Thursday morning at eight, the chief was getting his first coffee and Goddard sat thinking about his encounter with Reid's sister. You can ignore some people, they just blend into the background noise, and some you need to deal with. Sandra Reid didn't give you any choice. She had so easily placed herself right in the middle of the case, his case. She was so quick to blaze away at the slightest imagined offense. Yet somehow, it seemed refreshing coming from her. Not bad looking either.
"What are you grinning about, Chip?" The chief settled in behind his desk.
Goddard recalled what Sandra Reid had said about her brother's statement. "Think about it, Chief, we catch Reid, and he's spouting off a bunch of names in a scenario he couldn't possibly have put together on his own."
"So overnight you've lost interest in Reid. What happened to change your mind?"
"I don't know. It's just that he doesn't know all these people and how they relate. How could he possibly come up with Loraine Dellin in a thong? I keep coming back to her. She and Reid have sex...her ex-husband is shot."
"I get your point, but Reid does know her and does know Tammy and Towson from the party. He had a week to put a plan together after getting involved with her."
"He mentioned Sonny Barner too. Barner's at the bottom of the social visibility scale. How does this new guy in town know he even existed?"
"Okay, you've got me on Barner. Oh, you should know they're taking away Reid's loaner phone today. Moran told me he got nothing from the tap. Reid phoned his sister up there and his boss down here. That's pretty much it."
"I don't think Moran has ever gotten anything useful from his loaner-cell phone trick."
"Loraine Dellin phoned me late yesterday," the chief said.
"Really? What'd she want?"
"Don't know, I had already left. She left a callback."
"I've got to get her statement. Even without the sex-with-the-killer angle, the ex-spouse is always at the top of the suspect list. Why don't you call her back now? Tell her you'll send me over there to let her know about the investigation. Imply that it's a courtesy call. If I can get her talking, maybe we can get some unrehearsed answers. Such as, did she actually tell Reid all that bullshit? Also, does she admit to sex with Reid? Maybe eliminate her as a suspect and nail him. She'll be a little off guard because she doesn't know what's in Reid's statement. Okay?"
"Okay, except for one thing. Loraine Dellin has never been caught off guard in her entire life."