Read Online Only Make Believe by Elliott Mackle - Free Book Online Page B

normal. I tell you he had no interest in—in any of that. It was a joke. We attended a publishing convention in New York last spring. A whole group of us went to a ha-ha club, just for something different. The entertainers were men, men dressed up like women. Beautiful women. So Nick decided to dress that way for Halloween—for a party at the country club. Everybody said he was great.”
    I thought of Earle the Pearl, married with three children, and wondered how much Earle’s wife knew, and whether Earle regretted leaving show business.
    I glanced at Bud. He caught my eye but kept his expression strictly neutral.
    “It didn’t mean anything.” Amelia touched her eyes with the handkerchief. “Nothing, you understand?”
    Bud dropped to one knee, next to her chair. When he spoke, his voice was low, confidential. “What was the name of that ha-ha club, ma’am?”
    “I certainly don’t remember.”
    “Did you shop for him—for his party clothes, for Halloween?”
    “That’s none of your business. I’m going home now.”
    “We’ll be checking into your husband’s background and known associates, ma’am. So if you’d kindly stick around five more minutes and help me out, you might save your family more embarrassment.” He shrugged, as if to suggest she had a choice in the way the investigation was conducted. “In the long run.”
    “Two minutes. I’m sick of this.”
    “Did your husband run around on you?”
    “My child is here. How can you even ask such a question? What’s your name? I’m definitely going to report you now.”
    “I’m Lee County Detective Sergeant Spencer Wright, ma’am. W-R-I-G-H-T. So are you telling me he was completely faithful?”
    Amelia was on her feet. “There was a mild flirtation with the wife of one of our friends. The Malloys, Norma Malloy. We don’t see them anymore.”
    Bud made a note. “So maybe Mr. Malloy would want to get back at your husband?”
    “That could be. But I doubt if he cared. He runs around on Norma all the time. And he’s small—short, not at all athletic or strong. They breed fox terriers.”
    Bud shook his head and made another note. “Don’t seem likely that your fox terrier breeder could have surprised such a big, tough man as your husband, kicked him and hurt him so bad.”
    Amelia gasped and tried to get by Bud. “Open the door.”
    “I have to beg your pardon, ma’am. But like I said, this is a probable homicide or manslaughter case. And it looks to me like another big, strong male, maybe two individuals, came into your husband’s room, possibly for alleged immoral purposes.” Bud took a breath and swallowed hard. “Or else it was about something else, robbery maybe, or payback for some questionable business deal? Or put the two together. Some redneck off the docks was hired—hired by somebody —to shame and blackmail your husband about wearing a dress and corset, and they got to arguing and it went all wrong, real bad wrong.”
    Faster than a snake going after a mouse, Amelia slapped Bud’s face. “Bastard! Lies!”
    “You can’t do this,” the boy shouted, lunging at Bud.
    I grabbed the boy’s shoulders and held him back.
    “Get your hands off me,” Chuck sobbed. “Oh, hell, hell.”
    Bud paused, seemingly contemplating the whole situation, as if another thought had just occurred to him. “Or maybe that ain’t what happened at all, ma’am. So would you mind telling me where you were between midnight and three a.m. this morning? Sorry, but everybody associated with your late husband is gonna have to account for their time. See, a prosecutor might argue that your husband’s flirting with the neighbor lady, Mrs. Norma Malloy, could create a right powerful motive on your part.”
    “How dare you? Oh, no. No, no, no.”
    “What about you, Junior? Where you been since a-long about midnight?”
    Chuck wrenched free of my hands, grabbed the door knob and pulled so hard the knob slammed into the wall behind it.