Post by michelle on Nov 3, 2006 11:45:48 GMT -5
A short wait for you Tiger_Lilly. Here's more
“It was a horrible thing, but I had nothing to do with it.” Carol Sloane sat across from Jeffries in the interrogation room. Lilly paced behind him, surreptitiously examining Carol, watching her body language, listening for a hint of defensiveness in her tone. So far she was open, helpful.
“The housekeeper tells us there was an incident between you and Carl, night of the party. Says Jeanette wasn’t too pleased about you prancing around in your underwear around her husband.”
“Around Carl?” A puzzled frown creased Carol’s brow. “I was sans outer clothes, no question about that, but the majority of the people were in various states of undress. But I wasn’t around Carl. No more than I was around anyone else. Not to my recollection anyway.”
Lilly planted her hands on the table, leaned forward toward Carol, her hair swinging beside her face. She tossed it back impatiently and to no avail. “You ‘threw yourself at him’ is what we hear. Tried to knock him into the snow. No crime there, but it makes me wonder why you don’t remember. Convenient detail to forget, considering Jeanette’s reaction.”
“What? You’re kidding me, right? Her reaction? Sure, I sort of remember the incident now. Barely. I mean, it was a long time ago and I won’t deny I was drunk. I was going to push him down. So what? I didn’t, I don’t think. And then I went on my way.” She paused, concern on her features. “That was all there was, isn’t it? I mean, nothing more happened that I don’t remember?”
Jeffries and Lil exchanged a glance.
“No, that’s all we’re aware of,” Jeffries confirmed. “Other than the fact that Jeannette was glaring daggers at you. She ever confront you about it?”
“No! I don’t know what she would have been upset about. But, she was always a little moody. Not to speak badly of her.”
“Do you remember Hannah being at the party?” Jeffries asked.
Carol shook her head. “No. Not until everything happened and they found her behind the shed. With her parents. Uh, their bodies. I never saw her there. Or didn’t make note of it anyway. All I know is what I heard later, that she was out there with them. Unbelievable. I never knew her, other than to see her in passing once or twice. She must have been very unhappy. Disturbed. It’s sad, isn’t it?”
“Nothing. We’ve got nothing,” Lilly fumed after Carol had left. “Just some kid that shot her parents for no good reason. Am I naive Will? That I think there’s got to be more to it? Have kids changed so much that this is just the norm?” She was suddenly, shockingly on the verge of tears. Tears that had nothing to do with the case. She looked away, blinking.
“Lil?” Jeffries pulled up a chair and sat beside her, the interrogation room now empty except for the two of them. “What is it?”
She shook her head, hair swinging around her face again. She didn’t dare speak, certain that her voice would break. Certain that her suddenly thin thread of control would break.
“It’s not always easy,” he said, as if she had told him exactly what was in her thoughts. That she had spent the night alone after Joseph had left. That he had left because she refused all his attempts to make amends and finally ordered him out to her house. That she knew she was willfully pushing him away, making excuses, looking for reasons to find fault. She couldn’t seem to stop herself. Finally given what she had always thought she wanted, she was doing everything she could to drive it away. As if happiness was poison to her soul. She fisted her hands on the table, lowered her chin to her chest, willed herself not to cry.
Jeffries covered her hand with his for just a moment. In an unexpected moment of need, Lilly captured it in hers as he withdrew. Pale, slender fingers barely covered his hand, like a large, friendly bear’s paw in hers. She held tightly, as if he were a life line, and finally raised her head, her eyes at last meeting his.
“Why? Why can’t it ever be easy? Just once?” A tear escaped and slipped down her cheek. For once, she took no notice, made no effort to hide.
“When it’s right,” he said. “When it’s right, you’ll know. You can’t will something to be right, if it’s not what you truly need, Lil. Much as you’d like to, there are some things you can’t control. Can’t bend to fit your needs. Don’t try.”
She nodded, gulped, and released his hand. Impatiently she brushed at the damp trail down her face with the back of her hand. “Sorry ‘bout that.” Back to business.
“Never happened, Rush.”
“It was a horrible thing, but I had nothing to do with it.” Carol Sloane sat across from Jeffries in the interrogation room. Lilly paced behind him, surreptitiously examining Carol, watching her body language, listening for a hint of defensiveness in her tone. So far she was open, helpful.
“The housekeeper tells us there was an incident between you and Carl, night of the party. Says Jeanette wasn’t too pleased about you prancing around in your underwear around her husband.”
“Around Carl?” A puzzled frown creased Carol’s brow. “I was sans outer clothes, no question about that, but the majority of the people were in various states of undress. But I wasn’t around Carl. No more than I was around anyone else. Not to my recollection anyway.”
Lilly planted her hands on the table, leaned forward toward Carol, her hair swinging beside her face. She tossed it back impatiently and to no avail. “You ‘threw yourself at him’ is what we hear. Tried to knock him into the snow. No crime there, but it makes me wonder why you don’t remember. Convenient detail to forget, considering Jeanette’s reaction.”
“What? You’re kidding me, right? Her reaction? Sure, I sort of remember the incident now. Barely. I mean, it was a long time ago and I won’t deny I was drunk. I was going to push him down. So what? I didn’t, I don’t think. And then I went on my way.” She paused, concern on her features. “That was all there was, isn’t it? I mean, nothing more happened that I don’t remember?”
Jeffries and Lil exchanged a glance.
“No, that’s all we’re aware of,” Jeffries confirmed. “Other than the fact that Jeannette was glaring daggers at you. She ever confront you about it?”
“No! I don’t know what she would have been upset about. But, she was always a little moody. Not to speak badly of her.”
“Do you remember Hannah being at the party?” Jeffries asked.
Carol shook her head. “No. Not until everything happened and they found her behind the shed. With her parents. Uh, their bodies. I never saw her there. Or didn’t make note of it anyway. All I know is what I heard later, that she was out there with them. Unbelievable. I never knew her, other than to see her in passing once or twice. She must have been very unhappy. Disturbed. It’s sad, isn’t it?”
“Nothing. We’ve got nothing,” Lilly fumed after Carol had left. “Just some kid that shot her parents for no good reason. Am I naive Will? That I think there’s got to be more to it? Have kids changed so much that this is just the norm?” She was suddenly, shockingly on the verge of tears. Tears that had nothing to do with the case. She looked away, blinking.
“Lil?” Jeffries pulled up a chair and sat beside her, the interrogation room now empty except for the two of them. “What is it?”
She shook her head, hair swinging around her face again. She didn’t dare speak, certain that her voice would break. Certain that her suddenly thin thread of control would break.
“It’s not always easy,” he said, as if she had told him exactly what was in her thoughts. That she had spent the night alone after Joseph had left. That he had left because she refused all his attempts to make amends and finally ordered him out to her house. That she knew she was willfully pushing him away, making excuses, looking for reasons to find fault. She couldn’t seem to stop herself. Finally given what she had always thought she wanted, she was doing everything she could to drive it away. As if happiness was poison to her soul. She fisted her hands on the table, lowered her chin to her chest, willed herself not to cry.
Jeffries covered her hand with his for just a moment. In an unexpected moment of need, Lilly captured it in hers as he withdrew. Pale, slender fingers barely covered his hand, like a large, friendly bear’s paw in hers. She held tightly, as if he were a life line, and finally raised her head, her eyes at last meeting his.
“Why? Why can’t it ever be easy? Just once?” A tear escaped and slipped down her cheek. For once, she took no notice, made no effort to hide.
“When it’s right,” he said. “When it’s right, you’ll know. You can’t will something to be right, if it’s not what you truly need, Lil. Much as you’d like to, there are some things you can’t control. Can’t bend to fit your needs. Don’t try.”
She nodded, gulped, and released his hand. Impatiently she brushed at the damp trail down her face with the back of her hand. “Sorry ‘bout that.” Back to business.
“Never happened, Rush.”
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