Under Abnormal Conditions (20 page)

“Just no surprises this time,” cracked
Stone.

I smiled to myself as I walked to my bedroom.
Still wondering what happened to Carmen, I threw on my clothes from
yesterday.

Maybe she had an early class. I figured I
would catch up with her after I finished up with the police until I
realized I didn’t have a way to get in touch with her.

My mind did ease a bit in regards to Ricky.
He would be safe - at least until the next time he got into
trouble. I put on my shoes and walked out to meet the
detectives.

They were waiting next to the front door for
me and cut their conversation short when they saw me approaching. I
couldn’t help wondering what was so important they had to take me
downtown. I wondered if I should I go ahead and tell them what I
knew about Phil? My next thought almost made me stop in my
tracks.

Did they know about the dead detective?

To be on the safe side, I decided to find out
what they knew before I said anything.

We left my home at about nine o’clock that
morning. I sat in the back of the cruiser, but I wasn’t handcuffed.
The station was about thirty minutes away in downtown Baton Rouge,
so we must have gotten there in about thirty or forty minutes. A
week ago, I had rarely seen the inside of a police station, now I
was making my second visit in the past two days.

They escorted me inside. There were about
five or six uniformed officers typing away at their desks. All the
chatter of the office seemed to stop when we walked in. The layout
of the place was like a school, and I felt like I was going to the
principal’s office. Detective Stone took me into a small dimly lit
room, where there was only a small table and chair.

“Go ahead and have a seat and we’ll be with
you directly.” he said

I sat down and Stone left me in the room.
Across from the table, I was facing a large mirrored glass. As I
looked at myself in the glass, I felt like I could see the
reflection of the dead private investigator staring back at me.

After my night with Carmen, I had completely
forgotten about him. Had I left something in his office after all?
I could feel heat starting to build beneath my arms and in the
palms of my hands.

Whoever was on the other side of that mirror
was sure they were staring at a guilty man. After about five or ten
minutes, both of the detectives walked in drinking coffee and
continuing their conversation.

“For that much money, he should never miss a
tackle,” said Stone.

“The guy is human. You played ball,” Williams
said as he looked at me. “Ain’t that right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Did you catch the game last night?” asked
Stone.

“No. Actually I forgot it was on.”
“Forgot? It’s leading up to the playoffs and you forgot?” asked
Williams.

“I guess I just got busy with things around
the house.”

The eyes of the detectives made contact, and
with that I knew I was in trouble.

“Can we get you anything? Soda, coffee,
water?” Williams asked.

“No thanks. I’d just like to get this over
with.”

“That’s understandable, Mr. Drake,” Stone
said. “I guess in your line of work, you don’t deal with the police
much?”

“Not really,” I answered.

“I worked security in a bar like that when I
was in college,” Williams said.

“Yeah, I’m in college right now myself.”

“Where do you go to school?” asked Stone.

“Southern State. I should graduate in about a
month.” I answered, wondering what my educational background had to
do with why I was there.

“Tough working and going to school at the
same time, huh?” said Williams. “When do you find time to
study?”

“Mostly at night after the club is
closed.”

“Is that how you spend most nights?” asked
Stone.

“Yeah, basically.”

“How about last night?” asked Williams.

“As a matter of fact, I was at the library
until it closed,” I answered. They must have turned off the air
conditioning because I was sweating more than before. That was just
what they wanted.

“And what time was that?” Stone asked.

“Eleven o’clock. The library closed at
eleven.”

“You went home afterwards?” asked
Williams.

“No, I went to a bar.”

“A bar? Alone?” Williams asked.

“No, I met a young lady there,” Both
detectives looked a bit surprised.

“So you were with someone last night?”

“Yes. That’s not a crime is it?” I tried to
joke.

“No. About what time did you leave this bar?”
asked Stone.

“Exactly two o’clock. At closing time.”

“Then you went home . . . alone?” asked
Williams.

“No. I went home, but I wasn’t alone.” I
answered.

“You were with this young lady all night
then.” Stone said. “And she will swear she was with you all
night?”

“Yes. Well, no. She left before I woke up
this morning.”

Then Stone asked, “Just how can we get in
touch with this lady?”

“I’m not sure, I didn’t get her number. I met
her at the club Monday and we bumped into each other yesterday at
school. What is this about?” I finally asked.

“What about her name?” asked Williams.

“Carmen.” Frustrated, I asked, “What is this
about?

“Wait, let me guess. You don’t know her last
name or phone number, do you?” asked Stone.

I didn’t know how to answer their questions,
so I didn’t. “What is this about?” I asked again. When no response
was given, I had to play my trump card.

“Look, I know where you are trying to go with
this. Philip Reighton is the guy you want. He was having an affair
with Sherry Allen,” I stated with relief.

Another officer walked in before the
detectives could say anything. He handed Stone the envelope and
left the room. They both looked at the contents and began again
with the questions.

“Sherry had two daughters?” asked Stone.

“Yes, Michelle and Sara.”

“What was your relationship with Sara?”

“Friends. That’s it. I was like an older
brother to her.”

“Is that right? So I guess you would do
anything to try and protect her?” asked Williams.

“Yes, I would. What is the problem with
that?”

He tossed the envelope down on the table in
front of me. The contents slipped out on the table. They were
pictures of Phil and Sara making love.

“Philip Reighton was murdered last night.”
Stone answered.

Chapter 29

His words hit me like a sledgehammer to the
chest. I played my best hand and I lost everything.

“That’s why you wanted to talk to me?” I
asked. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t have any reason to think it
was Sara sleeping with Phil and not Sherry. I was crushed. My heart
got in the way and I guess I wanted to see Michelle in her. That
was a mistake I wouldn’t make again.

“Look, Mr. Drake. We have ruled out car
jacking and robbery,” said Detective Stone, taking out a notepad.
“The killers left the wallet, the keys, the watch, the jewelry, and
the briefcase. This was no robbery, it was almost like the killer
didn’t want the money or didn’t need the money,” he added.

“Now you see why it’s so important for us to
know where you were late last night?” asked Williams.

“Look officers, I was studying late at the
library last night. I met a girl, and we went back to my
house.”

“So, you met the girl at the bar?” Stone
asked.

“No, we met at the library, and we went to
the bar later.”

“So you went straight to the bar when the
library closed?” Williams asked.

“I had something to do. She was supposed to
meet me there at 11:30 or something, but she was late.” I answered.
If they knew where I really was, I would have another murder under
my name.

“What time did she show up?” asked Stone.

“Around 1:30, I think.”

“Now, let’s go over a few things.” Taking out
his notepad, Williams began asking more questions.

“You two left the library at twelve o’clock,
correct?”

“No, it was eleven.”

“Right, my mistake. You met at the bar at
twelve o’clock?”

“We were supposed to meet at eleven-thirty,
but she was late. Remember?”

“Yeah, that’s right. How about you go over it
one more time?”

“Listen, I met her at the library. We started
talking and decided to get together and have a drink. We met at
Misty’s Mellow Café, had a few drinks, and talked. She came home
with me. She was gone this morning.”

“Did anyone see you at the bar?”

“Yeah, I talked to this waitress. I’m sure
she would remember me,” I answered with relief. I knew she should
remember because I didn’t leave her a tip.

“OK, we’ll check into that, but getting back
to something you said earlier. You were off yesterday?” asked
Detective Stone.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have to work because Reighton
gave you some time off. Correct?” Detective Williams asked.

“Yes, but-”

“You and Reighton had a violent confrontation
at Angelo’s restaurant yesterday. Correct?” interrupted Stone.

At that point I was sure they were ready to
pin that murder on me. If they could pin that one on me, Sherry’s
murder wouldn’t be far behind.

“I didn’t want to kill him!” I said.

“Were you afraid of what he would tell us
about Sherry Allen?”

“There was nothing to tell. We didn’t get
along, but we were working things out. Do I need to call my
lawyer?” I answered calmly.

“Once you call him, we can’t help you. Only
guilty men need lawyers, Mr. Drake,” answered detective Williams.
“Do you need a lawyer?”

“I don’t know what else to do. I didn’t have
anything to do with this. I didn’t kill anybody!”

“Look, Mr. Drake. Whoever killed him didn’t
want his money. They wanted him dead,” Williams said calmly.

Suddenly, Stone walked hurriedly to the
table, “This is a straight up revenge killing. You felt like this
guy wronged you. The precipitating event was your altercation at
the restaurant. You waited by his car and smashed his face in! He
did you wrong, and you executed him!” shouted Stone as he pounded
his fist on the table. I was sure I would have been next if
Williams hadn’t grabbed him by his shoulders.

“Look, Michael, there was a clear set of
prints on the murder weapon. If you give us a fingerprint sample we
can rule you out as a suspect,” said Detective Williams. “Go get a
refill on your coffee, and I’ll finish this up,” he said to Stone.
He cut his eyes at me, picked up the pad and pencil, and stormed
away, slamming the door behind.

“Excuse my partner. He’s been a little tense
the past few days. To be honest with you, your alibi is about as
solid as a cloud. If you help us, we can help you. Once you ask for
a lawyer, our hands are tied.”

“But I didn’t do anything. Find Carmen or the
waitress, and they’ll tell you.”

“OK. We will do our best to find these girls,
but in the meantime, let me run a situation by you. Is that all
right?”

“If it will help me, go ahead.”

“Let’s say you were waiting out by Reighton’s
car.”

“But I wasn’t there!” I interrupted.

“I know, I know but, let’s just say. Hear me
out. You’re waiting by his car, you wanted to scare him. Better
yet, you just wanted to do something to his car. This guy
embarrassed you right?”

“Right.”

“Brother, we’ve all been there. Hell, I can
remember in college when my ex started dating somebody else. All I
had was a beat up old truck, but he drove a fine ride. It was a
black convertible. The women loved it.”

“What does this have to do with me?” I
asked.

“Just listen. That guy lived in the dorm
right next to mine. I sneaked out late one night and did a number
on his car. Nothing too serious, I was just going to smash a window
or something.” The detective stood and started to pace the room.
“When I took out that tire iron it was like something came over me.
I smashed one window, and I couldn’t stop. Before I ran off, I know
I did a couple of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Do you
understand what I’m saying?”

“You’re saying you lost control, but-”

“That’s right. I just lost control. That guy
took something that belonged to me. That didn’t mean I was a bad
guy. I’ve checked you out, Michael. I know you’re a stand up guy.
You caught a bad break, but you dealt with it. Phillip Reighton was
an asshole. I know that from dealing with him on this case. I know
you knew it because you dealt with him everyday.”

He sat back down and asked, “You’re a man
just like him, right?”

“Right,” I said.

“He made you mad. He disrespected you.”

“Yeah!”

“You had every reason to kill him!” he said
with a raised voice.

“Well, I mean . . .”

“You surprised him. You didn’t mean to kill
him, right?” he practically yelled.

“No! I didn’t kill him! I was angry. I’ll
give you that, but that’s the reason I went to study. That’s why I
went to the bar. I just wanted to blow off some steam. I didn’t
kill anybody.”

“If you were there to do something to the
car. Bam! You smash his face in. Everybody has been there. I’d like
to smash my boss’s face in.” The pounding on the mirror stopped him
for a moment. “People would understand. If you confess, I’ll talk
to the DA and we can charge you with manslaughter.”

“Manslaughter? I didn’t kill anybody.”

“If you don’t confess, you will be charged
with 1st degree murder. Do you understand what that means? That
means you don’t go back home to momma. That means you go to Angola.
That means if you are lucky, you’ll die there of old age. But
understand one thing, you will die there. Do you understand?”

Detective Stone entered the room smiling. “We
got him! His prints are all over the murder weapon. You had your
chance to give it up. It’s all over now.”