Part 20 (1/2)
”Hus.h.!.+ Please!” My voice was a frightened croak.
She must have sensed the way I felt. She came close to me and whispered, ”What on earth is the trouble?”
”The police are looking for me, Toni. They want to arrest me for the murder of Mary Olan.”
”That's simply stupid! You couldn't kill anybody.”
”Please, please don't raise your voice like that, Toni. I didn't kill her. But I'll tell you what I did do. I found her body in my closet Sunday morning. I put the body in my car and took it out and left it where they found it. Now they can prove I did that. And if they can prove I did that...”
She stood silently in the darkness.
”You fool, Clint!
You utter d.a.m.n fool!”
”I know, I know. I did it, I was stupid, I can't take it back.”
”You better go right on down there and tell them just what you did.”
”You don't know the whole thing. You don't know how bad it looks.”
”You can't tell them the truth?”
”I didn't tell them in the beginning. I don't dare to now.”
”What do you expect me to do?”
”This sounds silly as h.e.l.l. I don't know what I expect you to do. I just wanted to tell somebody. I just wanted to tell you. So it's stupid. All right.”
She looked down and kicked lightly at the gra.s.s.
”If you run and hide it'll look even worse.”
”I know that! But what can I do. I can't keep standing here. I wish I could tell you the whole thing.”
”Without any lies? Without leaving out any part of it?”
”I'm off lies, Toni. I've given them up. They don't pay off.”
”You ought to go right to the police.”
”We can't argue that here.”
She turned and looked at the house. There was just enough light from the house for me to see she was biting her underlip.
”I don't want to get you involved,” I said.
”Shut up a minute. Have you got your car?”
”They took it away.”