Page 38 of Feared

“Stay with me. We need to figure this out and we need to figure it out right now.”

“Okay, okay,” Judy said, trying to recover.

“All you have to do is answer my questions. Let’s back up to Friday night. What time did you go to his house Friday night?”

“After work, at seven o’clock.”

“And what happened?”

“I told him I was really mad at him about the Complaint and the things he said, and also at the press conference, because that was such a mess and I didn’t know that he had even been interviewing for a job. He hadn’t told me.” Judy hesitated. “And well, he, uh, said he was interviewing because he didn’t think we could work at the same firm if he was an associate and I was his boss, and he wasn’t going to tell me until he had an offer he wanted, so that’s why he didn’t tell me, but anyway we had a big fight.”

“What time did you leave his apartment?”

“I left around one in the morning. We fought, like, all night. It was horrible, and now I feel horrible—”

“Was there shouting?”

“Yes.” Judy blew her nose. “Me, mostly. You could’ve guessed that.”

“Okay, let’s return to Saturday. So you go to his apartment at two o’clock.” Bennie paused. “Wait a minute. Didn’t he have a job interview? I remember he said that, and he was dressed for it.”

“Yes, but it was over by two.”

“Do you know who it was with?”

“No.” Judy shook her head, distraught. “I didn’t know he was doing any of that. I feel so terrible that he said such bad things about us, and I can’t believe that he really felt that way, and that’s what we were fighting about, back and forth.”

“Okay, so you were at his apartment from two o’clock today. What did you do there?”

“We tried to work it out and we talked, and we fought, and we ordered in, but we couldn’t work it out, and I was so angry at him and he was angry at me for being angry at him and anyway, so, well, uh, we broke up.”

Listening, Mary felt a wave of profound sympathy for her best friend, who must’ve been suffering so deeply. Judy was one of the most sensitive creatures on the planet, despite her happy-go-lucky exterior, and Mary’s heart went out to her.

Bennie asked, “Was there more yelling?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think any neighbors heard it?”

“No, I don’t know, maybe, does it matter?” Judy sniffled. “His landlord lives downstairs, they’re an older couple. I don’t think they’re home this weekend. They cruise all the time, and John feeds their cat.” Judy’s eyes welled up again. “Now he’s gone, I don’t know what’s going to happen, he was so good at taking care of everything, and he was William’s guardian. I don’t know what William’s going to do now, or who’s going to tell him. He doesn’t have anybody but John. The aunt and uncle haven’t been east in years.”

Bennie patted Judy’s hand again. “The police notify next of kin, so let’s stay on point. Do you know his landlord?”

“But I don’t want the police to tell William. They’re strangers.”

“I’m sure the aunt and uncle will then, but talk to me. Do you know the landlord?”

“Yes, I’ve met him a few times.”

“But you didn’t see him today or his wife?”

“No.”

“So you broke up today and you left the apartment at nine o’clock tonight, is that right?”

“About that, I think, give or take.”

“How much give and how much take?”