The Innocent Woman

can even tell you why. Last night you weren’t letting on you got a call from Frank. You were telling the other lie—that you went to clean out your desk. There was no reason to be looking for him. So when I ask you what you did, you say you looked around a bit and eventually you went in his office and found him dead. So when I ask you how long it took, you say five or ten minutes. Of course, you can’t say what you were doing during that five or ten minutes, because they didn’t exist. The fact is, the minute you saw the petty cash drawer open, you said, Oh shit, Frank, and went in his office and found him dead. You just made up the five or ten minute bullshit because you weren’t admitting you knew Frank was there in the first place.”
    Amy said nothing, just glowered at him.
    “But that’s the way it’s gotta be,” Steve said. “At least the way you tell it now. You were on the phone with Tracy Garvin at eight o’clock. You’d already found the body by then. If you left your apartment at seven forty-five, took a taxi straight downtown, you ain’t got time to blow your nose. Five or ten minutes, hell. I don’t know where you found the time to get out and call her from a pay phone on the street.”
    Amy’s eyes faltered.
    “Oh, shit,” Steve said. “You called her from the office phone?”
    “What difference would that make?”
    “They’ll trace the fucking calls!” Steve exhaled, shook his head. “Jesus Christ, is it a compulsion with you to lie? We’re at the point, I can’t believe a single word you say.”
    “That’s not fair.”
    “Again with fair?” Steve said. “I don’t think it’s fair I’m in a position where I could get disbarred. But it’s getting to look damn likely. Look, do me a big favor. Stop trying to make your actions sound better. And stop trying to figure out what I’d like to hear. Just tell me what really happened.”
    “I’ve told you what really happened.”
    “You’ve given me three or four versions. What about the petty cash?”
    “What about it?”
    “Did you take it?”
    “No, I tell you, I found the drawer open and the money gone.”
    “Not last night,” Steve said. “I’m not talking about last night. I mean the trial. The famous petty cash trial. You happen to take any of that?”
    Amy glared at him defiantly. Then her eyes faltered.
    “Oh, whoopdedo,” Steve said. “I might have known. You care to tell me about it?”
    “There’s nothing to tell. I didn’t take the money.”
    “Then why the guilty reaction?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “I do. You’ve told so many lies, you can’t tell which story you’re on anymore.” Steve exhaled, shook his head. “Look, I’m tired of the small lies. Let’s go for the biggie. Tell me. Did you kill him?”
    “No, I didn’t.”
    “Really?”
    “I swear I didn’t.”
    “Cross your heart and hope to die?”
    “Damn it—”
    Steve held up his hand. “When you looked at the body, what did you think?”
    That startled her. She blinked. “What?”
    “When you first found the body—what was your reaction?”
    “I couldn’t believe it.”
    “Why not?”
    “I don’t know. I guess I’d never seen a violent death. I couldn’t believe he was really dead. Or, rather, I couldn’t believe someone had killed him.”
    “Ever fire a gun?”
    “No.”
    “Never in your life?”
    “Not that I remember?”
    “Your memory’s not that good. You happen to fire a gun in the last forty-eight hours?”
    “No.”
    “There’s a test called the paraffin test.”
    “I know. They gave it to me.”
    Steve looked at her. “What?”
    “Last night. They gave me the test.”
    “You let them do it?”
    “Did I have a choice?”
    “Did they give you a choice?”
    “I don’t know. The cop came, asked me if I’d take the test.”
    “What did you say?”
    “I asked him what it was for. He explained it was to see if I’d fired a gun.”
    “What did you say?”
    “I said maybe I’d better talk to my lawyer.”
    “Why didn’t you.”
    “I don’t know.”
    “He explain the test to you?”
    “Yes, he did.”
    “He tell you that if you fired a gun, there’d be traces of nitrate powder on your hands?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Did he point out that if you were wearing gloves at the time, the test was worthless and wouldn’t show anything?”
    “I think he mentioned that.”
    “And it was after that that you decided that you didn’t need to call your lawyer and agreed to take the