Chapter 19

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On the other side of the one-way glass, James Robert King sat alone at a table sipping coffee from a foam cup. Blackwood watched as Petersen, one of the Sheriff's detectives and Wu entered the room. Petersen made brief introductions. He and the detective sat at the table. Wu chose to stand.

James Robert King spent the afternoon and the night in the Hennepin County jail thinking about Victoria Tantalo. She was lucky, he thought. She had the looks and the smarts to achieve anything she set her mind to. She had an advantage though, a normal upbringing, parents in her life who early on, infused love and learning. She had the ability to negotiate either side of the social order but therein found conflict and chose the group where she was most comfortable. He considered his own lot, loveless parents who ushered him into the world bound in the straightjacket of the underprivileged, doomed to a life of ignorance and escalating hardship between jail stints. It made him realize that Victoria exposed the missing ingredient in his life...expectation. He was lucky to have known her. Under gentle mentorship, she nudged him to change, to set the bar higher. While pondering whether he had the strength to grab hold of that bar, the door of the interrogation room opened and three law enforcement types entered. James Robert's eyes were riveted on Li Li Wu's striking appearance and he wondered what her story was. Maybe it was time for him to make Victoria proud and set aside his confrontational attitude and intrinsic hatred of the law. Victoria would have said that he had invited them into his life, not the other way around. He took a deep breath, decided to admit his guilt and endure his sentence. After that, he would see to pursuing the changes Victoria so genially encouraged.

"Did you steal the Camaro?" asked the Sheriff.

"Yes."

"Did you steal the Camry?"

"Yes."

"Is that coffee you are drinking or truth serum?" joked a surprised Petersen.

"Look," said James Robert. "You don't send half the State police and the FBI to pull me over on the I90 because of a stolen vehicle. What's up?"

"I'm asking the questions today," said Petersen. "Did you burgle the house?"

"Yes."

"Was Krista your accomplice?"

"No. After the job, I drove to Rochester and picked her up at work."

"Was there anyone else in the Camaro or the Toyota?"

"No." said James Robert.

"We found a coffee cup on the floor of the Camaro with lipstick and fingerprints on it. Are you certain you were alone?" interjected Wu.

"Maybe they match the owner."

"Where did you get the plates for the Toyota?"

"I forget," said James Robert. "I've had them a long time."

Petersen showed signs of losing his patience. "Where is the owner of the Camry?"

"How should I know? I never saw the owner. The keys were in it...I took it, okay?"

"Look," said Petersen in an angry tone. "We can book you for grand theft auto and break and enter. Do you want me to add a felony charge of kidnapping? You're looking at twenty years kid."

"I knew there was something more. The FBI ain't gonna waste time with small shit. Look, I admit to the cars and the B&E but I didn't kidnap nobody."

"James Robert, why did you choose that house to rob?" inquired Wu calmly.

"The family was away at a funeral."

Wu pulled up a chair and sat at the table. She tossed her long black hair to one side and asked, "When you arrived at the house, was the Camry parked out front?"

"Yeah. I parked the Camaro behind it."

"Did you see anyone? Was there anyone walking the neighborhood?"

"No. I didn't see anyone...no kidnapper, no kidnappee...who's missing?"

Wu ignored the question. "Was a commercial vehicle parked in a neighboring driveway, like a lawn or pool service van?"

"Not that I noticed."

"So," said Petersen. "You went in through the front door, rifled the bedroom and left, is that it?"

"Yep. Out in five."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" asked Wu.

"No. She left me."

"Was her name Vicki?" asked Wu. "We found a birthday card from you addressed to Vicki."

"You've been in my place?"

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" snapped Petersen. "How come Vicki left all her clothes at your place?"

"She left in a hurry."

"Where did she go?" inquired Wu.

"She didn't say," said James Robert curtly.

"Her number is on your phone under the name Victoria," said Wu. "We traced her phone. She is in Biloxi, Mississippi. Does that mean anything to you?"

James Robert shook his head. "Look, Vicki and Krista are clean. Vicki lived with me for a bit. She's got no record, which is why you ain't got her prints. Krista worked hard to get that job at the Mayo and she's got a kid. You should let her go. None of us can help with your kidnapping."

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