Part 27 (1/2)
”Hey, it's better than Bambi.”
”Cora, I'm not Sherry's lawyer. I can't be Sherry's lawyer.”
”Why not?”
”I'm her ex-husband's lawyer.”
”Good. Remember that when Melvin tries to hire you.”
”Cora, this is no laughing matter.”
”That's why I'm not laughing.”
”You moved the gun.”
”Of course I moved the gun. I brought it to the police station.”
”You moved the place you found it.”
”I would have to dispute that. I don't think anyone could accuse me of moving the motel room. This is not the end of the world. If little Miss Ditsy Pants tells the cops the KenKen added up to a number that was almost her room number, I don't think anybody's going to be surprised that it didn't pan out.”
”Whereas no one will have a problem with North Main Street,” Becky said sarcastically.
”North Main Street is far more credible than room one oh six.”
”How do you figure that?”
”Because a gun was found there. That immediately ratchets up the credibility. Whereas nothing was found in the motel room. It's hardly credible at all.”
”The gun was found in the motel room.”
”No one knows that. And no one has to know that. Because if they did, they'd be arresting Melvin for murder, and that's never a good thing. If you accuse a man of murder, he's got nothing to lose, and he lashes out in all directions, and I'm one of them. So if we could just downplay the gun in the motel room...”
”Downplay?” Becky said. ”What a charming suggestion of how to handle tampering with evidence, compounding a felony, and conspiring to conceal a crime. Let's downplay it.”
”Well, I wouldn't play it up,” Cora said. ”Of course, you're the attorney.”
The phone rang.
Becky glared at Cora, s.n.a.t.c.hed it up. ”h.e.l.lo?... Sorry, Chief, didn't mean to snap. I'm a little on edge.... What's that?... No, that can't be right.... No, I'm not arguing with you, Chief. We'll be right there.”
Becky slammed down the phone, put her hands on her hips. ”Well, now we're screwed.”
”What's the matter?”
”Dan Finley brought in Melvin's wife.”
”And?”
”She just made a statement. Guess what she said?”
”That the puzzles referred to the motel and I must have found the gun in room one oh six?”
Becky smiled grimly. ”No. She says she never gave you any puzzles at all.”
CHAPTER.
36.
Cora nipped at Becky's heels as she strode down the alley to the police station. ”I've got witnesses, Becky. Granted, they're biased, but that goes to the weight, not the admissibility, right? If they had to testify? They were there. They saw her give me the puzzles. They heard what she said. I swear to you, I'm not making it up.”
”Like one oh six North Street.”
”Okay, maybe I made that up. But the rest of it's sound. I mean, why would I drag the bimbo into it if I didn't have to?”
”She's young and pretty and you hate her guts?”
”That has nothing to do with it.”
”Of course not. It's true. Truth has very little to do with any of it.”
Becky marched up the steps, threw open the front door of the police station, strode inside.
Dan Finley stuck his head out the door of Chief Harper's office and waved to them. ”Come on in.” Under his breath, he added, ”He's not happy.”
Cora followed Becky into the office and stopped dead.
Standing next to the desk was an attractive woman of approximately thirty years of age, with flaming red hair and flas.h.i.+ng green eyes. ”Is that her?” she demanded. ”Is that the woman spreading all the lies?”
”Who are you?” Cora said.
”I'm Melvin's wife. His current wife. His legal wife. As opposed to his ex-wife, the one who's bleeding him dry.”
”You're Melvin's wife?”
”Are you hard of hearing? You're not that old. Well, maybe you are. d.a.m.n right I'm his wife. How dare you tell lies about me to the police?”
”I never said a word about you.”
”Oh, yeah? You sent an officer to pick me up.”
”Are you staying at the Oakwood Motel?”
”I certainly am.”
”You're not staying with Melvin.”