CSI: LA Season 3, Episode 15: "Gallery of a Private Murder"

Chapter 7: Suspect Interrogations (Part 1)

Back at the station, Ann is meeting with Mark Stevens. She takes him to the morgue to identify Rachel's body. As they pull the cover back, Mark begins to cry, confirming his feared suspicions:

"That's my fiancée Rachel." Mark said sadly. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Mr. Stevens." Ann said. "Who could have done this to her?" Mark asked. "That's what we're trying to figure out, but we're hoping you could answer that. Follow me please." Ann said. Mark followed Ann in interrogation room#1. "Please sit down, would you like some coffee?" Ann asked. "Yes please." Mark replied. Ann got him some coffee in a plastic cup and began her interrogation:

"How long were you and your fiancée dating?" Ann asked. "8 years. We were devoted to each other, even though we had some ups and downs." Mark stated. "What kind of ups and downs?" Ann asked.  "Rachel had quite the temper; She could be cotton candy sweet one minute, but if provoked or irritated, she became someone else entirely." Mark stated. "She was taking Diazepam Mr. Stevens, that's a clinical drug used to treat anxiety and depression. Did she have a medical condition?" Ann asked. "Bipolar disorder; Despite that, we were determined to try and make our relationship work." Mark replied. "We executed a search warrant at the hotel you and your fiancée were staying at; We found a few things there we hoped you could elaborate on." Ann stated. "Like what?" Mark asked. "Well, first of all, we found a shirt on the bed in the bedroom. It had your DNA and semen on it." Ann stated. "Well of course, we had sex that night; Don't worry it was consensual." Mark replied. "We also found blood on that shirt and when we ran a test on it, it came back to Rachel; Care to explain that?" Ann inquired. "Rachel had a rhinoplasty a few years ago. She suffers from frequent nosebleeds. She had one while we were "getting it on." That's how her blood got on my shirt. I changed shirts at the hotel." Mark explained.

"We found a receipt for a delivery of artwork: a self-portrait, a ceramic vase, and a hawk statuette to the art gallery that your fiancée was a patron for." Ann stated. "Yes, I placed that order myself; It was to be delivered to the gallery the next morning." Mark stated. "We also found a ticket to a production of The Phantom of the Opera last night; Sounds like you two had planned a romantic evening that never materialized." Ann stated. "I can explain that." Mark said. "Oh really? What happened?" Ann inquired. "Rachel went crazy; She was so furious, that she called the co-owner right away, went on a rant, and demanded we head over to the gallery to pick it up immediately." Mark explained. "How did that make you feel?" Ann asked. "I wasn't too pleased about it. I was looking forward to a night on the town; But I went with her to the gallery." Mark stated. "What happened next?" Ann asked. "We got there, but the guy who was supposed to deliver the material was nowhere to be found; I'm not proud to say this, but Rachel and I got into an argument with each other; I tried to calm her down, but she was really frantic." Mark explained. "What happened next?" Ann inquired. "I left in a huff and went back to my hotel to calm down." Mark replied. "Are you sure this argument didn't get physical?" Ann asked. "Why would you say that?" Mark asked. "We pulled your file. You got priors for assault and battery; Your criminal record got you blacklisted by a minor-league baseball organization." Ann stated. "That wasn't why I got blacklisted, and I can explain those assault and battery charges." Mark replied. "I'm listening." Ann replied. "I got blacklisted for gambling; I owed a lot of debts to bookies, so over the years, I got into a few fights here and there; The league found out about it, and my career was over." Mark stated.

"Why leave her at the gallery alone?" Ann asked. "I was too upset to deal with her in her current state. You didn't know her like I did; When she would go on a tangent, there was no stopping her. I couldn't deal with that at the time, so I decided to give her some space, but when I didn't hear from her and she didn't come back to the hotel, I feared something happened to her." Mark stated. "You've got blood on your shoes Mr. Stevens; We're going to need a sample of that to eliminate you as a suspect." Ann replied. "You can take them. I have nothing to hide; Look, I got into a fight with Rachel, but I didn't kill her. I would never hurt her. I love her." Mark stated. "We'll see if you story checks out Mr. Stevens. Sit tight." Ann said, leaving the room.

Melissa came up to Ann:

"His story seem legit to you?" Melissa asked. "Seems that way. He seemed genuinely saddened by his wife's death; He also claims to have an alibi that he went right back to his hotel and stayed there the rest of the night." Ann stated. "Check with the hotel and verify his alibi." Melissa instructed. "I'm on it." Ann replied.

Ann's interrogation reveals how Rachel Maddox got back to the gallery, now they just need to find what killed her, whodunit, and why.

More suspect interrogations continue in the next chapter.