detective Arena, any smart woman would know that a man capable of doing this to his own wife to be free of her is capable of doing the exact same thing to the mistress to get rid of her, too. She would know that the safest place for her is with the police. And Lauren’s a smart woman. She’s worked hard to become the secretary of such a prestigious institution. Why would she jeopardize her position there, not to mention her life ?”
Lauren took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at Berg. “I had
“Maybe I should call Mike’s lawyer,” she eventually said, staring down at her fingernails as she picked them anxiously.
“Why?” Arena asked. “Do you have something to confess? Because we’re just having a friendly chat here, aren’t we, Detective Raymond?”
“Very friendly,” Berg replied, doing her best to look nonthreatening and helpful. “Of course, if you were involved in your boyfriend’s wife’s death, then we’ll cease this friendly interview, read you your rights, and get you a lawyer straight away.”
Lauren looked at each officer then bit her lip.
Berg leaned forward and prepared to dish out her best good cop. “You look like a nice girl, Lauren, from a nice family, am I right?”
Lauren nodded, looking at Berg with her big, innocent eyes.
Berg felt a flash of pity—she couldn’t be more than twenty-five and had clearly found herself in too deep with the wrong man. “There’s no way a good girl from a nice family would be involved in anything like a murder, right?”
Lauren shook her head emphatically.
“That’s what I thought. See, Detective Arena? I told you she wasn’t involved.” Berg flung her hands in the air, gesturing to the poor, innocent woman and opening the floor to Arena.
“The hell she isn’t.” Arena actually growled. “We’ve got enough to charge her with accessory after the fact, at least, if not the murder itself. She’s right, let’s charge her and get her lawyer in here.” Arena shut the blank file he had been holding in front of him as a prop with a slap, and stood up.
Lauren looked horrified, shooting a pleading glance in Berg’s direction.
“Come on, Detective Arena. If a nice, law-abiding girl from a close family, like Lauren, knew something about this crime, of course she would tell us, because that’s the right, honest thing to do.” Berg nodded, subconsciously prompting Lauren to do the same. “She’s smart enough to know that we would be able to offer her a deal and immunity. What decent woman is going to go to a federal prison for at least ten years for a murder she’s not even involved in? Just to protect a brutal murderer who killed a woman he claimed to love?” Berg scoffed theatrically. “I don’t think so!” Berg rolled her eyes and smiled at Lauren apologetically, shaking her head.
Berg and Arena fell silent, letting their none-too-subtle manipulations sink in. At first, it looked as if Lauren hadn’t fallen for the routine at all.
After a few minutes of silence, while Lauren resolutely studied her now bleeding fingernails, Arena sighed softly and looked at Berg.
Berg twitched her index finger slightly, indicating he should wait a moment longer.
Berg opened the file folder, pulled out some photographs, and plopped them down in front of Lauren—images showing Elena Feeny’s dead body in stark detail. While the body had been cleaned, her hair was wet and hanging back from her face, which was missing half its forehead. White, jagged bone showed in shards through pale pink and blue skin. The brain cavity was empty.
Lauren stared at the images before turning white and looking away.
“I mean, honestly, Detective Arena, any smart woman would know that a man capable of doing this to his own wife to be free of her is capable of doing the exact same thing to the mistress to get rid of her, too. She would know that the safest place for her is with the police. And Lauren’s a smart woman. She’s worked hard to become the secretary of such a prestigious institution. Why would she jeopardize her position there, not to mention her life ?”
Lauren took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at Berg. “I had
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