Part 122 (1/2)
”That's what happened.” Suskind folded his arms now. ”It was self-defense. I have a right to defend myself.”
”You have a right to break into private property, to dig around in it, to walk away from an injured woman who fell because you'd broken into her home while she was sleeping, to a.s.sault another and to kill a man? You're going to find out the law doesn't give you a single one of those rights, Suskind, and you'll have a long time to think about that in prison when you're serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.”
”It was self-defense.”
”Is that going to be your story for why you killed Lindsay Landon? Did she attack you, threaten you, so you had to bash in the back of her skull to defend yourself?”
”I didn't kill Lindsay! Landon killed her, and you cops let him get away with it. Money, family name, that's why she's dead and he's free, and he's lording it in a house that's rightfully mine.”
Corbett glanced toward the two-way mirror, gave the faintest nod. Nearly sighed. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake, but a deal was a deal.
”How do you know Landon killed her?”
”Because he did. She was afraid of him.”
”She told you she was afraid of her husband?”
”She was a wreck after he went at her in public that day. She said she didn't know what he might do. He'd threatened her, told her he'd make her sorry, make her pay. It's on record! I promised her I'd take care of her, take care of everything. She loved me. I loved her. Landon was already done with her, but when he found out about us, he couldn't stand that she was happy. He went over there, and he killed her, then he bought off the cops and walked.”
”So Wolfe was paid off?”
”d.a.m.n right he was.”
Corbett glanced around, nodded again when Eli walked in. ”Eli Landon entering interview. Mr. Suskind, I think, again, we can save some time, get this all straightened out, if Mr. Landon's a part of this process. If you object to having him here, just say so and he's out.”
”I've got plenty to say to him, here and now. You murdering b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
”That was going to be my line. But let's talk.” Eli took a seat at the table.
CHAPTER Thirty
”YOU DIDN'T WANT HER.”
”No,” Eli agreed, ”I didn't, and I wanted her less when I found out she'd lied to me, cheated on me, used me. Did she know why you started the affair? Did she know you were using her to get information on me, on Bluff House, the family, the dowry?”
”I loved her.”
”Maybe you did, but you didn't start sleeping with her out of love. You did it to screw with me, and to pump her for anything I might have told her about the dowry.”
”I knew her. I understood her. You didn't even know who she was.”
”G.o.d, you're right about that. No argument. I didn't know her, I didn't want her, I didn't love her. I didn't kill her.”
”You went in that house, and when she told you to go to h.e.l.l, to get out, that she and I were going to be together, to get married, start our lives, you killed her.”
”Tough marrying her when you already have a wife.”
”I'd already told Eden I wanted a divorce, and when Lindsay told you we were both getting free, you couldn't stand it. You didn't want her, but you didn't want anyone else to have her.”