Mary, Mary

Chapter 1 04

______ AT 8:45 IN THE MORNING, I found myself in a different but identical-looking room to the one where I had last interviewed Mary Wagner.

The guard escorted her in exactly on time - almost to the second. I could see right away that several days of interrogation had taken a toll.

She wouldn't look at me, and sat stoically while the officer cuffed her to the table.

He then took a position inside the room, next to the door.

Not my first choice, but I didn't argue it. Maybe if there was a second interview, I'd try to loosen things up.

“Good morning, Mary.”

“Hello.”

Her voice was neutral, a minimal show of following the rules. Still no eye contact though.

I wondered if she had served time before. And if she had, for what?

“Let me tell you why I'm here,” I said. “Mary, are you listening to me?”

No response from her. She clenched and unclenched her teeth, staring at a single point on the wall. I sensed that she was listening but trying not to show it.

“You already know that there's a significant amount of evidence against you. And I think you also know that there are still some doubts about your children.”

She finally looked up, and her eyes burned into my skull.

“Then there's nothing to talk about.”

“Actually, there is.”

I pulled out my pen and laid a blank piece of paper on the table. “I thought you might like to write a letter to Brendan, Ashley, and Adam.”