shouting. I went to the window and saw the doors opened. I think the alarm was going off and lights were going on and off,” Diana King said.
“You heard a commotion, then what?” Sharkey asked.
“I saw the crowd outside. After I noticed the passenger door and the driver’s side door left open. I ran downstairs.”
“What were you doing when you heard the commotion?”
“I was going through the files on my desk, searching to find the file that I wanted.”
“What file was that?” Sharkey asked.
There was no immediate response from Diana. Taking a break, she clasped her hands over her tearful face as both detectives stared at the distraught woman. Diana paused then finally releasing her face, she released a loud sigh then spoke.
“It was a case filename, Gonzalez,” she finally said.
“Why did you need this case file, Dr. King?”
“I was preparing to give my evaluation in a custody hearing. I wanted to refresh my knowledge of recent developments in the case that I had not yet entered, personal notes.”
“Didn’t you have this information ahead of time?”
“Yes, but I thought I had brought the file home. When I checked my office at home, I realized I had left it at work.”
“So, you asked your husband to stop there so that you could get the file?”
“Yes, that’s correct. But I mean Vaughn had promised to do it because I was at the hairdresser on Saturday. He forgot, and so we were planning to get the file Sunday. First, it was before then it was after and…” Diana’s voice became emotional and trailed.
“So, you decided to get the files, but there was no real-time?”
“It started thundering and rain. That was it for golf. So we were on our way to dinner, and Vaughn said he could make a pit stop. It wasn’t out of the way, and—”
“Where were you planning to dine?”
“The Ponderosa, that’s one of his favorite places for beer and steak,” Diana said.
“And so it was still raining when your husband stopped, and you got out of the car, ran inside went upstairs. Then you went about searching for the file?”
“Right—”
“So you didn’t hear any shots fired—any other noise until you looked out the window?”
“I didn’t hear anything but the commotion.”
“You saw the commotion outside?”
“Yes—”
“And the doors to your husband’s car were opened on both the passenger’s side and the driver’s side?”
“Yes, detective.”
“And you’re telling us that you couldn’t hear any gunshots, but you heard the commotion?”
“As soon as I glanced out the window and saw that—”
“How close were you to the window at that time?” McAlister asked.
“My office window is right above Main Street, and I’m able to see the street as I walked from the file cabinet’s location to my desk,” Diana said.
“Then you just happened to glance out the window?” Detective Sharkey asked while meticulously scrutinizing Diana.
“I was distracted from what I was doing because I saw several people milling downstairs, and they were making noise,” Diana answered firmly.
“Then you notice that the door to your husband’s car was left opened?” Sharkey asked.
“Yes, I saw both front doors opened. The alarm was going off…I…ah thought that my husband was in some sort of trouble. I thought he was in a fight. Maybe someone hit the SUV or something of the sort. Knowing my husband’s temper, he’s likely to swing first then ask questions later. So I ran downstairs and saw a man lying in the street by the statue…” Diana’s voice cracked with emotions. Then she wept for a moment before continuing. “I…I just thought…I didn’t know what. Oh God he was—”
“Take your time, Dr. King,” Sharkey said.
Detective McAlister handed Dr. King the box of Kleenex tissue. Taking a few, she dabbed at her eyes. Sharkey stared at her, his smirk stayed intact. Waiting for a few beats, allowing her to calm down, Sharkey asked, “There was a big crowd?”
“I saw a small crowd, maybe four people. They seemed like couples.
“Have you seen anyone before?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you know any of the couples? Have you seen any of them before…? At the golf course…?”
“No, no, no, I’ve never seen any of them. I didn’t know any of the couples.”
“Continue, Dr. King. You were downstairs and saw a crowd. What were they doing? Did any of them have a gun?”
“I saw Vaughn…and I just reacted. I just saw Vaughn. Oh, I knew something was horribly wrong. He was lying. My husband was bleeding badly. I ran over to where he was, and there was all this blood…” Diana said.
Her voice was straining under the emotional weight. Tears flowed, and she paused several times to wipe her face. She sat, staring at the tear-stained leaf of the notepad.
“Then you called the police. I guess,” Sharkey said.
His tone was shrouded in a matter-of-fact, well masked that his real intent was not immediately discernible by all watching. Sharkey felt he was close to getting the truth from the surviving spouse.
“Someone from the crowd had already called the police.”
“How did it make you feel?”
“I was shocked, detective.”
“Why?”
“My husband was lying—he wasn’t moving, and there was a lot of blood. The sight was horrible. Just unbearable,” Diana said. Then she paused, raising her head. Her voice was cracking under the pressure of deep feelings when Diana continued. “I don’t know why anyone would want to kill my husband,” she cried.
“Do you know anyone who may have it in for the captain? What about the men under his command or friends? A beautiful woman like yourself, Dr. King, maybe a jealous lover or a family member…?”
“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, detective, but I don’t know anyone who would wanna hurt my husband. Vaughn was always given the highest respect and adoration by everyone he encountered,” she answered thoughtfully.
“What
