Jamie Brodie 02 - Hoarded to Death

didn't come to save me!" More sobbing.
    Oh, for God's sake. I couldn't say anything for fear I might laugh, which would probably be incredibly inappropriate. Pete said, not very gently, "Jennifer. Wake up. Kevin's not going to come save you. You've been divorced longer than you were married. Kevin has someone new in his life, and there will be no reconciliation between him and you. Ever. It's time to let it go."
    I said, "You've got a new boyfriend now, right? Call him."
    She cried a little more, then started settling down. "I'm so stupid."
    Pete sighed. "No, you're not stupid. Just naive. And in denial."
    Jon said, "Jennifer. I need to know what you were doing here today."
    Jennifer nodded and blew her nose. "The collection agencies have been hassling me nonstop, so I was trying to find out how much I was going to get from Trinity College for the manuscript page. I'd been looking online, doing some searches, and asking for information. I got a call from Mr. McEwen who said he could give me a quote, if I could come in and take a look at some similar items so he'd have a better idea what I had, so I got a substitute for today and came to see him. At first he was nice, but when I told him the page I had might be from the Book of Kells, that's when he pulled out the gun, and stuck it right in my face, and said, "Where is it?" And it was right then that the other customer opened the door and he shot at her, and she ran out. And Mr. McEwen came around the counter, and he was yelling at me, "Where is it?" But he scared me so bad I couldn't get out that I didn't have it, it was in Dublin already, and then we heard the sirens and he grabbed me. And he said he'd kill me if I didn't take him to it, and we were headed out the back door, but the cops were there already."
    Jon had been taking notes. He said, "Did he show you anything that looked like the page you had?"
    "Not exactly. He had a couple of pictures, but he didn't show me the other section of the page from my apartment."
    Jon looked at me. "It'd be nice to recover that. Want to go look?"
    " I can’t. The tear gas would set off my asthma."
    " Okay. Be right back." Jon went to the shop, which had crime scene tape strung over the door already. He spoke to the cop in charge of the scene for a minute, and the cop let Jon in.
    In just a minute, Jon came out with an evidence bag and came back to us . “I found it, right in plain sight in one of Kendall's desk drawers.” He showed it to me. "Think that's what we're looking for?"
    "It sure looks like it to me."
    "Me too. Let's go see if we can have a word with Kendall now."
    At the other end of the block, the cops and paramedics had Kendall cuffed and strapped to a gurney, getting ready to transport him. His shoulder wound didn't appear to be life-threatening. He glared at me. I ignored him.
    Jon showed Kendall the page he'd found. "You really should have put this someplace less accessible, Mr. McEwen. This is going to match the other section of the page we found in Mr. Wallace's hand, isn't it?"
    Kendall glowered. "I'm not saying anything. I want a lawyer."
    "All righty, then. Kendall McEwen, you're under arrest for the murders of Michael Lindsey, Howard Wallace, and Quentin Brashier, and the kidnapping of Jennifer Graham. You have the right to remain silent..."
    Everything started to clear out pretty quickly after that. Kendall’s ambulance took him off to wherever they took injured arrestees. The paramedics with Jennifer’s ambulance made sure she was okay, then left. Jon and I walked back to where Pete and Jennifer were standing. Jennifer was still teary, but a good bit calmer. “Did he kill Wally?”
    Jon nodded. “That’s what I just arrested him for.”
    “Oh my God.” Jennifer’s lower lip trembled for a moment, then she pulled herself together a bit more. “Can I go home?”
    “Yes, as soon as we get your formal statement. I’ll take you back to the station to do that, then I’ll take you home.”
    “What about my car?”
    Pete said, “After you get home, call your boyfriend. He can drive you out here and you can get the car.”
    Jennifer sighed heavily. “Okay.” She looked at me. “I’m sorry for getting you involved in this.”
    I shrugged. “It’s okay.” A lie, but I wasn’t going to get into it with her.
    Jon said to me, “I’ll talk to you soon.” He led Jennifer off.
    “Wow.” Pete looked at me. “Do you need to go back to work?”
    “Yeah. I left my computer bag there.”
    Pete