information on a note pad, lifted his head and looked over at Underwood. “Commodore Lane?”
He smirked at Drew. “Yes, Commodore Lane.”
“And is that where you spent the night?”
“Yes.”
Toni wondered what the bit with Commodore Lane was about. “Do you happen to know the names of any of Maria’s friends?” she asked, continuing the interrogation.
“Very few. I would suggest you talk to her former roommate, Pamela Larkins, about that. I honestly can’t think right now. I’m sure you can understand. Maria meant a lot to me.”
Toni lifted a brow. Really? So much that you were sleeping with someone else behind her back? She was tempted to ask him that, but instead, said, “How did you know Maria Tindal and Pamela Larkins were no longer roommates?”
“When I talked to her yesterday, she mentioned that when Pamela moved out, she decided to rearrange furniture. She found my cufflink behind the sofa. Now if you two don’t have any further questions, I have work to do.”
“I do have one more. I understand Maria Tindal gave you a key to her home.”
“Yes, she did.”
“Do you still have it?”
“No, I gave it back to her.”
“When?” Toni asked.
“I believe it was the same night we broke up. I’m almost certain of it.”
Toni lifted a brow. “That’s odd.”
Johnnie Underwood lifted a brow, also. “What’s odd?”
“According to Pamela Larkins, you didn’t give the key back to Maria right away. In fact, Maria told her that she tried getting it from you a couple of times.”
Johnnie Underwood frowned. “I can’t recall exactly when I gave it back, but I know that I definitely did give it back.”
“Are you certain of that?” Toni asked. He suddenly seemed nervous. Why?
He met her gaze. “Yes, I am sure, but I can’t recall exactly when I gave it back to her. Please forgive me, but I hope you understand that I can’t think right now. This is just too much to take in.”
Toni fought the urge to roll her eyes. Drew leaned toward the desk and held Johnnie Underwood’s gaze. “That’s all for now, but we would advise you to stick around, in case we have more questions.”
Underwood narrowed his gaze at Drew. “Meaning?”
Drew stood and glanced around at the various travel posters on the wall. “Meaning, I wouldn’t advise you to jump on a plane anytime soon.”
“You are kidding, right?” Underwood asked, suddenly looking a tad uncomfortable.
“Do I look like I’m kidding, Mr. Underwood? Good day.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Toni decided to add.
When they had gotten back to the cruiser, Toni snapped on her seatbelt and said, “Funny how certain he was about returning Maria Tindal’s door key, until I mentioned what Pamela Larkins had said.”
“Yeah, I made note of that. There was no forced entry, so whoever killed her had been let in, or they had their own key.”
“I can’t believe she didn’t have an alarm system or security cameras.”
“Yes. But in that case, I find it odd that Maria would feel the need to get a gun. Where to now?”
“To pay Maria’s stepsister a visit. She should have been notified by now.”
Toni nodded. “What’s with Commodore Lane?”
He was about to answer when the intercom in the cruiser released several beeps. Drew pressed a button. “Yeah, dispatch?”
“Detectives Logan and Oliver. You are needed at 690 Williston Boulevard. There was a robbery at a convenience store. The suspect is dead, shot by the store clerk working behind the counter.”
“We’re on our way.”
While starting the ignition, Drew glanced over at her. “Commodore Lane is in one of the ritziest sections of town. Williston Boulevard, on the other hand, is the total opposite.”
“Sounds like Underwood’s girlfriend has money.”
“Yes, it certainly sounds like it,” Drew said.
• • •
As Andrew left the convenience store, he wished all his cases were that easy. The unfortunate thing was the would-be thief had only been sixteen, and the store’s video camera had clearly shown it was self-defense. The cashier had given the kid the money out of the register, but he’d evidently thought she was holding out, so he raised his gun to shoot. Unfortunately for him, she’d gotten to her revolver first.
He glanced at his watch. “It’s after four. If you’re hungry I can take you back to the precinct and drop you off. I can do this one alone.”
“No, I’m fine. I ate a nice lunch. The chicken salad sandwich was good, by the way. Thanks for taking me there.”