(The next morning Garrett returned to the police station and continued his review of statements and records. He purposely didn't say anything to Officer Miles about the necklace being found in Hanna's apartment thinking that there would be time for that later. For now, Garrett wanted to have total focus and concentration on the pages and words to be read so he wouldn't miss any details. Once again, the day passed quickly. Once again, he had a very quick peanut butter and jelly sandwiches late afternoon lunch. Garrett leaves the room and motions Officer Miles to come. Officer Miles walks the short distance to Garrett)
Garrett: I surprised myself and finished up a little early. I'm through.
Miles: Very good then. I'll lock the room and tomorrow we will box everything up again.
Garrett: One thing that caught my eye is Richard's friend after being interviewed called the station and wanted it written into the record that he did not want to be called to be a character witness for Richard. He said that they had a falling out about two years ago and hadn't been friends since. At one time they had been very close friends but that had come to an end. I wrote down his name and it is Lloyd Stall.
Miles: Yes, I remember that. I don't know what the falling out was all about. But I remember it gave me pause and seemed strange.
Garrett: Me, too. I think I will talk with him on my way home. Thanks a lot for all your help.
Miles. Sure. Anything I can do just let me know.
(Once getting in his car Garrett checks his GPS for the Lloyd Stall residence. Garrett shakes his head and thinks "wouldn't you know it. This address is completely on the other side of the city." Garrett was feeling tired and hungry but he decided to follow through and add three to four more hours onto his day. Once parked in front of the house he notices a man on the front porch swing reading a newspaper. Garrett goes to the front porch. The gentleman was still reading the paper. Garrett said loudly)
Garrett: Hello. Are you Mr. Lloyd Stall?
Lloyd: You startled me. Guess I was deep in thought while reading. Yes, I am Lloyd Stall.
Garrett: I am a private investigator and I just finished reviewing all the records for a case concerning Richard Dover. I couldn't help but notice you had been good friends with Richard and then had a falling out. I was going to ask if you would talk to me about that falling out.
Lloyd: Oh, this has been hard on me. Because I went to the funeral and then I thought was it really that big of deal? Did I make too much of something to end a friendship? It's been keeping me up at night. I just don't know if the falling out was worth ending the friendship. I am second guessing myself for becoming so upset.(pause) We can go inside and I'll tell you about it. Maybe it will do me good to get this off my chest because I let such a silly thing ruin my friendship with a good man. (Lloyd opens the door and he and Garrett enter the house)
Garrett: Nice house.
Lloyd: Thank you. Have a seat at the dining room table. (They each have a seat then Lloyd asks) Can I get you an iced tea?
Garrett; No thank you. I'm fine.
Lloyd, I better have something to drink. I have been having trouble getting dehydrated. I'll get my water bottle. Excuse me for a second.(Lloyd goes to kitchen to get his bottle of water out of the refrigerator and returns.)
Garrett: I know what you mean. I carry bottled water with me all of the time in my car.
Lloyd: A person has to with this heat. The only way I remember is to have it with me and have it in sight. I'm really a coffee person and I like all these new blends. It is like a coffee buffet each day.
Garrett: That's kind of catchy. Kind of like a blended coffees slogan. (They both smile. Lloyd takes a big drink of water. Clears his thoughts and says)
Lloyd: I don't know where to begin. It was serious to me, very serious. I had found out earlier in the day when all this happened that I may had fathered a child in my younger years. I called Richard. I asked him to please come over that evening I had something important that I wanted to tell him that I just had found out. At 7:00 PM the doorbell ran. And I let Richard in and we went to my library where I told him the possibility of my life to soon be changing and why. I was excited about it and happy, too, but apprehensive. To learn there may be a child or young adult by now and to think I am the father is stunning. Then the doorbell rang again. I went to answer the door and there stood Richard. They had played a trick on me. Henry had dressed like Richard and wore a toupee and duplicate glasses and he was the one I had confided in. They were laughing about it and I got so angry about it. I wouldn't have told such a personal thing to Henry but yet I had. They just kept laughing saying they always knew I had been a real romance man in my early days. I came upset and asked them to leave. I told Richard the next time we had something to say to each other would be when I had something to say first. I just didn't have anything to do with him after that. I just didn't ever speak to him again. It was over. I felt betrayed. (wipes tears from eyes)
Garrett: I can understand your feelings.
Lloyd: Well, that's the way it went. The friendship was completely over for me. Within a week I found out the adult child wasn't mine. He had been adopted and had found his birth mother. He wanted to know who his father is and she told him she had been dating two men at that time. I was one of them. But it was the other guy she was seeing who fathered him. I thought, maybe, I had jumped the gun. That maybe I should have waited a week and not even said anything. I've looked at it all, over and over again, and each time I keep thinking I made too big of deal of their trick. Nothing was known for sure. It's hard to explain but I do blame myself for the end of our friendship. I just couldn't take their joke on that particular day about that particular subject.. But I do keep a picture of Richard and me during the good times and I see it several times a day.. Let's go in the next room and I'll show it to you. It is hanging on the wall at the bottom of the open staircase. (They both get up and go into an adjoining room)
Garrett: Sure, I see it. My, you guys must have been at a fancy place with all these statues in the background.
Lloyd: Oh, that picture was taken at Richard's house. Richard made porcelain statues. Beautiful, beautiful statues because he did incredible work. He did the whole process in his basement. Mixed up the stuff and poured it into the molds. He had a special piece of equipment that fired the pieces and it could get to over 1400 degrees. I wouldn't want to have paid their electric bill. He really got into it and kept a project going most of the time. He didn't give any of the statues away or as gifts. Each one was special to him. He kept every one of the statues on display all of the time. He told that they were to be enjoyed and they couldn't be enjoyed in a box somewhere in storage. His wife asked if he would rotate the statues by having half of them out for display for half of the year and then have the other half out for display the next six months. But he told her "no". Everything was out on display all of the time. It did feel a little overdone but he was a very talented man and that's the way he wanted it.
Garrett: These statues look like fine art.
Lloyd: Exactly. His work had a very unique and specialized look, almost recognizable. He even made his own molds for some of them. He signed and dated those statues he designed and only made one.
Garrett: I better go. Thank you for visiting. If it means anything to you coming from me, don't be hard on yourself. At the time it was the right thing to do. Their fun meant more to them then having empathy for a friend and that is what ended the friendship.
Lloyd: Thank you. I'm actually kind of glad you came by.
Garrett: Me, too. (They shake hands and Garrett leaves. He has a long drive home but he felt his efforts to interview Lloyd were more than worthwhile. In fact, he had some brand new thoughts coming to mind that could possibly provide the big answer in solving the case.)
to be continued: Tomorrow
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