say, if you don’t mind. It’s confidential.”
“ We do mind, pal ,” Karen glared. “T his is a homicide investigation.” She pointed a finger at him. “ T he victim was strangled to death right around the time you were there by someone with hands about the size of your hands. Why’d you kill her? Was she going to spill the beans on the affair you two were having, spoil this great setup you guys have got here?”
“No, no,” Brother Charles replied, aghast. “Nothing like that at all. Killing is abhorrent. I don’t even kill insects if I can avoid it, let alone a human being. I was at that bar, yes, at about the time you mentioned, but there were other men there at the same time. Surely one of them would be the one you’re looking for.”
“Why were you there?” she snapped.
“To meet someone who needed help.”
“Who?” Branham jumped back in. “Who was it you we re there to meet?”
“I’m afraid I just can’t say.”
“Why not?” Branham asked. “Don’t you see the position it puts you in? You were at the bar when the victim was murdered, you were seen by an eyewitness walking to the back of the building , where she was killed, and you can’t give us a reasonable explanation for your actions. Wh at do you expect us to think ? It makes you the most likely person we know of at this point to have killed her . You had means and opportunity, and you seem to be hiding a motive that we’ll find out about soon enough . ”
Brother Charles folded his hands on the table in front of him and stared at them.
“ If you tell us who you went there to see, ” Branham pressed, “ they can corroborate your story and clear you. We might be able to keep the specifics confidential. Who was it?”
Brother Charles shook his head. “We help a lot of people at our clinic. Often they ask that we keep their identities confidential, for various reasons. Sometimes,” he looked up at Branham before turn ing to Karen, “they’re embarrassed about going to a free clinic instead of being able to afford Medicare . Sometimes, rarely, they have their own Medicare but need to consult someone in greater privacy. Off the grid, so to speak.” He turned back to Branham. “We respect and guarantee those requests for confidentiality.”
“Are you telling me you went to see someone in Harmony Saturday night who’s been getting treatment here at your clinic?”
Brother Charles nodded.
“They were at Gerry’s?”
“I was supposed to meet them there, but when I got there I couldn’t find them, so I left.”
“And you won’t tell me the identity of this person to help corroborate your story?”
Brother Charles shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Branham looked at Karen. She hiked an eyebrow. It was obvious enough to her. Branham nodded.
“Brother Charles,” he said, getting up, “I’m going to have to ask you to come with me back to Harmony for further questioning.”
Brother Charles stood up. “Am I under arrest?”
Karen also got to her feet and moved around the table into a position on the man’s left . She knew Branham had a choice and th at he would take the high road , but she was going to be ready in case the situation fell apart and she needed to move quickly .
Branham came around the table. “ Will you come voluntarily?”
“Yes, of course, although I probably can’t tell you any more than I already have. Am I a suspect, then?”
“ We’ll call you a person of interest at the moment, s ince you’ve agreed to come in voluntarily . That way there’s no need to arrest you right now and handcuff you and all of that. But I’ll tell you up front, if you don’t come up with better answers when Chief Askew talks to you , you ’ ll be placed under arrest and charged.”
“May I just have a few minutes to arrange things here before we go?”
“ Ye s, of course. Let’s go.”
They followed Brother Charles out of the meeting room. He took them down the hall to the desk of a gray
“ We do mind, pal ,” Karen glared. “T his is a homicide investigation.” She pointed a finger at him. “ T he victim was strangled to death right around the time you were there by someone with hands about the size of your hands. Why’d you kill her? Was she going to spill the beans on the affair you two were having, spoil this great setup you guys have got here?”
“No, no,” Brother Charles replied, aghast. “Nothing like that at all. Killing is abhorrent. I don’t even kill insects if I can avoid it, let alone a human being. I was at that bar, yes, at about the time you mentioned, but there were other men there at the same time. Surely one of them would be the one you’re looking for.”
“Why were you there?” she snapped.
“To meet someone who needed help.”
“Who?” Branham jumped back in. “Who was it you we re there to meet?”
“I’m afraid I just can’t say.”
“Why not?” Branham asked. “Don’t you see the position it puts you in? You were at the bar when the victim was murdered, you were seen by an eyewitness walking to the back of the building , where she was killed, and you can’t give us a reasonable explanation for your actions. Wh at do you expect us to think ? It makes you the most likely person we know of at this point to have killed her . You had means and opportunity, and you seem to be hiding a motive that we’ll find out about soon enough . ”
Brother Charles folded his hands on the table in front of him and stared at them.
“ If you tell us who you went there to see, ” Branham pressed, “ they can corroborate your story and clear you. We might be able to keep the specifics confidential. Who was it?”
Brother Charles shook his head. “We help a lot of people at our clinic. Often they ask that we keep their identities confidential, for various reasons. Sometimes,” he looked up at Branham before turn ing to Karen, “they’re embarrassed about going to a free clinic instead of being able to afford Medicare . Sometimes, rarely, they have their own Medicare but need to consult someone in greater privacy. Off the grid, so to speak.” He turned back to Branham. “We respect and guarantee those requests for confidentiality.”
“Are you telling me you went to see someone in Harmony Saturday night who’s been getting treatment here at your clinic?”
Brother Charles nodded.
“They were at Gerry’s?”
“I was supposed to meet them there, but when I got there I couldn’t find them, so I left.”
“And you won’t tell me the identity of this person to help corroborate your story?”
Brother Charles shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Branham looked at Karen. She hiked an eyebrow. It was obvious enough to her. Branham nodded.
“Brother Charles,” he said, getting up, “I’m going to have to ask you to come with me back to Harmony for further questioning.”
Brother Charles stood up. “Am I under arrest?”
Karen also got to her feet and moved around the table into a position on the man’s left . She knew Branham had a choice and th at he would take the high road , but she was going to be ready in case the situation fell apart and she needed to move quickly .
Branham came around the table. “ Will you come voluntarily?”
“Yes, of course, although I probably can’t tell you any more than I already have. Am I a suspect, then?”
“ We’ll call you a person of interest at the moment, s ince you’ve agreed to come in voluntarily . That way there’s no need to arrest you right now and handcuff you and all of that. But I’ll tell you up front, if you don’t come up with better answers when Chief Askew talks to you , you ’ ll be placed under arrest and charged.”
“May I just have a few minutes to arrange things here before we go?”
“ Ye s, of course. Let’s go.”
They followed Brother Charles out of the meeting room. He took them down the hall to the desk of a gray
Similar Books
