Mr. Frying Pan

Staunton, Virginia - The Home Of Moose and Melanie Saunderson - Saturday Morning

Moose Saunderson was sitting down for his coffee and toast when there was a not-so-gentle knock at the door.  Melanie, his wife, was still asleep, and their two children would be coming down the stairs for bowls of Fruit Zeroes in a few minutes.  Just before the knock happened, Moose could hear them being silly upstairs.

Who visits this early and knocks so loud? Thought Moose.

He got up from the table and crossed into the next room, where the front door to the house was. He looked out the window as he headed for the door and saw one car pulling up and another two parked out front. The vehicles looked government-issue, and the two women standing in his doorway when he opened it were G types.

When he opened the door, Moose got a faceful of credentials and two FBI agents speaking simultaneously.

The two agents paused, looked at each other, and then the tall, harsh-looking woman spoke.

"Sorry to bother you so early. I am Special Agent Tina Winward, and this is Special Agent Rosalind Jefferson. We are with the F.B.I."

They both stared at Moose's head as they introduced themselves.

"We would like to speak with Melanie Saunderson. Is she available?" "Can we please come in.?"

Moose was steaming mad, and his head was churning with possibilities for this visit, which required three cars of Special Agents. 

Melanie worked at a Big Box Store selling hot dogs and soda combos for less than three dollars. What kind of Federal trouble could she be in?

"I'm sorry, yes, please come in. I'll get her for you."

"What is this about, please?" "Is this because I canceled my NetFlix subscription?"

Moose noticed that the agents neither smirked nor smiled at his attempt to flavor the situation with a bit of humor.

"We need to speak with Melanie about her family. It's important."

Moose turned toward the stairway and saw his two kiddoes looking down with awe at the full living room.

"You can come down for cereal, and I'll pour the milk for you when you are ready."

They scrambled almost as one down the stairs and went into the kitchen.  The two started watching cartoons immediately, and you could hear bowls clanking a bit as Moose called up the stairs. 

He delivered a line with just a little humor to Melanie, who understood what his tone was conveying. 

"The F.B.I. is here, and they want to speak with you about YOUR family."

In the future, this day will be a source of family fun for years to come. The story will be told and retold at the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. The kids and the grandkids would always laugh when Moose imitated the voices of the two tight-assed F.B.I. agents.

The story of the day that the F.B.I. woke everyone up before coffee to talk to Mel about his inlaws and her family. Not Moose's family.

Moose is an honest man, and he likes his in-laws. He had a little trouble with his mother-in-law's nagging about how much freedom his two kids had, but Mel was determined not to raise them like she was.

It was priceless that this was about her family. Moose came from a long line of convicts, ex-convicts, prostitutes, burglars, assaulters, junkies, shoplifters, parking ticket scofflaws, and other assorted troublemakers. 

Moose found the Navy in his teens, which kept him focused on a promising future. He is now a union carpenter with a family, a home, a truck, and a car. 

Between his job and Melanie's, the family was not living paycheck to paycheck.

What the hell could this be about? he thought

"Can I get you some coffee while Mel gets dressed?"

Special Agents Winward and Jefferson said "No Thank You" at the same time.

Moose wondered if they could accept food or drink from the people they needed to speak with. 

Moose entered the kitchen, squared the kids away with Loops and Milk, and noticed they were watching Sponge Bob.

In the future, this, too, will be part of the big story.

The kids started singing, "He lives in a pineapple under the sea, SpongeBob square pants," while their mother was grilled about whether she had any relatives living in New England.

Moose brought his coffee into the living room with a fistful of Lorna Doone cookies.

As he sat, he saw Melanie coming down the stairs. 

She looked elegant and strong, which was what Moose married, and she introduced herself to the Feds.

Melanie said, "This must be about Moose's family." She looked at Moose and smiled.

Bowers Lane, Darien, Connecticut - Saturday Morning

Wally excused himself to take a phone call.

He stayed overnight at Petra's house after Allston and Eve pulled quite a story out of her. Petra had a surprisingly good memory of some important things.

It was clear that Petra was in danger.

Allston and Eve were solid, creative investigators, Wally admitted to himself.

The F.B.I. was working with the Connecticut State Police to provide round-the-clock surveillance of Petra's home and an officer to stay with her—until they figured that out Wally was the man.

Wally stood on a wraparound porch facing the ocean with his phone to his ear.

"There were no injuries visible on his face or head?" he asked

He listened.

"Then we know he's not our guy, living in her house."

"Continue questioning his wife. You know what to ask, and we will get close."

"Keep me posted about what you find. It's okay to text the details."

"Good Job, Roz!"

The FBI got a familial match from the DNA and blood spatter on the frying pan at Hannah's home.  This will narrow down to potential suspects if the interview with Mr. Frying Pan's relatives is transparent and forthcoming. Sometimes, family members will be protective.