5 Dogged Pursuit by Lee Charles Kelley

Author:Lee Charles Kelley [Kelley, Lee Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

24

I waited a good interval, then came back with the water bottles and placed them on the desk. I didn’t take a seat, nor did I make as if to leave. I just stood there.

“Please sit down, Dr. Field? I mean, I’m sorry. You’re right. Since I have nothing to hide, I’ll be happy to clear up anything you think might be of—”

“Well, I don’t know. I’m going to have to ask you some pretty tough questions, you understand? If you’re going to cry because I’ve taken your queen or avoided one of your gambits . . .” I looked at the water bottles. “I thought you were thirsty.”

He nodded, looked at a bottle, picked it up and opened it

“Yes, yes, I am. Now please sit back down so we can talk.”

“Fine.” I sat down.

“Isn’t the other one coming back in? The sheriff?”

“No, I don’t need him anymore.”

“Because you’re not afraid of me now?”

“No. He was just playing the bad cop to try and rattle your nerves.”

He laughed. “I’m not surprised.” He gulped down some H O and wiped his lips. “This has been very stressful,” he 2

DOGGED PURSUIT

157

said calmly. “You can appreciate that. You were arrested for a murder you didn’t commit once, weren’t you?”

I’d forgotten about it but I had, in fact, spent more than a few hours in jail on a murder charge. “That’s true. I do know how it feels. But, look, Clay, all I’m trying to do is get at the truth. Get your story. I was up front with you from the beginning, wasn’t I? I told you I thought you were guilty and that I was going to try to get you to confess. A police officer would never have done that, would they?”

He shrugged. “Probably not. I guess I should thank you for being honest.” He thought of something. “You even told me about the good cop/bad cop routine, though telling me was probably just another gambit, wasn’t it?”

I shrugged. “Okay, so tell me how it happened. This biting incident with your wife. Give me your side.” I smiled, reassuringly. “And don’t worry that I’m going to look down on you or make assumptions. I’ve known a lot of people who’ve gotten into trouble with the law, and I’ve learned that you can’t judge people.”

He blinked slowly. “Is that so?”

“Sure, everyone has reasons for the things they do. So tell me your reasons for . . . I don’t know how else to put it, for—”

“Biting her?” he said disgustedly. I nodded and he explained that he was always careful about sex, always the gen-tleman, never losing control in any situation. “The thing is, at some point Nancy got bored with me. She wanted something a little rougher, a little more exciting, She wanted it.”

I nodded. “And you weren’t experienced enough with that kind of sexual adventuring to know how much was too much?”

“Exactly. Exactly. If I had known I was hurting her, don’t you think I would’ve stopped myself, in an instant?”

“But you didn’t know.

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