“Only part-time. I’m actually a criminal defense lawyer.” I let that sink in. “I discovered things about Bill’s death that don’t add up to an accident. If I found them, so will the police. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

He was so still, it was as if he had turned to stone.

I continued, “You lived with Bill for what, four years? You must have cared for him.”

“I loved him,” he said carefully. “He loved me too.”

I prodded him with a gentle, “What happened?”

He took a deep, shuddering breath and then the dam burst.

“I couldn’t believe he liked me,” he said. “I’m just a skinny kid with a big nose. Bill was so handsome and successful. When I moved in with him, I didn’t know what to expect or what to do. I had never had a boyfriend before. Bill said since he worked, it was only fair that I take care of the apartment and the shopping and stuff. It was fun for a while, like playing house. I was still going to school but Bill wanted me home when he got done with work. I lost touch with the friends I’d made here. I stopped taking as many classes, and then I dropped out to work because I didn’t want him to support me. I wanted to pay my own way. Pretty soon the only people I saw were Bill’s friends and it was obvious that they just thought of me as Bill’s little twink. Except for Peg. She was my friend.”

“What about your family?”

“I didn’t have a car so it was hard for me to get out there to see them during the week. I wanted to go on weekends, but Bill always seemed to have other plans for us. I talked with my mom almost every day, but I didn’t see much of my sister or my brothers.”

“Sounds like you were pretty isolated.”

“Yeah, it was like I woke up one day and realized I didn’t have a life anymore except for Bill and his friends. I loved Bill, but I couldn’t breathe. I tried to talk to him about it, but he would accuse me of wanting to break up with him. Then he would either get angry or sad and start drinking.”

“When did he start hitting you?”

A look of dismay passed across his young face. “It was only the one time and he didn’t mean to. He felt terrible afterwards.”

“In my experience as a lawyer, if someone’s partner hits him once, he will hit him again.”