"I know." Cynthia huffed in exaggerated irritation.
"How long did Dawson do pick-ups?"
"Why?"
Kallie tapped her notebook. "Timeline."
Cynthia shrugged and looked up and to the right. The mannerism indicating a lie didn't go unnoticed. Whatever came from Cynthia's mouth next would need to be double and triple checked.
"He mainly works in the back."
"Why?"
"Why does he work in the back?" Cynthia blinked at her.
"Yes. Is he trained to work with the chemicals?"
Cynthia's brows crunched together. "You don't have to be classroom trained. Only the managers do. The machines need to be inspected and you have to post the proper warnings, but there isn't like a class you have to go through to work back there."
"Oh, so anyone can work the back. It's pretty easy?"
"No, that's not what I said. I said you didn't have to be classroom trained. It isn't easy to do it right. It takes a lot of time to get it right."
"And Dawson does it right?"
"Eh… he's quick. I get complaints that he doesn't get all the stains out, but I take those returns from his check and do them myself, so I know they're right."
"Do you work in the back a lot?"
"Some, why?"
"Just wondering. The chemicals you use are pretty strong then, huh? To get all the stains out?"
"Well, yeah. It isn't like you can get the stuff over the counter, you know? Perc is some serious stuff. But what does any of this have to do with my statement?"
"Oh, nothing at all to do with your previous statement. What's Perc? You work with it?"
"Perchloroethylene, and yeah, all the time. It’s what most dry cleaners use."
"Oh, okay. Sorry for that detour. Let's go back and fill in my timeline, okay?" Kallie flipped her book back. “Where were you on Wednesday?"
Cynthia cocked her head, "Why?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought I told you. I'm recreating everyone's day so we can show in court why some people are not suspects and some people are. It is a precaution for when we go to court."
"Oh, so you found the person who killed him?" The woman leaned closer and stared at Kallie, waiting for an answer.
"You know, I'm waiting for just a bit more information, but my partner and I are pretty sure we know who is involved."
"Well, that's good. I'm glad you caught them."
"We're working on it, but while I wait for my boss to bring me that information, I'm filling the schedules of people we've already talked to."
"Okay. You're going to talk to Dawson, too? He's sick, so you might want to wait a couple days."
"Sick?"
"Yeah, horrible. Flu. You don't wanna catch that stuff."
"No doubt." Kallie cocked her head. "Aren't you afraid you'll catch it? You're his fiancée after all."
Cynthia blinked at her and shrugged, glancing right. "I got my flu shot, but I ain't seen him today."
"You got your flu shot at the same hospital where you were seen for your accident?"
"Huh?"
"Where were you seen for your fall?" Kallie didn't look at the woman. She wrote nonsense in her book.
"County."
"And when was that?"
"A… early Thursday morning."
"Thursday morning like 6:00 or 7:00?"
"No earlier. Midnight-ish. A little after maybe."
"Wow, okay. Sorry, our definitions of morning are different." She chuckled and wrote a few notes. "How did that happen again?"
"I fell down the stairs."
"You live on the first floor." Kallie continued to write in her book. Her scribbles were nonsense as she listened to the woman in front of her.
"I was coming home from Dawson's."
"Oh. Okay. Did you stay with Dawson on Wednesday night?"
"Uh… yeah."
"Cool. What did you do? I can fill in two timelines with one question."
"Ah, we ate dinner and watched a movie. I went home after."
"What movie?"
"What?"
"What movie did you watch?" Kallie glanced up for a second.
"I don't know. Something on television."
"Okay. So when you went home is when you fell down the stairs and broke your wrist?"
"Yeah. That's when."
"Dawson took you to the hospital?"
"No."
Kallie looked up at that. "No? Your fiancé didn't take you to the hospital?"
Cynthia squirmed in her chair and shook her head. "He fell asleep, and I didn't want to bother him."
Kallie dropped her pen and leaned back in her chair. "Can you explain that?"
"Explain what?" The woman snipped. "What does that have to do with my statement?"
"Again, we are trying to establish where everyone was and when they were in those locations so we can deliver a complete picture to the District Attorney."