Part 9 (2/2)
”-Establish a chronology-”
”-Humiliating me when I'm down-”
”-Times, movements-”
”-Then I'm sorry, Inez, I don't care to discuss it.”
During the next half hour Billy Dillon had managed to elicit the following information. Some time between 6:45 and 7:10 the previous morning, from a position midway between the koi pool and the exterior door on Janet's lanai, Paul Christian had fired five rounds from the Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum he was carrying in his beach roll. He had then replaced the Magnum in the beach roll and made one call, not identifying himself, giving the police emergency operator Janet's address.
He had been aware that Wendell Omura was on the floor, yes.
He had also been aware that Janet was on the floor.
Yes.
It would be quite impossible for either Inez or Mr. Dillman to understand how he felt about it.
When he left Janet's house he went not to the borrowed house in which he had been living but directly downtown to the YMCA. He had swum fifty laps in the YMCA pool, thirty backstroke and twenty Australian crawl.
”Be sure you put down 'crawl,' ” he said. ”I believe they call it 'freestyle' now but I'm sorry, I don't.”
” 'Crawl,' ” Billy Dillon said. ”Yes.”
After swimming Paul Christian had breakfasted on tea and yoghurt in the YMCA cafeteria. There had been ”a little incident” with the cas.h.i.+er.
”What kind of incident,” Billy Dillon said.
”Somebody says 'have a nice day' to me, I always say 'sorry, I've made other plans,' that usually puts them in their place, but not this fellow. 'You're quite a comedian,' this fellow says. Well, I just looked at him.”
”That was the incident,” Billy Dillon said.
”Someone speaks impertinently, you're better off not answering.”
”I see,” Billy Dillon said.
Paul Christian had gone then to his room, and spent the rest of the day packing the few belongings he kept there. He attached to each box a list of its contents. He made a master list indicating the disposition of each box. He wrote several letters, including one to Janet in which he explained that he ”stood by his actions,” and, early that evening, just before calling the police and identifying himself, left these letters and instructions for their delivery with the night clerk downstairs. There had been ”a little incident” with the night clerk.
”He spoke impertinently,” Billy Dillon said.
”Completely out of line. As were the police.”
”The police were out of line.”
”They treated me like a common criminal.”
”Which you're not.”
”Which I most a.s.suredly am not. I told them. Just what I told Janet. I told them I stood by my actions.”
”You told the police you stood by your actions.”
”Absolutely.”
”Just as you told Janet.”
”Exactly.” Paul Christian looked at Inez. ”You're being very quiet.”
Inez said nothing.
”Am I to interpret your silence as disapproval?”
Inez said nothing.
”Now that I'm jailed like a common criminal you're going to administer the coup de grace? Step on me?” Paul Christian turned back to Billy Dillon. ”Janet and I have always been close. Not this one.”
There was a silence.
”You're going to miss Janet,” Billy Dillon said.
Paul Christian looked at Inez again. ”I should have known you'd be down for the celebration,” he said.
After Paul Christian was taken from the room Inez lit a cigarette and put it out before either she or Billy Dillon spoke. Billy Dillon was making notes on his legal pad and did not look up. ”How about it,” he said finally.
”Quite frankly I don't like crazy people. They don't interest me.”
”That's definitely one approach, Inez.” Billy Dillon put the legal pad into his briefcase and closed it. ”Forthright. Hard-edge. No fuzzy stuff. But I think the note we want to hit today is a little further toward the more-in-sorrow end of the scale. Your father is 'a sick man.' He has 'an illness like any other.' He 'needs treatment.' ”
”He needs to be put away.”
”That's what we're calling 'treatment,' Inez. We're calling it 'treatment' when we talk to the homicide guys and we're calling it 'treatment' when we talk to the shrinks and we're calling it 'treatment' when we talk to Frank Tawagata.”
”I don't even know Frank Tawagata.”
”You don't know the homicide guys, either, Inez. Just pretend we're spending the rest of the day on patrol. I'm on point.” Billy Dillon looked at Inez. ”You all right?”
”Yes.”
”Then trot out the smile and move easily through the cabin, babe, OK?”
9.
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