Read Online Kill For Me by M. William Phelps - Free Book Online
Authors: M. William Phelps
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one suspect. Law enforcement has to follow the evidence. And right now, some of that evidence kept pointing back to Tony Ponicall.
“Sandee told me,” one coworker stated, “that she had recently told [Tony] that she wanted to start dating other people.”
“No kidding. How long ago?”
“Oh, I’d say within the last three weeks.”
This was a far cry from Tony talking about Sandee in the manner of being his fiancée, which he had told several investigators. Now there were three stories circulating around the relationship: one had Tony and Sandee as roommates, another had them getting married, and now a third claimed that Sandee wanted to spread her wings and break away.
Many of Sandee’s coworkers simply said they’d had no contact with her outside of work. Sandee seemed to be a hardworking woman, totally type A. She was someone who set her mind on something and did it without bitching about how hard it was or any obstacles that might be placed in her way. One coworker said she and Sandee had made plans to go to Texas at the end of the week.
“She told me she had modeled before,” that same girl added, “but felt she wasn’t good enough. She had a self-image complex. She would try to fix me up with guys she knew here at the bar. I told her once, not too long ago, ‘I need a boyfriend,’ and she responded, ‘You and me both!’”
Other detectives joined Martin with the questioning of Sandee’s coworkers as it carried on into late evening.
Detective Harry Augello sat with the nighttime chef from the Green Iguana, who seemed to know Sandee quite well. Dave Simmons (pseudonym) said he was also one of the partners in the Green Iguana business.
“I do some managing and some cooking,” Simmons said. He seemed confident and calm, upset that such a good friend, a great person like Sandee, was here slinging drinks one minute and the next, well, dead. “She seemed to be in a good mood last night,” Simmons added. “I spoke with her.”
“Did anything happen last night?” Augello asked. “Anything out of the ordinary?” Like maybe someone had come in and threatened her, or perhaps Sandee had said something about being stalked.
“No. I was here with her, though, about a month back, when she was subpoenaed for the upcoming trial.” That sexual assault and kidnapping case against Humphrey.
“Tell me about that.”
“She seemed so afraid and upset. I asked her what was going on. She told me she had been beaten, raped, and held for two days by a bouncer. I knew him only as Tracey. She said she had worked with him at Club Inferno.” Simmons thought himself to be a big dude. Someone who could take care of himself. He told Augello he asked Sandee if she needed any help, protectionwise. If she was being harassed, he could do something about it. “She then told me that a few weeks prior to receiving the subpoena, Tracey’s girlfriend and his roommate had come to the Green Iguana…on different occasions, and sat at the bar, staring at her. She said she didn’t tell anyone about it at the time because she didn’t want Humphrey to think he was getting to her. Plus, she didn’t want anyone [at the Green Iguana] to know what had happened. I told her to let me know if anyone threatened her or came into the bar again.”
Augello took notes as Simmons talked. This was good information. It spoke to the character of Humphrey—the fact that his friends had maybe tried to intimidate Sandee meant, at least in theory, that Humphrey was worried about her testimony.
The question became: was he worried enough to have her killed?
“What else did she say?”
There was a pause. “She…told me…she lived with this guy who thought they were a couple, but that she did not really consider him to be her boyfriend.”
“She talk about how he treated her?”
Simmons answered immediately: “Yeah. She said he treated her ‘very well’ and she liked the ‘safety’ of the relationship…. She said they bought
“Sandee told me,” one coworker stated, “that she had recently told [Tony] that she wanted to start dating other people.”
“No kidding. How long ago?”
“Oh, I’d say within the last three weeks.”
This was a far cry from Tony talking about Sandee in the manner of being his fiancée, which he had told several investigators. Now there were three stories circulating around the relationship: one had Tony and Sandee as roommates, another had them getting married, and now a third claimed that Sandee wanted to spread her wings and break away.
Many of Sandee’s coworkers simply said they’d had no contact with her outside of work. Sandee seemed to be a hardworking woman, totally type A. She was someone who set her mind on something and did it without bitching about how hard it was or any obstacles that might be placed in her way. One coworker said she and Sandee had made plans to go to Texas at the end of the week.
“She told me she had modeled before,” that same girl added, “but felt she wasn’t good enough. She had a self-image complex. She would try to fix me up with guys she knew here at the bar. I told her once, not too long ago, ‘I need a boyfriend,’ and she responded, ‘You and me both!’”
Other detectives joined Martin with the questioning of Sandee’s coworkers as it carried on into late evening.
Detective Harry Augello sat with the nighttime chef from the Green Iguana, who seemed to know Sandee quite well. Dave Simmons (pseudonym) said he was also one of the partners in the Green Iguana business.
“I do some managing and some cooking,” Simmons said. He seemed confident and calm, upset that such a good friend, a great person like Sandee, was here slinging drinks one minute and the next, well, dead. “She seemed to be in a good mood last night,” Simmons added. “I spoke with her.”
“Did anything happen last night?” Augello asked. “Anything out of the ordinary?” Like maybe someone had come in and threatened her, or perhaps Sandee had said something about being stalked.
“No. I was here with her, though, about a month back, when she was subpoenaed for the upcoming trial.” That sexual assault and kidnapping case against Humphrey.
“Tell me about that.”
“She seemed so afraid and upset. I asked her what was going on. She told me she had been beaten, raped, and held for two days by a bouncer. I knew him only as Tracey. She said she had worked with him at Club Inferno.” Simmons thought himself to be a big dude. Someone who could take care of himself. He told Augello he asked Sandee if she needed any help, protectionwise. If she was being harassed, he could do something about it. “She then told me that a few weeks prior to receiving the subpoena, Tracey’s girlfriend and his roommate had come to the Green Iguana…on different occasions, and sat at the bar, staring at her. She said she didn’t tell anyone about it at the time because she didn’t want Humphrey to think he was getting to her. Plus, she didn’t want anyone [at the Green Iguana] to know what had happened. I told her to let me know if anyone threatened her or came into the bar again.”
Augello took notes as Simmons talked. This was good information. It spoke to the character of Humphrey—the fact that his friends had maybe tried to intimidate Sandee meant, at least in theory, that Humphrey was worried about her testimony.
The question became: was he worried enough to have her killed?
“What else did she say?”
There was a pause. “She…told me…she lived with this guy who thought they were a couple, but that she did not really consider him to be her boyfriend.”
“She talk about how he treated her?”
Simmons answered immediately: “Yeah. She said he treated her ‘very well’ and she liked the ‘safety’ of the relationship…. She said they bought
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