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“Yes.”
“Has he got credits for good behavior?”
“I don’t know.”
“They keep changing that system. He could have several years accrued.”
“You think he should wait for parole?”
“I think he may have to. I need you to finish up by the end of the week. We’ll be looking at new cases starting next week. I’m going to need all your attention.”
****
Right after lunch, I drove up to Downey and sat outside the Michaels’ family house. As I’d suspected, Jimmy’s orange Camaro was in the driveway. Once I’d collected my thoughts, I got out of the frog car and crossed the street. Jimmy must have been peeking out a window, because he came out of the house and walked down the driveway. When he got close, he said, “Don’t come around my parents’ house anymore.”
“Are you inviting me to your place? You’ll need to give me the address.”
“I told you, this doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
“Yeah, but I think it does.”
“You think I killed my brother?”
“No. But I think you know Larry Wilkes didn’t.”
“I don’tknowanything.”
“Did you know your brother was having sex with your tennis coach?”
“No.”
“Where did you think he was sleeping when you were on the road?”
“Sometimes I’d have girls visit me, so I didn’t really care where he slept. Other times I thought he was with a girl somewhere…”
“You don’t seem very surprised by my question, though.”
“I’m just starting to figure these things out. I know how dumb that sounds.”
“So, you do think there was something between the coach and your brother?”
“You can’t go around asking questions like that. My parents aren’t okay. My dad’s not that healthy. Something like what you’re saying gets back to them and I don’t know what’ll happen—”
“Do you think Larry Wilkes and your brother were in a relationship?”
“You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”
“Come on, give me something. Your wife perjured herself at the trial, didn’t she? She was never engaged to your brother.”
“No. No, there wasn’t. Okay? Are you happy?”
“How did you find out?”
“Anne had some dental work before she found out she was pregnant. She asked for the gas they use, so I had to drive her. On the way home she confessed that she wasn’t Pete’s fiancé, that she wasn’t involved with him at all. That she’d lied to the court, to everyone, to me.”
“She’s still lying,” I said.
“I know. She’s tried to tell me that what she said wasn’t true, that she was drugged and delusional. And she was, she was drugged. And that made her tell the truth.”
