woman nodded as she swiped at her eyes. “Yes. I dropped by this morning on my way to a meeting to get the last of my boxes. I didn’t want to move out, but I had no choice.”
“And why did you feel that way, Ms. Larkins?” Toni asked.
“It’s my grandmother. She’s been living alone since my grandfather passed away two years ago. But her doctor recently diagnosed her with early stages of dementia. I work from home, so I decided to move in and look after her.”
More tears sprang into Pamela Larkins’s eyes. “I wanted to wait until Maria found a new roommate so she wouldn’t be here alone, but my grandmother’s condition was getting worse.”
“And when did you move out?” Andrew asked.
“A few weeks ago.”
“What about Maria’s family? Next of kin? Do you know who we need to notify?” Andrew asked her.
Pamela Larkins nodded. “She has a stepsister, but they aren’t close. In fact, they haven’t spoken in years.”
“You have a name?”
“Yes, Jennifer Evans. Jennifer’s father married Maria’s mother when Maria and Jennifer were both juniors in high school. They became a blended family, but it wasn’t a happy one. Maria spent a lot of time with me and my grandmother to avoid having to be around Jennifer. Maria’s stepsister was a major drama queen, a real work of art. She didn’t want to share her father with anyone—especially not his new wife and stepdaughter.”
“Since you didn’t mention Maria’s mother or stepfather as her next of kin, I take it they aren’t alive,” Toni said, jotting notes on her mobile phone.
“No, they both died six years ago.”
Andrew lifted a brow. “How?”
Pamela’s eyes widened, as if she’d just realized something. When she didn’t say anything, Toni then prompted, “How did they die, Ms. Larkins?”
Pamela drew in a deep breath. “Maria’s parents were killed during a home invasion robbery. Both Maria and Jennifer were away at college at the time.”
“What about Maria’s biological father?”
“She never knew him. Her mother never mentioned him, and Maria never asked. She figured that if he’d cared about her, he would have made it a point to be in her life. But he didn’t.”
Andrew glanced at Toni, who was jotting down pertinent information on her cell phone. He was old school and still used a note pad. “Do you know of any reason Ms. Tindal felt she needed to purchase a gun to protect herself, Ms. Larkins?”
“No. I own one and encouraged her to get her own since I was moving out.”
“Why did you feel she needed to own a gun?” Toni asked. “Are there a lot of break-ins in the area?”
Pamela shook her head. “Not that I know of. This is a pretty safe area, but when you have two women living alone... Well, you never know. I’ve owned a gun for years, and thought it was odd that she didn’t.”
“What about a boyfriend?” Andrew asked.
Pamela Larkins nodded. “Maria and Johnnie broke up months ago.”
“Do you know why?” Toni asked.
“Yes. She’d discovered that he’d been unfaithful. In fact, she even caught him in the act when she showed up unannounced at his place one day. He was in bed with another woman. That hurt Maria pretty badly. It took her several months to get over it.”
“How long ago did they break up?” Andrew asked. He noted how in sync he and Toni were in asking questions. It was as if they’d worked together for years.
“Six months ago.”
“And what was the ex-boyfriend’s full name?”
“Johnnie Underwood. He owns a travel agency.”
“There hasn’t been a steady boyfriend since then?” Toni asked.
“No, she dated a bit, but she didn’t have a steady boyfriend after Johnnie.”
“We will need the names of the guys she’d dated, if you know them,” Toni said.
“I don’t remember them all, but there was this one guy who was really odd. She went out with him once, but that was it. He got angry and started making a nuisance of himself.”
Andrew lifted a brow. “In what way.”
“More than once, he’d wait for her in the parking lot when she got off work, wanting to talk to her since she had blocked his number.”
“And what was his name?” Toni asked.
“Byron Nettles. He’s some type of freelance photographer and computer expert.”
‘‘Why did she only date him that one time, then block his number? Did she tell you?” Andrew asked.
“Maria said he had begun acting jealous and territorial.”
“Can you tell us where Maria worked?”
“She taught second grade at John R. Lewis Elementary School. Maria loved her students and they