Part 14 (1/2)
”Esther . . .” He looked impatient, realizing I intended to refuse.
”-I'd go along with this. But . . .”
The strange logistics of the homicide made me suspect Max was right.
And if Max was wrong, well, I hadn't seen anything revelatory last night-but I had had seen enough movies to suspect protective custody would be unpleasant and not even all that protective. seen enough movies to suspect protective custody would be unpleasant and not even all that protective.
”I don't think it's the best thing for me,” I said.
”Esther, you're-”
”I'll reserve the right to change my mind.” Just in case Lopez was right. ”How's that?”
”Not good enough,” he said.
”But it's the only answer I'm going to give you,” I said. ”At least for now. So let's not keep arguing about it.”
He looked like he really wanted to argue, but he evidently realized it wouldn't accomplish anything. So he said, ”All right. I'll let it go for now. But you keep your cell phone with you at all times, and you keep my number on speed dial. Promise Promise me.” me.”
”Okay.” I nodded. ”That's a good plan. I promise.” When he didn't say anything else, just sat there looking glum, I asked, ”So that's the talk? I mean, it's what you came here to say?”
”Huh? Oh. No. Not entirely.”
I sighed. ”Well?”
”I want to go over everything you saw last night. Until I figure out what the missing piece is.”
I groaned as I folded my arms on the table and rested my head on them.
”We need to do this,” he said, sounding tired again. ”Right now, you're suspected of obstruction, at the very least. And my captain would ream me a new one just for coming here to talk to you alone, never mind sleeping with you.”
”We didn't do do any-” any-”
”It doesn't matter. I can't be involved with someone who's a suspect in an open investigation.”
That statement certainly had a sobering effect. We'd been in this situation before. During his investigation of Golly Gee and the other disappearees. statement certainly had a sobering effect. We'd been in this situation before. During his investigation of Golly Gee and the other disappearees.
”Then why did you even come here this morning?” I grumbled.
”Because I don't want this thing to go bad for you.” After a moment, he added, ”Or for us-you and me, I mean.”
With my head still on my arms, I waited for him to continue.
He said, ”Napoli wants to get a material witness warrant for you.”
”What?” I sat up. ”Why? All he has to do is ask me to come in again. I haven't refused to answer his questions.”
”He says you did. He says you refused to keep talking last night and you walked out.”
”Well, of course I did! At the time, I mean. It was late, I was tired, and he was just saying the same idiotic, accusatory c.r.a.p over and over!”
”That's what cops do. We wear you down until we get the whole story.”
”He had had it,” I insisted. ”I was fed up. That doesn't mean I'm an uncooperative witness! Even a saint would have walked out by then. Napoli's a jerk.” it,” I insisted. ”I was fed up. That doesn't mean I'm an uncooperative witness! Even a saint would have walked out by then. Napoli's a jerk.”
”He's good cop, though.”
”He's a jerk jerk.”
”Okay, I don't like him either,” Lopez admitted. ”Not that he'd be heartbroken by that, since I think he loathes me. And I've only been a.s.signed to his team since yesterday,” he added morosely. ”So the new job's off to a rocky start.”
”Look, I'm sorry last night was embarra.s.sing for you. I am am. But it's not my fault,” I said. ”I didn't plan to witness a mob hit!”
”I know,” he said soothingly. ”But now we have to straighten this out before it gets any more complicated.”
”I told you everything I saw.”
”Then I need to figure out what you haven't remembered or don't realize was significant. That's why Napoli was going over and over this until you wanted to throttle him. He was trying to decide whether you were lying or just not remembering something.”
”Well, all he did was p.i.s.s me off.”
”As long as he thinks you may be lying, we've got a problem, Esther,” Lopez said.
”And what do you you think?” think?”
”Like I've already told Napoli two dozen times, I think that seeing someone killed right in front of you really shook you up,” he said. ”So there's something important that you just don't recall yet.”
I frowned again. ”Like what?”
”I'm not sure. But the crime scene doesn't add up. Not at all.”
”I know. Napoli said so. While accusing me of lying.”
”Someone must have moved something. Or changed something. Or lied about something.”
”I haven't li-”
”I believe you,” he a.s.sured me. ”Okay? But I think what happened was traumatic for you, so what you're saying isn't accurate, it's just what you can remember right now.”
”Well, I can't argue about it being traumatic,” I admitted with a shudder as I remembered watching Charlie die.
”The only thing we know for sure,” Lopez said, ”is that the shot fired through the window couldn't have killed Charlie. Based on where he was sitting and where he fell, the trajectory is impossible. But that's still the only shot we can account for.”
”It's the only one I heard,” I insisted.
”I'm sorry to do this to you, Esther, but we have to go over it again. And again. Until I figure out what your memory is leaving out.”
”I am so so tired of talking about this,” I told him. tired of talking about this,” I told him.
”I know,” he said gently. ”But it's important.”