corner of my temple, driving into my skull with the force of a bullet. Frank stepped around me, saying, "Ma'am, we need to come in and speak with you. There's nothing to be alarmed about yet, but what's important right now is that we all get on the same page. Understand?" His voice was steady and professional. He'd had practice, apparently.
"Yes, of…of course," she said. She backed into the living room and sat down on the couch, staring mystified as we came into the house and Frank picked up the remote control and turned off the television. "So you don't know where Herb is?"
"We lost track of him," I said. "Have you talked to him any time recently?"
"No," Bernice said. "Not since he called me after you arrested that man."
"Which man?" I said.
"The one who was already in prison. The one who sent those people after you."
"What did he say when you spoke to him?" I said.
Bernice's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in a garbled, shuddering wail, "Oh my God, do you think they went after him next? Oh sweet Jesus, not my Herb. Please no, please God."
She looked ready to fall over and I sat down on the couch, wrapping my arm around her to keep her upright, telling her, "Wait, wait, nobody said that. We can't lose our heads right now."
"I can't lose him," Bernice gasped, rocking violently back and forth as she moaned and pleaded over and over to God not to take her husband. I tried to calm her and get her to listen, but her grief steamrolled over me, flattening my resolve until all I was doing was rocking with her, the two of us sea buoys bobbing in a violent storm.
"Hey!" Frank said, snapping his fingers in front of Bernice's face. "Hey, can you hear me?"
"Yes," Bernice mumbled. "Oh God. I can't believe this. Where is he?"
"I mean it. Can you hear what I'm saying to you? If you want to sit around crying, we'll leave. If you want to help us find him, get it together for five minutes and answer our questions. You pick."
I looked up at Frank in horror at the way he was speaking to her, but then Bernice swallowed thickly and sputtered, "What-what-what do you want to know?"
"When Herb called you, word-for-word, precisely what did he say?"
"H-He said he was finished at court," Bernice sniffled.
"And?"
"And that he had to be back early the next day for court."
"Good. What else?"
"He asked me to iron his blue shirt and find him a clean tie."
"Did he say anything about where he was going?"
"He was coming home!" Bernice sobbed. "He was supposed to come home!"
"Right away?" Frank said. "Did he tell you he was going to stop anywhere for gas or for milk? Did you tell him to pick up anything on his way home? You have to remember."
Bernice closed her eyes and tried to think. Snot bubbles were leaking down on her upper lip and I grabbed the tissues off the side table and tried to hand her one. When she didn't take it, I bunched it up and pressed it against her nose and said, "Blow."
She did. It was wet in my hand.
Bernice's eyes opened and fixed on Frank. "He asked me if we had any beer. He said it was a long day and he felt like he needed a beer."
"You didn't have any, I'm guessing," Frank said.
"No. I don't like having alcohol in the house," she said.
Frank looked at me and I said, "There's a bar near the courthouse. You can see it from the parking lot."
"Did he say anything else?" Frank pressed her.
"No," Bernice said. "He told me he'd be home soon … told me that he loved me."
Frank smiled warmly at her and bent forward to put his hand on her arm. "You did good, Mrs. Benedict. This helps us a lot."
She grabbed his arm with her hand and looked stricken. "I didn't tell him I loved him back. I was mad at him for being out so late. What did I do?" she whispered.
"You didn't do anything," I said.
"What did I do? Why didn't I tell him!" she moaned. "Oh, God, why!"
And then we were back to the sobbing and the rocking.
Frank was standing on the porch, waiting for me. His hands were stuffed in his pockets
"Yes, of…of course," she said. She backed into the living room and sat down on the couch, staring mystified as we came into the house and Frank picked up the remote control and turned off the television. "So you don't know where Herb is?"
"We lost track of him," I said. "Have you talked to him any time recently?"
"No," Bernice said. "Not since he called me after you arrested that man."
"Which man?" I said.
"The one who was already in prison. The one who sent those people after you."
"What did he say when you spoke to him?" I said.
Bernice's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in a garbled, shuddering wail, "Oh my God, do you think they went after him next? Oh sweet Jesus, not my Herb. Please no, please God."
She looked ready to fall over and I sat down on the couch, wrapping my arm around her to keep her upright, telling her, "Wait, wait, nobody said that. We can't lose our heads right now."
"I can't lose him," Bernice gasped, rocking violently back and forth as she moaned and pleaded over and over to God not to take her husband. I tried to calm her and get her to listen, but her grief steamrolled over me, flattening my resolve until all I was doing was rocking with her, the two of us sea buoys bobbing in a violent storm.
"Hey!" Frank said, snapping his fingers in front of Bernice's face. "Hey, can you hear me?"
"Yes," Bernice mumbled. "Oh God. I can't believe this. Where is he?"
"I mean it. Can you hear what I'm saying to you? If you want to sit around crying, we'll leave. If you want to help us find him, get it together for five minutes and answer our questions. You pick."
I looked up at Frank in horror at the way he was speaking to her, but then Bernice swallowed thickly and sputtered, "What-what-what do you want to know?"
"When Herb called you, word-for-word, precisely what did he say?"
"H-He said he was finished at court," Bernice sniffled.
"And?"
"And that he had to be back early the next day for court."
"Good. What else?"
"He asked me to iron his blue shirt and find him a clean tie."
"Did he say anything about where he was going?"
"He was coming home!" Bernice sobbed. "He was supposed to come home!"
"Right away?" Frank said. "Did he tell you he was going to stop anywhere for gas or for milk? Did you tell him to pick up anything on his way home? You have to remember."
Bernice closed her eyes and tried to think. Snot bubbles were leaking down on her upper lip and I grabbed the tissues off the side table and tried to hand her one. When she didn't take it, I bunched it up and pressed it against her nose and said, "Blow."
She did. It was wet in my hand.
Bernice's eyes opened and fixed on Frank. "He asked me if we had any beer. He said it was a long day and he felt like he needed a beer."
"You didn't have any, I'm guessing," Frank said.
"No. I don't like having alcohol in the house," she said.
Frank looked at me and I said, "There's a bar near the courthouse. You can see it from the parking lot."
"Did he say anything else?" Frank pressed her.
"No," Bernice said. "He told me he'd be home soon … told me that he loved me."
Frank smiled warmly at her and bent forward to put his hand on her arm. "You did good, Mrs. Benedict. This helps us a lot."
She grabbed his arm with her hand and looked stricken. "I didn't tell him I loved him back. I was mad at him for being out so late. What did I do?" she whispered.
"You didn't do anything," I said.
"What did I do? Why didn't I tell him!" she moaned. "Oh, God, why!"
And then we were back to the sobbing and the rocking.
Frank was standing on the porch, waiting for me. His hands were stuffed in his pockets
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