The Witness

have been justified in firing his weapon when Justin lunged toward him with the knife.”
    “I’m not going to argue. But if we could start this from the beginning. I’m going to record it so we get it all straight. I’ll be taking notes, too. All right with you?”
    “Of course.”
    “All righty, then.” Boyd switched on a tape recorder, read off the date, the time, the names of all involved. “Ms. Lowery, why don’t you just tell me what happened tonight?”
    “At two-oh-seven a.m., my perimeter alarm signaled a breach.”
    She spoke clearly, precisely.
    “As Chief Gleason had indicated, Justin Blake most usually traveled with two individuals. I wanted to be certain there wasn’t indeed a third man who might have circled around. My alarms didn’t register, but I feltit best to be certain. After I spoke with Deputy Hyderman on the phone, I took my dog and went out the back of the house. My dog showed no sign of detecting anyone in that area, so I continued around to the front, where I saw Chief Gleason and the two trespassers. One, identified as Doyle Parsins, was already on the ground, and Justin Blake continued to crouch by the left-rear tire of Chief Gleason’s police cruiser.”
    “Did you hear anybody say anything?”
    “Oh, yes, quite clearly. It was a quiet night. Chief Gleason said to Justin, ‘You’re going to want to show me your hands.’ I should add that at this time, Chief Gleason’s weapon was secured in his holster. Justin responded, ‘You want to see my hands?’ and drove the knife he held in his right hand into the left-rear tire.”
    She continued, giving Boyd a word-for-word, move-by-move statement. Boyd interrupted once or twice to clarify.
    “That’s really detailed.”
    “I have an eidetic memory—you might call it photographic,” she added, though it always irked her to explain with that inaccuracy.
    “That’s really helpful, Ms. Lowery.”
    “I hope so. He would have killed Brooks if he could have.”
    Though he reached over to turn off the tape recorder, Boyd lifted his hand from it, sat back. “Ma’am?”
    “Justin Blake. He would have stabbed Chief Gleason, and he would have killed him if he could have. His intent was very clear, as was his anger and, I think, his fear. It’s what he knows, you see? To hurt or eliminate what gets in his way, what interferes. There are people who simply believe their own wants and wishes are above everything and everyone else.”
    She’d seen murder, she thought. The boy didn’t remind her of the cold, mechanical Korotkii. He lacked that efficiency and dispassion. But he’d made her think of Ilya, of the hot rage on Ilya’s face when he’d cursed and kicked his dead cousin.
    “He might not have killed or caused serious physical harm beforetonight. I think if he had, he wouldn’t have been so inept at this attempt. But if it hadn’t been this, tonight, it would have been someone else, another night, someone without Chief Gleason’s resources, reflexes and equanimity. There would have been more to clean up than a broken nose.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “I’m sorry. It was upsetting. More than I realized. My opinion isn’t relevant. If that’s all you need, I’d like to go home.”
    “I can get somebody to drive you.”
    “No, I’m fine to drive. Thank you, Deputy, you’ve been very kind.”
    She started for the door, paused when Brooks called her name. He crossed over, laid a hand on her arm. “Be a minute,” he told Boyd, then led her outside.
    “Are you okay?”
    “Yes. I told you.”
    “And you just told Boyd it was more upsetting than you realized.”
    “It was, but that doesn’t mean I’m not all right. I am tired, though. I think I’ll go home and get some more sleep.”
    “Good. I’ll call or swing by later, just to see how you are.”
    “You can’t worry about me. I don’t need it.” Didn’t want it, any more than she wanted Justin Blake to remind her of Ilya Volkov. “Did you soak your shirt, cold water and salt?”
    “I trashed it. I’d see his blood on there whether it was there or not. I don’t much care for that shirt anymore.”
    She thought of a pretty sweater, stained with blood. “I understand. You’re tired, too.” She let herself touch his face. “I hope you can get a little sleep.”
    “I wouldn’t mind it. You drive safe, Abigail.” He kissed her forehead, then her lips, before stepping over to open her car door. “You were right, what you said in there. It was