Page 70 of Rocky Ride

“Nine, or shortly after.”

“We have a forty-five-minute window.” Virge looked Hal straight in the eye. “Any cars parked on the road outside when you left for the store?”

“I didn’t notice any. This is a fairly exclusive neighborhood, Deputy.”

“But it ain’t gated,” said Virge. “Anybody can drive on this road.”

“I guess so.”

“Tell me what your wife said to you when you left for the store.”

“Is this a test? If it is, I’m not finding it amusing, young man in uniform.”

“I want to know if you actually saw Maria up walking around before you left the house,” snapped Virge.

Hal appeared pensive. Like he hadn’t thought about it. “I’m not sure I actually saw her, now that you mention it.”

“Were you sleeping in separate bedrooms? Is that why you didn’t see her?”

“Yes. We were sleeping apart.” He glanced over at Mrs. Preston and dropped his chin onto his chest.

“So you didn’t see her before you left for the store,” said Virge. “That’s because she was already dead in her shower. Doctor Olsen estimates your wife died at about three in the morning.”

Travis stood on the stairs listening to Virge and then he came down and stood in front of Hal, the tailor. “I need a detailed statement of everything you did last evening.”

“You think I killed Maria?”

“You were here when she died, weren’t you?” asked Travis. “Obviously you did nothing to prevent it. What else am I going to think, Hal?”

“I didn’t kill her, I swear.”

“Did you kill my girl, Hal?” asked Mrs. Preston. “You’ve been awfully mean to her lately. She’s been crying a lot because she thinks you’ve been cheating on her.”

“What? I would never cheat on my wife, Helen. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t verbalize crazy accusations that have no bearing in fact.”

“Boys, take Mister Hoover to the station and get him started on a detailed written statement of everything he did in the last twenty-four hours.”

“That’s ridiculous,” said Hal. “I’m not going to the police station and I’m certainly not making a statement like that. That’s invasion of privacy.”

Travis grabbed hold of Hal’s suit jacket, jerked Hal to his feet and whipped his right arm up behind his back. “Harlan, cuff Hal and secure him in the Jeep.”

“Copy that, Sheriff.”

“You can’t arrest me. I haven’t done anything. I want my phone call.”

“Shut up, Hal,” said Travis. “This is my day off.”

We hauled Hal’s fancy ass out to the Jeep and locked him in the back seat. He argued and complained the entire way to the station in Coyote Creek and me and Virge ignored the fucker.

Dad wanted to do it this way and he had a reason. He had a reason for everything he did—every call he made.

On every call out we had, I learned something from Travis just by watching and listening to him.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Virge brought Hal inside the station. We got his coat and hat off and set him up with a yellow pad and a pen at one of the desks in the squad room. Virge made sure he was chained to the bar.

“This is stupid chaining me to the desk. It’s not like I’m a criminal. You boys aren’t even real sheriff’s deputies. You can’t be. I think I’ll phone the county and see if they know about you two.”

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