The lights and sirens got the attention of everyone within a 5 block radius, with the amount of cop cars there were, it was clear something bad had happened. There were dozens of people swarming, trying to see what was going on, but the cops were using their cars and their own bodies to block the crime scene. 

“Everyone please move back, we need some more space. Please move back.” Officer Shawn Miller shouted over the murmuring of the crowd as he swung his arms to encourage people to back up. 

“I heard there's a dead body” “I heard someone got beat up” “Oh come on, there wouldn't be this many cops for someone who got beat up” He heard from the crowd. 

“Miller! Get over here.” The sheriff yelled from across the small field. As Shawn made his way over, he dreaded what he was about to see. Thankfully, she was already covered, but her arm was hanging out. Her skin was purplish, and her wrist looked bruised. There was a wedding ring on her ring finger, it looked expensive. “What's up?” Shawn asked the sheriff. “Look kid, I know this is probably hard for you with the similarities and all, but I need you to be the head of this investigation. With how similar it is to what happened to your mom, I think you will have a different perspective, might notice some things others wouldn't notice. You get what i mean?” 

“Yeah, yeah I get it. Thank you for the opportunity.” Shawn said, slightly reluctantly. 

Statement of Mr. Jeremiah Ulich- August 29th/22, 8:35AM- Interviewed by Officer Shawn Miller

Officer Miller: “So, Mr. Ulich, the deceased was your wife, that's correct?” 

Ulich: “ Yes, that is correct. Do you mind if I ask why I’m here? She was my wife, I was in love with her. Why am I being questioned instead of you being out there actually finding who did this to her?” 

Officer Miller: “Mr. Ulich, please settle down. As of right now you aren’t being questioned as a suspect. We just need a little more information on what happened that night so that we can get to finding out who did this. Now that that's out of the way, may we continue with the interview?” 

Ulich: “Y-yes officer. I'm sorry. Please continue.” 

Officer Miller: “Thank you. Now, where were you on the evening of August 27th?”

Ulich: “I was at home with my wife, having a beer while she cooked supper. I was watching tv and talking to her while she cooked.” 

Officer Miller: “Okay. And what were you talking about?” 

Ulich: “Uh, I can't quite remember. Some about my day, some about hers, some about this new recipe she was using. Some about the show I was watching. Just random things.” 

Officer Miller: “Okay, what about your day? Did anything interesting happen that day?” 

Ulich: “Look, it was days ago. If it was nothing big, I can barely remember what I did yesterday.” 

Officer Miller: “But that's exactly what I was asking. Did anything big, or out of the ordinary, or important thing happen? Anything that would be talked about.” 

Ulich: “Not really.” 

Officer Miller: “That's a very non-denial denial” 

Ulich: “No. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. It was just Mariah being jealous over stupid things.” 

Officer Miller: “So nothing happened, is that what you're trying to tell me? Or are you trying to get around saying nothing happened? Let me be perfectly clear. Did anything happen that could cause you and Mariah to fight?” 

Ulich: “Fine! Yes! We got into a stupid little fight over something dumb. It wasn't a big deal and it happened all the time.” 

Officer Miller: “So you two fighting, that happened all the time?” 

Ulich: “No! That's not what-” 

Officer Miller: “What was the fight over? Because you said it was just a dumb little fight but your neighbor, Mrs. Kennedy said she could hear you two yelling. Yelling about some other woman and this dumb little fight ended with your wife being beaten and stabbed fourteen times.” 

Ulich: “Okay! Look, what happened was, so I work at a law firm right? And I have this coworker who has a thing for me. My car was in the shop so Mariah had to pick me up and she saw her flirting with me. Thats what it was about but Mariah was the jealous type so we had little arguments over dumb shit like that all the time.” 

Officer Miller: “But is that all it was?” 

Ulich: “Excuse me?” 

Officer Miller: “Is that all it was? Or was there more to it?” 

Ulich: “Are you asking if I cheated on my wife? I was in love with her!” 

Officer Miller: “That's not exactly a denial, but that wasn't my question-”

Ulich: “Fine! Yes okay i made a mistake, a huge mistake and i spent a few nights with her but she meant nothing to me! I was in love with my wife. I made a mistake. Now, I thought you said I wasn't being questioned as a suspect? Cause this sure feels like an interrogation. Next you're gonna be asking me if I killed her. 

Officer Miller: “Well, since you brought it up, did you?”

Ulich: “NO! I am innocent! I was in love with her. You should be looking at Kate McCauley.” 

Officer Miller: “Kate McCauley.” 

Ulich: “Yes. She's the coworker. She also happens to be Mariah's best friend. She's had a thing for me since we were teens, and she's always been jealous of Mariah.”

Officer Miller: “Jealous?”

Ulich: “Yes. over everything but i think especially over getting with me. She always has been and it only got worse as we started sleeping together.”

Officer Miller: “Uh-huh. Just so happens we have an interview scheduled with her later. Back to our interview. So what happened after the fight?” 

Ulich: “She left. I sat down and ate.”

Officer Miller: “She just walked out the door?” 

Ulich: “Yeah. God, I should have followed her. I figured she just needed time to cool down. Fuck why didn't i follow her” 

Officer Miller: “So she left and you just sat down and ate the dinner she cooked?” 

Ulich: “Yes. I know it's fucking horrible, especially with what happened afterwards. But I promise it did not seem that bad at the time.” 

Officer Miller: “Approximately what time did Mariah leave the house?” 

Ulich: “Um, ah maybe around 6:30ish.” 

Officer Miller: “And that's 6:30pm?”

Ulich: “Yes.”

Officer Miller: “What time did you get home from work?” 

Ulich: “I got home around 6:00pm” 

Officer Miller: “So you work until 5:30pm, don't get home till 6:00pm. You then fight with your wife over your affair for 30 minutes, then she leaves, you sit down and eat supper. She is then, approximately 30 minutes later, beaten and stabbed to death. Just three blocks away. That does seem oddly coincidental, don't you think?”

Ulich: “You think I killed her? Well where were you, officer know it all?”

Officer Miller: “This interview is not about me, Mr. Ulich. Where were you while your wife was being murdered?”

Ulich: “I told you. I was at home eating supper. Now how about you answer my question?” 

Officer Miller: “I'm not here to answer your questions, you're here to answer mine. You had the motive, and the opportunity. And I think we will find a missing knife from your house once it's finished being searched. A knife that would match the wounds perfectly, won't it?” 

Ulich: “No! Not unless you stole it and killed my wife with it. Did you?” 

Officer Miller: “Did I, an officer of the law, break into your house and steal a kitchen knife to use to kill your wife? And then frame you for it?”

Ulich: “Yes, you could have had opportunity and motive. Did you know my wife? Before she died?”

Officer Miller: “No, no I didn't but I've heard of you. Heard you were cheating on her, and she was going to leave and keep your unborn child away from you.”

Ulich: “How the fuck did you hear that?” 

Officer Miller: “Her sister is friends with my wifes sister. Neither of them are good at keeping things to themselves.”

Ulich: “What the fuck?”

Officer Miller: “And in my eyes, that gives you even more motive. Just like my father.”

Ulich: “Your-”

Officer Miller: “Did you know that my father was cheating on my mother, and when she threatened to leave and take me and the baby she was pregnant with, he killed her. He beat her and then stabbed her. Did you know that?”

Ulich: “Jesus christ, no i didn't know. But I would never hurt my wife.”

Officer Miller: “I think you did though, I think you did for the same reason my father did. You killed your wife because you knew you were losing power, didn't you?”

Ulich: “No! Maybe you killed her because you're obsessed with your father?” 

Officer Miller: “Haha, interesting theory, you shoulda’ been a cop. C’mon, just admit it. We already have your fingerprints all over the crime scene, you have motive and the means, and when that missing knife turns up that's all we will need to put you away for a long long time. If you confess now I can help you, I can get you a deal.”

Ulich: “No. I'm not confessing to something I didn't do. Im not confessing to murdering my fucking wife. I loved her, and I would never hurt her.”

*click*

“So that's really what you're going with?” Shawn asked, “Yes, of course. Do you finally believe me? Please, I would never hurt her.” Jeremiah says, feeling powerless. 

“Oh, i believe you” Shawn laughs, “I know you're telling the truth” 

“Wh-what?’ Jeremiah starts to cry “I just lost my wife, you put me through that for what? Fun?”  “No no, not for fun. I was just hoping I could break you. Get you to confess.”  “Why? Why do you want me to confess so badly?” Jeremiah says, feeling despair. Shawn stands up from  the desk and starts pacing, the lights flicker. The room feels cold. 

“Well, I guess it doesn't matter anyways. Plenty of people get put away without a confession. Hahah, look at Ted  Bundy. I just figured a confession would make it easier but with the amount of evidence we will find, it'll be an open and shut case.” 

“What the fuck?” Jeremiah says under his breath. “Hahah, I can see the gears turning. Yep.” Shawn sits back down across from Jeremiah. “You- you killed my wife?”  “Ahh, Jerry. Yep I sure did.”  Shawn says, with a smirk. “W-why? Why would you do this to me?” Jeremiah starts sobbing, “Because, Jerry. You didn't deserve her, clearly, so I took her from you. Now you will get to sit in a cell for the rest of your life knowing that.” Shawn stands up again and walks to the door, Jeremiah tries to follow him and Shawn draws his service pistol. “Sit your ass down, now!” Jeremiah listens, “Please, officer miller please don't do this. I won't tell anyone just please don't make me look guilty for something i didn't do!” Jeremiah begged. “If not you, then  who?”  

Shawn holstered his pistol, and walked out the door. Jeremiah puts his head down and begins to sob. “I should have followed her. It's all my fault.”