Chapters (40)
- Sin determinar
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- EPILOGUE
- THE END
“Uh-huh” she said, and although I could see she was thinking about that, she didn't say anything more on the subject. Instead, she moved on over to the couch, where Rita still sat clutching Cody and Astor. “Mrs Morgan?” she said, holding up her credentials again.
“Special Agent Recht, FBI. Can I ask you a few questions about what happened this afternoon?”
“FBI?” Rita said, as guiltily as if she was sitting on stolen bearer bonds. “But that's —why would —yes, of course.”
“Do you have a gun?” Astor said.
Recht looked at her with a sort of wary fondness. “Yes, I do” she said.
“Do you get to shoot people with it?”
“Only if I have to” Recht said. She glanced around and found the nearby easy chair. “Can I sit down and ask you a few questions?”
“Oh” Rita said. “I'm so sorry. I was only —yes, please sit down.”
Recht settled herself onto the edge of the chair and looked at me before addressing Rita. “Tell me what happened” she said, and when Rita hesitated she went on, “You had the kids in the car, you pulled out onto US-1 ...”
“He just, he came out of nowhere” Rita said.
“Boom” Cody added softly, and I looked at him with surprise.
He was smiling just a little, which was equally alarming. Rita looked at him with dismay, and then went on.
“He hit us” she said. “And while I was still —before I could —he just, he was there at the door, grabbing at the children.” I punched him in the crotch” Astor said. “And Cody stabbed him with a pencil.”
Cody frowned at her. I stabbed first,” he said.
“Whatever” Astor said.
Recht looked at the two of them with mild astonishment. “Good for you both” she said.
“And then the policeman came over and he ran away” Astor said, and Rita nodded.
“And how did you come to be there, Mr Morgan?” she said, swinging her head toward me with no warning.
I had known that she would ask this, of course, but I had still not come up with any really socko answer. My claim to Coulter that I had wanted to surprise Rita had fallen very, very flat, and Special Agent Recht seemed to be considerably sharper —and she was looking at me expectantly as the seconds ticked by, waiting for a sane and logical reply that I did not have. I had to say something, and soon; but what?
“Um” I mumbled, I don't know if you heard I had a concussion ...?”