Pernicious (55 page)

         
“Tasha Montgomery did it!”

         
“Ma’am, go get dressed, please. We’ll discuss it at the station.”

         
Perry got to her feet. “She killed him. I told Neal she was dangerous, he wouldn’t listen. I told him and told him. Lord help us!” She started to leave, stopped. “The boy, Derrick, he’s not here. He was staying overnight, now he’s gone.”

         
“We’ll discuss it at the station.”

         
“I was asleep, Neal wasn’t here. I think she got someone to break into my house and take him.”

         
“Go get dressed, Mrs. Montgomery.”

         
She picked out a black silk blouse with gold epaulets, black silk pants, a silver belt, and a pair of black pumps.
Might as well dress the part. When I get back, I’ll open a bottle of champagne and relax in the Jacuzzi.

         
Bob allowed her to ride in the front passenger seat, saying nothing as he drove east on Interstate 430.

         
Perry broke the silence. “Tasha was your partner for a long time, wasn’t she?”

         
“Not that long. Two years.”

         
“I’m not sure how to put this. Doesn’t what she did disturb you?”

         
Bob shrugged. “One thing I’ve learned on this job, looks can be extremely deceiving.”

         
“You got that right. The shy, silent types, they’re the ones you gotta keep an eye on. They’re insecure, spiteful, jealous, and hate to see someone else with something they don’t have, something they could never get.”

         
Bob stared at her sideways.

         
At the station, he escorted her upstairs to the same interrogation room as before, though this time he left the door open.

         
“Mrs. Montgomery, I need to read you your Miranda rights.”

         
“Why? I didn’t shoot anybody.”

         
“I didn’t say you did.” He read Miranda and handed her a sheet of paper. Perry gave it a cursory glance and signed it. “Thanks,” Bob said. “Would you like something to drink before we get started?”

         
“No thanks.”

         
He picked up a tape recorder from the floor and placed it in the middle of the table. “We’re going to record this interview.”

         
“That’s fine with me. I need to get out of here as soon as possible. I’ve a lot of arrangements waiting on me.”

         
Bob pressed a button and for the record stated the date, time and his name. He asked Perry her full name and place of residence.

         
Then: “Mrs. Montgomery, could you give an account to your whereabouts on July thirtieth, last night, specifically between the hours of seven p.m. to eleven p.m.?”

         
Perry reached across the table and turned off the tape recorder. “Why are you talking to me like I’m a suspect?”

         
Bob leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. “As I told you back at your house, this is a very complicated situation. I’ll tell you what we know. A shooting took place at Tasha’s apartment and we believe it was Neal Montgomery, your husband, who got shot.”

         
Perry’s eyes widen. “What the hell you mean
we believe
? At the house you told me he was dead! What the hell you talking about?”

         
“I didn’t say he was dead. I said I was sorry.”

         
“What? Is Neal in the hospital?”

         
“I don’t know where he is…and that’s part of the problem. Last night officers responded promptly to a shooting at Tasha’s apartment. A gun was found, plus six shell casings, blood on the carpet, the apartment in disarray…No one was there.”

         
“Huh?”

         
“We know a shooting took place and we know
 
someone was shot. Other than that, we’re flying in the dark.”

         
“Jesus Christ!” staring at the open door. “Why didn’t you tell me all this shit at the house? Hell, you people don’t even know if it was Neal who got shot.”

         
“You’re right. We’re not certain it was Neal.” Bob cleared his throat. “Tasha called and told me that she has irrefutable evidence that you, Mrs. Montgomery, shot Neal inside her apartment.” Perry flinched. “Before I can issue a warrant for her arrest, I must first eliminate you as a suspect.”
       
He turned the tape recorder back on.

         
“You’re telling me Neal’s not dead?”

         
“No, I didn’t say that. If you consider the probabilities. Six shell casings mean six slugs, not one of which found inside the apartment. Very few people survive six shots to the body. The ones who do roll into an emergency room shortly after. Neal is not in a hospital.”

         
Perry shook her head. “This shit ain’t making no sense at all!”

         
“Once again, where were you last night between--”

         
“I was at home! Did I tell you Tasha came to my house yesterday and said she was checking herself into a mental hospital? She told me to my face she was losing her mind.”

         
“Were you home the entire time between seven and eleven?”

         
“Yes, I was. This could only mean she’s completely flipped her lid and she’s riding around with a dead man.”

         
“What were you doing during that time?”

         
“What was I doing? Nothing really. Watching television. Nothing major.”

         
“Were you alone during that time?”

         
“Yes--no! Derrick was at the house. Don’t this shit seem rather strange to you?”

         
“Your husband, Neal Montgomery, what time did he leave the house?”

         
Perry crossed her legs, uncrossed them. “Uh…he left before
Wheel of Fortune
came on. It had to be before five o’ clock.”

         
“Did he tell you where he was going?”

         
“Yes, he did. He told me he was going to wash his car and then go talk to Tasha. He said she kept threatening him, and he wanted to talk some sense into her. I told him it wasn’t a good idea, considering her propensity for violence. He went despite my warning.”

         
“He said Tasha was threatening him?”

         
“Yes, he sure did. He told me that several times. His exact words to me: ‘Tasha said she would kill me if I don’t dump you and come back to her.’”

         
“You didn’t marry Neal to get back at Tasha, did you?”

         
“Hell no! I fell in love with him. She couldn’t handle the fact we were in love. That’s why she killed him. As you already know, she attacked Neal in our home. She attacked me in this very building. We were in fear of our lives, had to put a restraining order on her. Now you already know all that!”

         
“Why would Neal go to Tasha’s apartment if he was fearing his life?”

         
“I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he thought he could actually talk some sense into her.”

         
“You’re saying Neal went to Tasha’s apartment to tell her he wasn’t coming back to her, though she threatened to kill him if he didn’t.”

         
“I really can’t say why he went over there. I just know what he told me before he went there. ‘Tasha said she would kill me!’”

         
“Do you have Tasha’s cell phone? Her keys?”

         
Perry opened her purse, took out a cell phone and slapped it on the desk. “That’s a BlackBerry Torch. Tasha, if I remember correctly, carried a damn Cricket. She lives in an apartment, I
own
my home! What need would I have for her shit?”

         
Bob stroked his moustache. “Have you ever been inside Tasha’s apartment?”

         
“Yes. Every room. Neal took me there once.”

         
“Closets? Bathroom?”

         
“Every room!”

         
“What need would you have in her closets?”

         
“Inquisitive!”

         
“Tasha says she has duct tape with your prints on it.”

         
“How can you believe anything she says? Shit! She kicked Neal’s ass in his house, she stomped the shit out of me right here in this police station, she shot the man with her gun in her apartment! Jesus Christ, what more do you people need?”

         
“How do you know it was
her
gun?”

         
Perry’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

         
“How do you know it was her gun?”

         
She studied him a moment. “Common sense. She was a police officer. Police officers carry guns. Quite naturally she had to have shot him with her own gun. Not rocket science, Detective.”

         
“You didn’t call Tasha yesterday and ask her to meet you at Laskers restaurant at seven o’ clock?”

         
“I sure as hell didn’t. Neal might have called her, not me.”

         
“Any calls from your house to Tasha’s apartment were all made by Neal?”

         
“Yes.”

         
“Then there shouldn’t be any calls from your house to Tasha’s apartment after five o’ clock last night, right?”

         
Perry smoothed back her hair. “If there are, I didn’t make them. Derrick was staying with us, his first day there. It’s quite possible he called his mother.”

         
“Mrs. Montgomery, did you shoot your husband, Neal Montgomery?”

         
Perry glared at him. “That’s a stupid question! You know damn well I didn’t!” She stood up. “I know she’s your
ex
-partner and you’d rather not believe she’s a nutcase capable of killing somebody, but you’re wasting your time trying to help her frame me because I didn’t do it. I had no reason to shoot my husband, no reason whatsoever. You should be out there trying to find her instead of
fucking
with me!
”

         
“No one is trying to frame you, Mrs. Montgomery. Yes, Tasha is my partner and my friend. Yes, I don’t believe she’s a nut. In fact, I have a tremendous amount of respect for her. She’s not a…Never mind.” He stopped the tape recorder. “We can conclude this right now. I’ll give you a ride back to your house.”

         
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll catch a cab.” Perry walked out. In the hallway she said loudly, “Fat fucker!”