Baring it All (part 30) Interrogation Travis sat down behind a wooden table and waited for his lawyer to arrive. He'd used his one phone call to contact Duane Pricely. Travis and Duane had attended Morehouse together and pledged the same fraternity. Duane had told him he'd be right down; he'd already received a call from Danesha and was aware of the situation. Travis was grateful that Marissa had called her. He was still upset that she'd backed away from him this morning. How could she believe that he was capable of murder? Yes, he was angry with Lisa, and he'd made a lot of mistakes in the past few months but he was not a killer. He just had to get out of here and show her that. Duane walked into the small room and took a seat across from Travis. Detective Sellers followed him and sat down as well. Travis looked between the two of them. "What is he doing in here, I thought I was allowed to meet privately with my lawyer?" Travis asked. "I asked him to join us Travis" Duane said. "What? Why?" Travis demanded. "Calm down Dude. Let me explain." Duane aid. "The charges can be dropped Travis, but the Detectives are asking for your cooperation." Travis stared at the both of them in confusion. Detective Sellers spoke. "Rev Leonard, we don't believe you killed your wife. We've found the murder weapon and the fingerprints on it don't match yours. However you were not honest with us which is part of the reason you were charged and brought in." "If you don't believe I killed Lisa then I demand that you let me go." Travis said. "Hold on Trap. Let him explain." Duane said. "We arrested you for 2 reasons, the first to get you to tell us the truth because we know you lied and the truth could lead us to the real killer. The 2nd reason was to give the real killer a false sense of security so he or she will make a mistake. We have enough evidence to hold you and charge you Rev. Leonard. But we are asking for your cooperation so that we can find out who really killed your wife." Travis looked to Duane for approval and he nodded his head. "What do you need to know?" Travis asked. "Tell us about the night your wife was killed, the truth Rev. Leonard." Travis began to speak slowly, choosing his words carefully as he let the story unfold. "First of all, she's not my wife. We were never legally married. I only asked her to pretend to be my wife in order to get the appointment at Greater St. Giles. We had agreed she would play the role for a few months then I would pay for her to leave town, telling my parishioners she had divorced me." Travis paused for a few seconds watching the Detective scribble on his pad.Then he continued. "On the night of her death I had learned that she was a stripper at Chocolate Paradise. One of the other dancers had told me she ran out on an onstage orgy, led by Lisa. She told me Lisa had been dancing there for at least 6 months. I was not aware of that previously and I felt that if anyone found out I would lose my appointment. So I went over to confront her about why she'd lied to me, and to tell her that we needed to go ahead with the plan. I wanted her to leave town. We argued because she refused. She bragged about the money she was making at the club and said she wasn't going to quit. She had a large amount of cash that she claimed she had just made that night. When I couldn't convince her I decided to leave. I went home and typed up my resignation letter on my computer. I knew that it was the only thing that I could do before my parishioners found out the truth. She was alive when I left her. I swear it." "What time did you leave her apartment Rev. Leonard?" "I'm not sure maybe around 4:30am." Travis answered "Did you save a copy of the resignation letter on your computer Travis?" Duane asked. Travis nodded his head. "It would have stamped the date and time Detective. That's my clients alibi." Duane said. "How much money did your wife, I mean Ms Forester have approximately?" the Detective asked. "It looked like close to a thousand dollars in cash, but I can't be sure." "There was no money in the apartment when we found her body. Is there anything else you can tell us that may lead us to who did this?" Travis thought for a moment before answering. "Her wedding rings are missing. I bought her an expensive diamond with a matching band. The funeral home said she wasn't wearing it when her remains were delivered. I asked her to return them to me and she laughed in my face.She put them on and waved her hand around. She was wearing them when I left." "There was no jewelry on the body or in the apartment." The Detective said,and scribbled more notes. "Robbery. It's an open and shut case Detective; probably the local crackhead. Are you ready to release my client now?" Duane said. "Not exactly." "Well, then what exactly?" Travis asked. "We are asking that you remain overnight and we'll release you in the morning on your own recognance. We need time for the real perp to find out you are here, and make a mistake. We promise to make you comfortable Rev.Leonard." Travis reluctantly agreed.