house.
She opened the curtains across the patio
doors and stared outside at the late afternoon sunshine that highlighted the
newly budding trees in the backyard. At the cemetery, she had dreaded returning
to the emptiness of the house. The fear and confusion at Leidecker’s intrusion
superseded her despair. At least for the moment. Fighting for control, she
turned to face the others.
“Now, Carl,” she said, moving to stand
beside Richard. “What exactly is going on here?”
“Sorry, Kate,” Leidecker said. “Several
questions have come up that need to be answered.”
“Again?” Kate asked. “Haven’t you asked
the same questions over and over enough times?”
She didn’t know why she was reacting so
strongly to Leidecker’s presence, but she had a real sense of danger.
“Go away,” she said. “Come back tomorrow
and we’ll talk.” Richard moved restlessly at her side and she turned to him,
tears of frustration filling her eyes. “Make them go away, Richard.”
“It’s all right, Kate,” he said. “Let’s
just get it over with.”
Before she could speak, Richard led her
over to the couch. His expression was forbidding. She suspected that he dreaded
talking about Jenny’s death as much as she did but maybe he was right. Putting
it off until later wouldn’t make it any easier. She glared at Leidecker, hating
him for causing such pain. Lips pressed together to keep them from trembling,
she sat down without further comment. Richard stood beside the arm of the
couch.
Without waiting for an invitation, Carl
sat down in an overstuffed chair facing the couch. He appeared relaxed, his
hands folded loosely on top of a leather notebook on his lap.
“Before we begin,” he said, “is there anyone
you would like to have present?”
“You mean a lawyer,” Richard snapped.
Kate moved at his side, and he pressed her shoulder to silence her. “I
appreciate the courtesy, but I can’t think of any reason we would need one. As
you may recall it is our daughter who has been killed. I assume that we are not
suspects.”
“At this stage, everyone is a suspect.”
The words were quietly spoken but
nonetheless dramatic. In the charged silence, the phone rang and Kate jumped as
if she had been scalded. No one moved. The second ring broke the spell, and
Richard hurried into the kitchen cutting off the shrill sound in the middle of
the third ring.
The tension that had been building
dissipated. Kate sank into the corner of the couch, drawing her feet up in
preparation for the coming ordeal.
“The answering machine will pick up, so
we won’t be disturbed,” Richard said returning to the room. He eyed Kate,
relief showing on his face at her composure. He sat on the couch beside her and
turned his attention to Carl. “Now, how can we help you?”
“I’d like each of you to repeat the events
of Tuesday, May 16th.” At Kate’s grimace, he nodded in silent agreement. “I
know you’ve told the story before but you’ve had some time to think about it
and perhaps you’ve remembered something that you didn’t think to mention
before. I realize how difficult this is but it must be done.”
Objecting was fruitless. It would only
prolong the agony. At first she spoke slowly, but eventually she became caught
up in the narrative and the effort to control the painful remembrance of that
day. Her words were stilted and when she faltered, she felt Richard’s hand on
her shoulder and took comfort from his presence.
She was aware of Carl but did not talk
directly to him. It was easier to speak to the walls of the room. For the most
part she concentrated on the sound of her own voice and the rhythm of her
breathing. At the completion of her narrative, she looked across at Carl.
“You’re doing fine, Kate. Just a few
more questions.” His voice was brisk, acknowledging her effort. “Do you recall
seeing anyone you knew as you walked toward the corner or on the side street?”
“No. No
She opened the curtains across the patio
doors and stared outside at the late afternoon sunshine that highlighted the
newly budding trees in the backyard. At the cemetery, she had dreaded returning
to the emptiness of the house. The fear and confusion at Leidecker’s intrusion
superseded her despair. At least for the moment. Fighting for control, she
turned to face the others.
“Now, Carl,” she said, moving to stand
beside Richard. “What exactly is going on here?”
“Sorry, Kate,” Leidecker said. “Several
questions have come up that need to be answered.”
“Again?” Kate asked. “Haven’t you asked
the same questions over and over enough times?”
She didn’t know why she was reacting so
strongly to Leidecker’s presence, but she had a real sense of danger.
“Go away,” she said. “Come back tomorrow
and we’ll talk.” Richard moved restlessly at her side and she turned to him,
tears of frustration filling her eyes. “Make them go away, Richard.”
“It’s all right, Kate,” he said. “Let’s
just get it over with.”
Before she could speak, Richard led her
over to the couch. His expression was forbidding. She suspected that he dreaded
talking about Jenny’s death as much as she did but maybe he was right. Putting
it off until later wouldn’t make it any easier. She glared at Leidecker, hating
him for causing such pain. Lips pressed together to keep them from trembling,
she sat down without further comment. Richard stood beside the arm of the
couch.
Without waiting for an invitation, Carl
sat down in an overstuffed chair facing the couch. He appeared relaxed, his
hands folded loosely on top of a leather notebook on his lap.
“Before we begin,” he said, “is there anyone
you would like to have present?”
“You mean a lawyer,” Richard snapped.
Kate moved at his side, and he pressed her shoulder to silence her. “I
appreciate the courtesy, but I can’t think of any reason we would need one. As
you may recall it is our daughter who has been killed. I assume that we are not
suspects.”
“At this stage, everyone is a suspect.”
The words were quietly spoken but
nonetheless dramatic. In the charged silence, the phone rang and Kate jumped as
if she had been scalded. No one moved. The second ring broke the spell, and
Richard hurried into the kitchen cutting off the shrill sound in the middle of
the third ring.
The tension that had been building
dissipated. Kate sank into the corner of the couch, drawing her feet up in
preparation for the coming ordeal.
“The answering machine will pick up, so
we won’t be disturbed,” Richard said returning to the room. He eyed Kate,
relief showing on his face at her composure. He sat on the couch beside her and
turned his attention to Carl. “Now, how can we help you?”
“I’d like each of you to repeat the events
of Tuesday, May 16th.” At Kate’s grimace, he nodded in silent agreement. “I
know you’ve told the story before but you’ve had some time to think about it
and perhaps you’ve remembered something that you didn’t think to mention
before. I realize how difficult this is but it must be done.”
Objecting was fruitless. It would only
prolong the agony. At first she spoke slowly, but eventually she became caught
up in the narrative and the effort to control the painful remembrance of that
day. Her words were stilted and when she faltered, she felt Richard’s hand on
her shoulder and took comfort from his presence.
She was aware of Carl but did not talk
directly to him. It was easier to speak to the walls of the room. For the most
part she concentrated on the sound of her own voice and the rhythm of her
breathing. At the completion of her narrative, she looked across at Carl.
“You’re doing fine, Kate. Just a few
more questions.” His voice was brisk, acknowledging her effort. “Do you recall
seeing anyone you knew as you walked toward the corner or on the side street?”
“No. No
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