went through the whole Rollo Tomassi thing again. Thank
god the first stenographer wasn't there. It would have taken longer
than the movie.
"And why did you do that?" Detective Crowley asked.
"Here you are inquiring about things which have no bearing on
the case, but which, if construed injudiciously, might tend to cast my
actions in an unfavorable light. I therefore refuse to answer."
"You're not a lawyer."
"You won't let me have a lawyer."
"I will let you have a lawyer."
"My lawyer won't let me have a lawyer."
Crowley rubbed his brow. "MacAullif said you'd give me a
headache."
"I'm not giving you anything. I'm trying to help you without
forfeiting my rights"
"How do you intend to do that?"
"Well, just a hint, ask for facts, not motivations. Ask me what I
did, not my state of mind."
"Okay. Did you accept employment from Victor Marsden?"
"No ,>
"No?"
"No."
"MacAullif says you did"
"I am not responsible for what MacAullif says."
"Are you saying MacAullif is wrong?"
"I'm saying MacAullif has no foundation to make such a statement. I'm sure I never made such a statement to him."
"Why would he lie?"
Oops.
"Hang on here. I'm not saying he lied. It's entirely possible he
was mistaken."
"How could he be mistaken?"
"You're now asking me for MacAullif's state of mind?"
"You're the one who said he might be mistaken."
"I meant it's possible he made an honest error."
"How do you know it's honest?"
"What?"
"Never mind. How do you know it's an error?"
"How do I know anything? You asked me if I was employed
by the decedent, Victor Marsden. The answer is no. I don't know
the decedent, Victor Marsden. I never met the decedent, Victor
Marsden. I had nothing to do with the decedent,Victor Marsden.
Anyone who says I did is in error. And that includes MacAullif.
MacAullif's an honest cop, so it would be an honest error."
"You blame MacAullif for the situation?"
"I don't blame MacAullif."
"You say he falsely accused you."
"He didn't accuse me of anything"
"Really? He says you were involved with the dead man."
"That's not an accusation"
"Just a simple statement of fact?"
"Just a simple misassumption. As a result of having jumped to a
conclusion. Without sufficient evidence to back it up"
"That sounds like bad police work. Are you saying MacAullif's
a bad cop?"
No.
"Are you saying this was good police work?"
I sighed. "And you say I'm giving you a headache."
"You deny you work for Victor Marsden?"
"That's right."
"Who do you work for?"
"Richard Rosenberg."
"Who?"
"Richard Rosenberg, of Rosenberg and Stone. He's the negligence lawyer I work for."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. Who do you work
for in this case?"
"I don't work for anyone in this case."
"What?"
"My job is over."
"What was your job?"
"Keeping Victor Marsden alive."
"You were hired to keep a hitman alive?"
"Ironic, isn't it?"
"Who hired you?"
"I don't think I can answer that."
"I'm not playing games here. There's a been a murder.You talk,
or I'll charge you with obstruction of justice."
The stenographer never blinked an eye.
"At which point I would have the right to an attorney."
"Except your attorney doesn't want to represent you. Can't say
that I blame him."
I said nothing, sat, waited for Crowley to reload.
He did. "Where were you between twelve and one?"
"Oh, please."
"Where were you between twelve and one?"
"I can't remember."
"You can't remember where you were between twelve and
one?"
"I can tell you where I wasn't between twelve and one."
"Where is that?"
"East Eighty-ninth Street. I wasn't anywhere near East Eightyninth Street."
Crowley's eyes narrowed. "You think you may be accused of
the crime?"
"No, I don't."
"Yet you go out of you way to deny it."
"Give me a break. You asked me where I was at the time of
the murder. I told you I was nowhere near the scene. Does that
imply guilty knowledge on my part? No, it implies dumb suspicion on yours.
"You're getting worked
god the first stenographer wasn't there. It would have taken longer
than the movie.
"And why did you do that?" Detective Crowley asked.
"Here you are inquiring about things which have no bearing on
the case, but which, if construed injudiciously, might tend to cast my
actions in an unfavorable light. I therefore refuse to answer."
"You're not a lawyer."
"You won't let me have a lawyer."
"I will let you have a lawyer."
"My lawyer won't let me have a lawyer."
Crowley rubbed his brow. "MacAullif said you'd give me a
headache."
"I'm not giving you anything. I'm trying to help you without
forfeiting my rights"
"How do you intend to do that?"
"Well, just a hint, ask for facts, not motivations. Ask me what I
did, not my state of mind."
"Okay. Did you accept employment from Victor Marsden?"
"No ,>
"No?"
"No."
"MacAullif says you did"
"I am not responsible for what MacAullif says."
"Are you saying MacAullif is wrong?"
"I'm saying MacAullif has no foundation to make such a statement. I'm sure I never made such a statement to him."
"Why would he lie?"
Oops.
"Hang on here. I'm not saying he lied. It's entirely possible he
was mistaken."
"How could he be mistaken?"
"You're now asking me for MacAullif's state of mind?"
"You're the one who said he might be mistaken."
"I meant it's possible he made an honest error."
"How do you know it's honest?"
"What?"
"Never mind. How do you know it's an error?"
"How do I know anything? You asked me if I was employed
by the decedent, Victor Marsden. The answer is no. I don't know
the decedent, Victor Marsden. I never met the decedent, Victor
Marsden. I had nothing to do with the decedent,Victor Marsden.
Anyone who says I did is in error. And that includes MacAullif.
MacAullif's an honest cop, so it would be an honest error."
"You blame MacAullif for the situation?"
"I don't blame MacAullif."
"You say he falsely accused you."
"He didn't accuse me of anything"
"Really? He says you were involved with the dead man."
"That's not an accusation"
"Just a simple statement of fact?"
"Just a simple misassumption. As a result of having jumped to a
conclusion. Without sufficient evidence to back it up"
"That sounds like bad police work. Are you saying MacAullif's
a bad cop?"
No.
"Are you saying this was good police work?"
I sighed. "And you say I'm giving you a headache."
"You deny you work for Victor Marsden?"
"That's right."
"Who do you work for?"
"Richard Rosenberg."
"Who?"
"Richard Rosenberg, of Rosenberg and Stone. He's the negligence lawyer I work for."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. Who do you work
for in this case?"
"I don't work for anyone in this case."
"What?"
"My job is over."
"What was your job?"
"Keeping Victor Marsden alive."
"You were hired to keep a hitman alive?"
"Ironic, isn't it?"
"Who hired you?"
"I don't think I can answer that."
"I'm not playing games here. There's a been a murder.You talk,
or I'll charge you with obstruction of justice."
The stenographer never blinked an eye.
"At which point I would have the right to an attorney."
"Except your attorney doesn't want to represent you. Can't say
that I blame him."
I said nothing, sat, waited for Crowley to reload.
He did. "Where were you between twelve and one?"
"Oh, please."
"Where were you between twelve and one?"
"I can't remember."
"You can't remember where you were between twelve and
one?"
"I can tell you where I wasn't between twelve and one."
"Where is that?"
"East Eighty-ninth Street. I wasn't anywhere near East Eightyninth Street."
Crowley's eyes narrowed. "You think you may be accused of
the crime?"
"No, I don't."
"Yet you go out of you way to deny it."
"Give me a break. You asked me where I was at the time of
the murder. I told you I was nowhere near the scene. Does that
imply guilty knowledge on my part? No, it implies dumb suspicion on yours.
"You're getting worked
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