boat, had sex, fell asleep, and whoever screwed her smashed in her head. If it wasn’t Mr. Winter, here, then I’m hoping he can help us figure out who.”
Marc shrugged. “I don’t know. I have no idea. People liked Maggie.”
“Evidently she was having an affair,” said Fourier.
“Evidently.”
“Sex makes for strong feelings.”
“I guess.”
Fourier puffed out his cheeks and blew out a sigh. “You told me last night she used to work at the Night Owl.”
“She did. Maybe it was someone she knew from there.”
Fourier nodded. “We’re working on it. You must be able to give us a name.”
“I can’t,” said Marc.
“Even a first name would help.”
“Maggie never mentioned anybody. I never asked.”
“That’s unusual.”
Marc shrugged.
“What about her family?”
“I don’t know anything about her family.”
“Parents? Brothers, sisters, ex-husbands?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe you were married to her and she never talked about her family?”
“She ran away from home when she was young. She was a survivor. She had no family. Except me.” Marc’s hands tightened into fists on top of the desk. “Look. I don’t care what you believe. You think just because I did time I must’ve killed Maggie, and I’m telling you what I know, and you think I’m lying.” He turned to me. “Do I have to take this, Brady?”
Just then Fourier’s phone rang. He picked it up. “Fourier,” he growled into the receiver. He listened for several moments, then said, “Okay.” He hung up and pushed his chair back and looked from me to Marc. “That’s it for now. We’ll be in touch. Meantime, try to remember if maybe, in the shock of events and all, maybe you didn’t drive away after you found the body, then change your mind and go back to the marina to make your call, huh?”
Marc stood up. “I’ll work on it.”
Fourier hoisted himself up from his chair. He looked from Marc to me. “Well, thanks, then.” He started us moving toward the door, and when he saw that we were headed in the right direction he returned to his desk. As we left, I saw that he was back in his seat talking into the telephone. He was waving his sugar-covered cruller around in the air to emphasize the points he was trying to make.
We sat in my car, looking toward the river. I started it up and got the air-conditioning blowing hard. The summer sun was high and hot.
“He doesn’t believe you,” I said after I got a cigarette lit.
Marc was staring off toward the river. “Fuck him.”
“Terrific attitude. Might be better if you tried cooperating with the police. They’re trying to figure out who killed your wife, remember?”
“Oh, they’ve got it all figured out.”
“Look,” I said. “You’re a logical suspect. You were there. You’ve certainly got a motive, if Maggie was having an affair with some guy.”
“That wasn’t a motive for me.”
“Most folks wouldn’t understand that.”
“Anyway, I am cooperating. I talked to them last night. I talked to them this morning. I told them everything I know.”
“You don’t seem to know a hell of a lot about your wife.”
He shrugged.
I cracked the car window and snapped out the cigarette butt. “You ready to go? I’ve got to get back to my office.”
“Yeah. In a minute,” said Marc. He turned in his seat to face me. “What was all that about me driving away and going back? I mean, what if I did?”
“Did you?”
He shook his head quickly.
“Because if you did, then don’t you see? You could’ve killed Maggie, driven away to change your clothes. They would’ve been bloodstained probably. Then you could have gone back to make the call as if you hadn’t been there before. See, if you parked and went directly to the phone, you wouldn’t’ve had any way of knowing she was dead unless you’d been there before.”
“You think he has a witness?”
I looked sharply at him. “Could he?”
Marc gazed out the
Marc shrugged. “I don’t know. I have no idea. People liked Maggie.”
“Evidently she was having an affair,” said Fourier.
“Evidently.”
“Sex makes for strong feelings.”
“I guess.”
Fourier puffed out his cheeks and blew out a sigh. “You told me last night she used to work at the Night Owl.”
“She did. Maybe it was someone she knew from there.”
Fourier nodded. “We’re working on it. You must be able to give us a name.”
“I can’t,” said Marc.
“Even a first name would help.”
“Maggie never mentioned anybody. I never asked.”
“That’s unusual.”
Marc shrugged.
“What about her family?”
“I don’t know anything about her family.”
“Parents? Brothers, sisters, ex-husbands?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe you were married to her and she never talked about her family?”
“She ran away from home when she was young. She was a survivor. She had no family. Except me.” Marc’s hands tightened into fists on top of the desk. “Look. I don’t care what you believe. You think just because I did time I must’ve killed Maggie, and I’m telling you what I know, and you think I’m lying.” He turned to me. “Do I have to take this, Brady?”
Just then Fourier’s phone rang. He picked it up. “Fourier,” he growled into the receiver. He listened for several moments, then said, “Okay.” He hung up and pushed his chair back and looked from me to Marc. “That’s it for now. We’ll be in touch. Meantime, try to remember if maybe, in the shock of events and all, maybe you didn’t drive away after you found the body, then change your mind and go back to the marina to make your call, huh?”
Marc stood up. “I’ll work on it.”
Fourier hoisted himself up from his chair. He looked from Marc to me. “Well, thanks, then.” He started us moving toward the door, and when he saw that we were headed in the right direction he returned to his desk. As we left, I saw that he was back in his seat talking into the telephone. He was waving his sugar-covered cruller around in the air to emphasize the points he was trying to make.
We sat in my car, looking toward the river. I started it up and got the air-conditioning blowing hard. The summer sun was high and hot.
“He doesn’t believe you,” I said after I got a cigarette lit.
Marc was staring off toward the river. “Fuck him.”
“Terrific attitude. Might be better if you tried cooperating with the police. They’re trying to figure out who killed your wife, remember?”
“Oh, they’ve got it all figured out.”
“Look,” I said. “You’re a logical suspect. You were there. You’ve certainly got a motive, if Maggie was having an affair with some guy.”
“That wasn’t a motive for me.”
“Most folks wouldn’t understand that.”
“Anyway, I am cooperating. I talked to them last night. I talked to them this morning. I told them everything I know.”
“You don’t seem to know a hell of a lot about your wife.”
He shrugged.
I cracked the car window and snapped out the cigarette butt. “You ready to go? I’ve got to get back to my office.”
“Yeah. In a minute,” said Marc. He turned in his seat to face me. “What was all that about me driving away and going back? I mean, what if I did?”
“Did you?”
He shook his head quickly.
“Because if you did, then don’t you see? You could’ve killed Maggie, driven away to change your clothes. They would’ve been bloodstained probably. Then you could have gone back to make the call as if you hadn’t been there before. See, if you parked and went directly to the phone, you wouldn’t’ve had any way of knowing she was dead unless you’d been there before.”
“You think he has a witness?”
I looked sharply at him. “Could he?”
Marc gazed out the
Similar Books
