A Very Evasive Answer
Previously: Jeannie and Paco visit Tally Briggs.
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03:04 PM - Wednesday, November 5, 2014
US Park Police Office, Ft Winfield Scott, The Presidio
Mark emptied the dregs of dried up coffee grounds from the morning pot into the kitchen garbage. A dated Mr. Coffee was never his favorite option, but it would have to do since he didn’t stop for a fresh espresso on the way back from the Federal Building in Civic Center. He shook his head as he realized a visit to Blue Bottle would have been just a few blocks away from the office but he’d completely forgotten in his hurry to get back. He washed the coffee pot with a dot of the nondescript bright green dish soap from the well-used bottle at the sink, rinsing it three times before refilling it with fresh, cold water and pouring it steadily into the chamber of the coffee maker. The coffee was the generic kind you order in bulk from an office supply store, but at this point he couldn’t complain. Mark read the package recommendation for measuring out grounds to water and doubled it.
Pressing the start button, he inhaled sharply when the warm water hit the coffee grounds, enjoying the deep aroma. It may not be the best option, but he could make the best of it. The office was quiet, just Raj in the conference room scanning his screens while Pr3pSF picked up in the after school hour. Mark assumed Paco and Jeannie were running down a lead, while Amanda and Doug were doing whatever they did down in the their lab to make sense of things. Right now, Mark had to make sense of everything and give it enough juice to make the DOJ want to pursue it, and for the moment, they seemed a little reluctant. In fact, the only thing they really were interested in was a potential corruption charge within the SFPD. For their side (and he knew for Jeannie especially), this was just the sauce, not the main course. In the cabinet he found a sizable mug that looked like it was crafted by hand; it had that substantial rustic look, but was also an elegant shape an surprisingly light. The ombre glaze went from a whisper of deep blue at the bottom to pale blue to bright white over most of the surface. There was a lot to like about it, but for now, Mark was only interested in how big it was.
Filling the mug most of the way, Mark found a fresh carton of half-and-half in the fridge and poured a dollop, watching the cream and coffee mix in a delicate swirl from its depth. Smiling faintly, he took a long gulp, realizing immediately that the beans had been under-roasted, bypassing the important Maillard Reaction for flavor and depth. It smelled like coffee, looked like coffee, but no matter how much coffee was in the brew it would still be mediocre at best.
Nevertheless, this was what was available.
Moving into the conference room, he noticed how much tidier the tabletop was from the morning meeting when it was covered in cups and food wrappers. He thought this must have been Jeannie’s doing. Maneuvering over to the boards on the far side, he began to re-review the evidence and photos.
“Hey —” Mark turned around to see Stephanie Choy standing in the doorway. “Any idea where Jeannie is?”
“No, I just got back. She probably won’t be too long though. Why, did you find something?”
“Well, sort of, but maybe it’s nothing.”
“It’s never nothing. If you have a feeling about something, you should follow it.” Mark advised.
Just then the metal door to the outside stairs banged shut, with Paco and Jeannie chattering in the hallway.
“See — they always turn up.” Mark said, moving to the table.
“What’s going on in here?” Paco asked in his usual jovial tone, following Jeannie and Fergus into the conference room. Fergus immediately went to the far wall and folded himself into a crescent shape, legs extended.
“Just waiting on you.” Steph tossed out. “Where were you two anyways?”
“Oh, we paid a visit to one Talbot Briggs, who was not only not welcoming, but more than a little evasive.” Jeannie pronounced, flopping into a chair.
“BUT, she did give us these.” Paco held up the small plastic bag full of sequins and beads from his pocket. “I’m going to take it down to Amanda to compare.”
“What are they?” Mark asked, approaching.
“Tally handed them right over,” Jeannie began. “They’re from her flapper dress (which was very designer and very expensive, I might add), and we asked for a sample and she just gave us the whole bag.”
“What kind of designer?” Steph asked, clocking the little bag of beads.
“Lanvin. Paris runway.” Steph’s eyebrows raised in response.
“Maybe they’ll match what Amanda found — the look black at the base, but who knows. I’ll be back.” Paco darted out to take the bag downstairs to the lab.
“What else did Miss Briggs’ have to say?”
“Well, first of all, her mood was pretty shitty. I’d say she seemed like she was on a come-down, but that’s pure speculation. She was crabby and sharp, wishing we were gone the moment we arrived.” Jeannie paused. “And the house was weird too — Paco even mentioned it. It was just like, still. I can’t explain it. Like no fresh air or movement or life — nothing had really moved in there in ages. The decor was at least 20 years old, which strikes me as odd for a rich family like that. Usually these women — like Linda Briggs, Tally’s Mom? — they’d be doing a re-do every five years or so. But this one was frozen in amber. And there’s Tally upstairs all full of fire and pacing around like a shaken-up soda bottle, trying on her Cotillion dress and pretending to be busy.”
“What do you mean?” Mark asked.
“I don’t know. It was like we interrupted something but I don’t know what. She was so irritated that we were there. She also gave a very evasive answer about Friday night.”
“Say more.” Mark pulled out a chair from the table and sat, leaning backward slightly as he took another swig of his coffee.
“Well, we asked her why her story was different than what we’d been told. We mentioned that we knew she hadn’t walked to Inspiration Point with Carolina, and that someone (of course we didn’t say who), mentioned she’d been at Tripp’s a while longer. So we asked her about that and she told us she needed a tampon so she walked home because none of the other girls had one.”
“She needed a tampon?” Steph repeated mocking in disbelief.
“I know, right?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Raj asked quietly.
“It’s not that it’s wrong,” Steph answered, and then paused slightly. “It’s just not right.” She concluded.
“Yes, I mean, it would take Tally 10 - 12 minutes to walk home to get a tampon and then she claimed she walked back through the park in the dark to the party on her own. She did say she brought a flashlight, but even still, I don’t buy it.”
“It isn’t that.” Steph added, eyes narrowed. “It’s that the I needed a tampon excuse is just a catch-all for when you don’t want to do something. You want to leave a date, you need a tampon. You want to get out of running a mile in gym, you need a tampon. You want to get out of taking a test you didn’t study for? Ooops, I really need a tampon. It’s everything and nothing. It’s every girls’, well, woman’s, excuse for getting out of things when you can’t think of a better excuse. And, it’s not like anyone’s going to question it.” Jeannie’s eyebrows raised at this, considering her friend. “So, if you’re asking me to buy that Tally Briggs left a party on Halloween, walked 10-plus minutes home for a tampon in a fancy designer dress, and then another 10-plus minutes through a dark park to arrive at a party late? Yeah…I’m not buying that.” Steph finished, shrugging. “But that’s just me.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment. “That actually makes a lot of sense, Steph.” Mark offered, pursing his lips.
“I agree. You single-handedly tore up her excuse in about five seconds and I’m ashamed I didn’t see it that way myself.” Jeannie added. “Where’s Owen?”
“I’ll get him.” Steph disappeared right as Paco came back.
“Amanda is going to have to soak some of the sequins in the spring water and see if they react the same way as the others. What’s happening?”
“Steph just dismantled Tally’s tampon excuse as being far too convenient, and I’m inclined to agree.” Steph reappeared with Owen in tow. “Hey Owen — have you looked at Tally Briggs’ phone data?”
“Not yet, but I can do it next.”
“Yes please — check her photos. I want to see what was on her phone because I have a hunch that there’s going to be time gap.” Owen nodded from the doorway and headed back down the hall.
“Weren’t you the one who thought that Tally could be the Pr3pSF Admin?” Raj quipped to Jeannie.
“Well, she could be — she’s smart enough.”
“Then I’d suggest checking out the library maybe? See if they’ve seen her around there? Maybe they know her.” Raj shrugged a little at his suggestion.
“Wow. Everyone is coming up with ideas all of a sudden, I like it.” Mark said flatly. “But explain to me what this is about the IP address?”
“Well, a bit earlier, there was a new post to Pr3pSF that seemed to be another part of the Tahoe story.” Jeannie began.
“Who posted it?”
“It came from Alexa’s account,” Raj continued. “It was like Alexa’s tale of what she did after she left the bedroom on July 4th, I’ll show you. But anyways, I tracked the IP address and it went to the Presidio Branch library. I mean, it could be a VPN, and it’s only 2 blocks from Academy Prep, according to Jeannie, but could be worth looking into?”
Mark took another sip of his coffee, gratified at how the team was putting pieces together. “Okay then, let’s head over to the library and see if they can ID one of our people.”