“Because, they will kill me.”

“Who’s going to kill you?”

“I don’t know them,” Maria whined. “That night that the man was killed outside the hospital, I was on my way back from my lunch break. I was minding my business when a woman walked up to me. She was so pretty and well dressed that I felt I had no reason to be afraid. That was until she pulled a gun on me and asked for my wallet.” Maria stopped short, unsure if she should continue talking.

“And then what?” Kisa ordered.

“The lady took my ID and my Social Security card, looked at them, and then put it them her pocket. She told me she knew who I was, and where I lived.” Maria took a deep breath. “The lady said that if I didn’t tell the police that I saw who did it, I would be killed. I told her that I didn’t see anything.”

“Well, how did you identify my husband and his friend?”

“The lady had pictures of them with their names on the back. She said if the police asked me how I knew them, to say from uptown.”

Disgusted, Kisa asked, “How come you never mentioned to the police that someone threatened you into lying?”

“The lady said that someone would be watching me. Her eyes were so cold … I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me or worse.” Maria wiped the tears and mucus from her face with the back of her hand. “On my way home from the precinct, after I gave my statement, I swear I thought about going back in the morning to tell the truth, but when I got home, the lady was sitting in the living room with my disabled grandmother drinking coffee. She had my poor grandmother under the impression that we were old friends. On her way out the door, she told me that I did a good job and that as long as I stuck to the script, no harm would come to my grandmother or me.”

“What does this lady look like?” Kisa asked.

“Um, her skin is really light, and she has fire-red hair. She could be black, mixed, or Spanish.”

Fuckin’ Rellie, Kisa thought. “And you had no ties with her before that night?”

“No, none at all,” Maria pleaded. “I truly believed that she or those scary guys that she got into the car with would kill me. You have to understand that I’m all my grandmother has. Between my student loans and her medical bills, we have nowhere to go and hide. I’ve been working mad overtime so she can stay in a nursing home until this thing blows over.”

Kisa looked to Mish. “Do you believe her?”