Page 61 of It's a Wonderful Knife

Richard sat in the padded office chair while Royce grabbed a couple of folding chairs for us. I got a pad and pen from the desk and sat down, feeling nervous. Basically, my role was as a witness to anything Richard said. I hoped Royce didn’t plan on relying heavily on my notes because my handwriting wasn’t the best.

Once we were all seated, Royce asked, “So, Richard, where did you go earlier today when you disappeared for hours?”

“Where did I go?” Richard swallowed. “Well, I went for a walk.”

“You were gone a long time.”

Richard grimaced. “I was upset. I needed to leave today, but they wouldn’t let me.”

“Upset or not, two hours is a long time to walk in a huge rainstorm.” Royce studied the other man. “What did you do besides walk?”

“Nothing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

A flush swept over Richard’s face. “Why not?”

Instead of answering, Royce changed the subject. “Do you do drugs, Richard?”

Richard sputtered, “Excuse me?”

Royce’s gaze never wavered. “Do you use drugs?”

Rising to his feet, Richard bellowed, “How dare you accuse me of that.”

I flinched at the anger in his voice, but Royce barely seemed to notice. “You should sit down.”

Wagging his finger at Royce, Richard said, “I want a lawyer.”

“You’re not under arrest.”

“Maybe I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

Royce shrugged. “That’s your right. But if you killed Santiago, that won’t save you.”

Richard swallowed hard. “You need evidence. You can’t just accuse people of murder and drug use.”

“I haven’t accused you of anything. I’m simply trying to find out where you were during the time the murder most likely took place.”

“A lot of people left the house. I wasn’t the only one.”

“That’s true,” Royce said calmly. “I fully intend to talk to them all.”

“But you started with me.” Richard sounded agitated. “Now everyone thinks I’m the killer.”

“Even if that’s true, once I start questioning everyone, that won’t hold up.”

Richard sat down, and the chair squeaked under his weight. “Amelia and that red-haired chick had more of a reason to kill Santiago. Why would I… kill a stranger?”

“Were you strangers?”

“Yes,” Richard growled. “I’d never met the guy until this trip.”

Royce nodded. “The thing is, I don’t understand why you came to Giggly Elves Farm. You didn’t participate in any of the activities, and you don’t seem to even like it here.”

Richard licked his lips. “I told you I needed some holiday cheer.”

“Yeah, I remember you said that.” Royce cleared his throat. “What’s your girlfriend’s name?”