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Theo tried to think. “I saw him show his hands.”
“Show his hands, not raise them.”
“It wasn’t a holdup. He seemed to be talking her down.”
“According to him.”
“No, that’s what it looked like.”
“So you knew, though you could not see it, that she had some kind of weapon?”
A breath. “No. I didn’t then. Mac told me about the gun, but in hindsight that fit with what I saw.”
“How long did Cormac Etheridge speak with Mary Cowell?”
“About twenty minutes, I guess.”
More questions then, about Mary Cowell: how she seemed, did she look frightened by Cormac Etheridge?
“Not particularly.”
How did Theo feel about Mary Cowell? Did she resent her for the article in the Star?
“I resented the article, was angry about the article. It was sensational and made me the focus of all this and dragged Gus into the whole mess, but I didn’t think about Mary personally.”
What about Gus Benton? Was he angry with Mary Cowell?
Theo glanced at Jacqui, alarmed by the question. “You couldn’t possibly imagine that Gus—”
Mendes repeated the question.
“No. Gus doesn’t get angry about much other than skim milk and basketball. As far as I’m aware he’s never given Mary Cowell a thought.”
They showed her photos then. Mary Cowell was lying on some kind of bench. Her throat had been cut. The blood had pooled around her head and matted her hair. She was wearing an LFK T-shirt that may once have been white, sweatpants, and sneakers. The images battered Theo. Mary was about her age. Like Theo, she’d been looking for a career in words, and it seemed that before she died, Mary had, by grisly inconsequential coincidence, put on the same T-shirt that Theo had grabbed that morning. And that last thing seemed indecent somehow. Dan’s body intruded, and grief with it, and suddenly Theo found herself weeping over the death of woman she barely knew and unable to explain why.
Jacqui demanded a break. Mendes poured Theo a glass of water, stopped the recorder, and he and the other officer left the room. Jacqui placed a box of tissues in front of Theo.
“You’re doing well, Theo. Those photos are tough when you’re not used to it.”
“It’s the third body I’ve seen in the last month, Jacqui,” Theo said hoarsely. “I’m never going to get used to it. God, I hope I don’t get used to it.”
“No. You shouldn’t.” Jacqui took her hand. “You’re not under arrest. I can bring this interview to an end.”
“No. Let’s get it over with. You won’t tell Gus I fell apart, will you?”
“That information would be privileged.” Jacqui smiled. “You ready?”
“Yes, call them back.”
The officers had a new line of questioning. They wanted to know about Hugh Carrington and the complaint of assault he’d made against her.
Theo told them about her relationship with Hugh Carrington and the manner in which it ended. She could tell it less emotionally now. As before, they spent a great deal of time establishing details. When, where, how many times did she hit Hugh Carrington? Did she want to kill him? Had she told anyone what happened? Why did she leave the Australian National University? Why did she come to Lawrence? Had Dan Murdoch attacked her as she claims Hugh Carrington did?
Theo concentrated on staying focused, answering each question as clearly and precisely as she knew how, but answering only what she had been asked. The detectives seemed to change their line again, asking her about Benders. How often she frequented it. Why she’d stopped. Who she saw there. Where she sat when she was there. Theo answered, though she was confused by the purpose of those questions. Perhaps this was to do with Dan. Eventually Jacqui objected that Mendes was covering the same ground for the fourth time and either fishing or looking to write a restaurant guide. “I’m afraid, George, that unless you have some charge to lay against my client, we’re going to have to be on our way.”
The detective was clearly irritated, but it seemed he had no charges he was willing to bring at that stage. “This is Lawrence, Miss Benton, not New York, and yet in the last month, there have been three murders, and you seem to be the common factor.”
“Yes, I can see that,” Theo replied. “But I don’t know why, Detective.”
