A Criminal's Mind

Alvin Moran

We head straight from the dump to the welding sight, where Alvin Moran works. As we walk through the work sight, I am careful to watch my step, since there are several large pieces of metal the men have set to the side, until they are needed. Osacek leads us in and calls to Moran as we approach, "excuse me! Mr. Moran?" Osacek gets a step closer and waves his hand a bit, but he is careful not to get too close to Moran, since he is welding at the moment. "Mr. Moran!" This time Moran stops and lays his tool down on a bench to his left, before taking off his goggles and looks over to Osacek, "do you remember me, Mr. Moran?" Moran simply nods, Osacek gestures toward us, "these folks from the FBI would like to talk to you. That all right?" Moran nods again, clearly rather confused by what's happening. Judging by his mannerisms and lack of speech so far, I can tell that Moran is a simply man. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just I don't think killing anyone, much less someone like Beverly Jean, has ever or would ever cross his mind. But we do have to look into every possible suspect.

"Great," Ford nods and steps forward as soon as Moran nods, taking off his gloves as he walks forward, "we're told you found Beverly Jean's body." Moran only nods, "how'd you happen to find yourself at the dump?"

"Hiking," Moran looks over to Ford. "Wopsononock Mountain."

Tench nods and shrugs his shoulders, "get a break from the wife and kids?"

"That's right. Get up there a few times a week. Take the dog for a walk."

Ford, who is taking notes, looks up from his notepad to Moran, "still not clear how that puts you at the dump." I get that Ford is a young agent, who feels he has to prove himself in someway, but I wish he'd learn a bit more people skills. He is so rough and rather forceful with his questioning style.

"The path comes in pretty close."

"Does it?" Ford looks over to Tench, "you see any signs of a hiking trail out by the dump, Bill?" Tench shakes his head, before Ford looks over to me, "what about you, Nancy?"

"No," I shake my head, "but what may be clear from one point, may not be from another." Ford looks at me as if I just shot him, his jaw almost on the floor and his eyes practically bugging out of his head.

Moran nods, "she's right, the other side of the railroad tracks, up the hill. Probably looked like a bunch of trees from where you were standing."

Ford nods and looks back to Moran, "but if there's no clear view from the dump to the trail..."

"Are you really FBI? You're beautiful associate here already answered that for you."

"Yeah, but we aren't interviewing her, we're interviewing you."

"Am I under suspension here?" Moran looks over to Osacek, as he does Ford takes out his badge, when Moran sees it his face turns white, "okay," he nods, "so I come off the trail to..." Moran looks over to me, before leaning in and whispering to Ford and Tench, "to take a piss." He shrugs, "no law against it."

Tench shifts a bit, "there a few actually, but let's leave that for now. You go to take a piss, you see Beverly Jean's body..."

"I thought it was a store mannequin or something."

"Wouldn't your dog have gone straight for it?"

"Might have, but that's not what happened."

"What kind of dog do you have?" Ford looks back down to his notes.

"Retriever."

"Good dogs," I nod, crossing my arms, "trackers."

"And he didn't sniff it out first?" Ford clears his throat, "that seems odd."