The Veiled Cage (Lady Lawyer Series Romantic Suspense Novels Book 1) (18 page)

Susan curled it in her right hand and signed.

“
Every question I ask has a reason. Do
n’
t try to figure it out. Answer as best you can
.”
             

“I’
ve been going over and over it. I do
n’
t know anything. I saw Jerry alive, and then all of a sudden the police . . . I do
n’
t know what happened. I do
n’
t know anything
.
”

“
Susan, i
t’
s okay if you do
n’
t know the answer to a question. This is going to be hard, but i
t’
s necessary. W
e’
re right here with you. W
e’
ll get through it together
.
”

Jasmine gave Susan a gentle smile.

“
Okay
?”
Ruby asked.

“
Okay
.
”

“
Stuart Johnston claims he saw you driving away from the cabin holding a kitchen knife
.
”

“
No, no. Tha
t’
s impossible. I was in my house all night
.”
Tears streamed down her face.

Jasmine squeezed her right hand.

“
They think you left a trail a kid could follow into the woods to the gingerbread house
.
”

“
I do
n’
t understand
.
”

“
Any idiot would conclude that you killed your husband. Susan, look at me
.”
Ruby waited for Susan to wipe her eyes and lift her gaze
.“
W
e’
re not idiots. And I do
n’
t mean everyone who investigated your case is, but mindlessly following protocol left much undiscovered
.
”

“
So you believe me
?
”

“
Yes, of course you did
n’
t kill your husband. W
e’
ve set about proving it
.
”

“
How
?
”

“
I wondered at your physical ability. Yo
u’
re accused of hauling a man from driveway to bathroom, and lifting him into a tu
b—
not a feat for weaklings. Your dominant hand is your left. I know because you reached out from habit before withdrawing and extending your right. You signed awkwardly, and yo
u’
ve cradled your left wrist as if injured. Is it
?
”

“
I think so
.
”

“
Did you tell the officers as they handcuffed you
?
”

“
Yes. They did
n’
t care they were hurting m
e—
just like Jerry
.”
She looked pained
.“
I should
n’
t say that about my own husband
.
”

“
Is it true
?
”

“
Yes
.
”

“
Please do
n’
t apologize for speaking the truth, Susan. I
t’
s exactly what w
e’
re after, and i
t’
s going to set you free. I
t’
s very rare for a woman to kill her batterer
.
”

“
No, Jerr
y’
s not . . . he just gets upset. I make him so mad
.
”

“
He gets out of control
?
”

“
Yes
.
”

“
What has he broken of his
?
”

“
Well,
I’
ll have to think about it . . . Nothing, I guess
.
”

“
H
e’
s only broken wha
t’
s yours, has
n’
t he? H
e’
s had enough control to target your belongings. I see marks around your neck. What happened, Susan
?
”

“
I, I made dinner. And he found a card from my dentist. H
e’
s very protective of me. He wants me for himself
.
”

“
I know it
.
”

“
And I made him so mad
.
”

“
Yo
u’
re not responsible for his emotions
.
”

“
Before I knew it, he had me up against the wall. His hands were around my neck. And then he threw me down
.”
She fixated on where the concrete met the floor
.“
I landed on my wrist. He pulled me up by it. I told him it hurt, but he did
n’
t stop. I tried to get help. I made it to the neighbo
r’
s
.
”

“
Deanna Connell
y’
s house
?
”

“
Yes
.
”

“
Did she help you
?
”

“
No, she would
n’
t let me in
.
”

“
Where was Jerry
?
”

“
He acted like nothing happened. He told her it was me. That
I’
m crazy, out of control
.”
She looked up at Ruby
.“
Maybe I am
.
”

“
What makes you say that
?
”

“
I keep losing things. They show up in plain sight. I could
n’
t even find my car keys to go to work this morning. Deanna would
n’
t give me a ride
.
”

“
What did you wear for your birthday dinner
?
”

“
A blue dress. I wore it when we first met. I wanted to make it special.
I’
m so stupid. I even took a picture in it
.
”

Ruby glanced over at Jasmine
.“
When did you take it
?
”

“
Maybe fifteen minutes before he came home
.
”

“
What did you use? A camera
?
”

“
No, my phone
.
”

“
Wher
e’
s your phone, Susan
?
”

“
It was on my bedside table.

“
Wher
e’
s your blue dress
?
”

“
In the hamper
.
”

“
Were your shoes in the photo
?
”

“
Yes, I propped my phone on the counter and took it full-length. I
t’
s so silly
.
”

“
You should feel free to take whatever pictures you want in your own home. What shoes were you wearing
?
”

“
The
y’
re white and blue with sparkles
.
”

“
High heels
?
”

“
Yes
.
”

“
Do you keep shoes at the cabin? Clothes
?
”

“
No,
I’
ve only been there a few times, back when we first bought it
.
”

“
What did your husband get you for your birthday
?
”

“
Nothing
.
”

“
Did you ask for anything
?
”

“
No, I do
n’
t ask him for anything
.
”

“
Wha
t’
s the last present your husband gave you
?
”

“
A kitchen knife
.
”

“
When
?
”

“
Around midnight
.
”

“
Why
?
”

“
I do
n’
t know. He did
n’
t say anything about it being a birthday present. And this morning he said
I—
I did
n’
t deserve a present
.
”

“
Does he cook
?
”

“
No
.
”

“
Did you ask for a new kitchen knife? Complain about your old ones
?
”

“
No
.
”

“
Susan, what happened after you went to Deanna for help
?
”

“
Jerry was there, and Deanna did
n’
t believe me. He told me to go inside and clean up my mess. And then he took off. He told me to not ask him where he was going. Tha
t’
s the last time I saw him
.
”

“
What did you do next
?
”

“
I cleaned up the kitchen
.
”

“
Did you throw away what was broken
?
”

“
Everything except my grandmothe
r’
s vase. I put it in a box under my bed
.
”

“
And then
?
”

“
I went to bed. I just wanted today to end
.
”

“
Anything happen before the cops showed up
?
”

“
Yo
u’
ll think
I’
m crazy
.
”

“
Try me
.
”

“
It started like a dream. I had this strange feeling that someone was watching me
.
”

“
Hair standing up, heart pounding in your chest
?
”

“
Yes, like that
.
”

“
What did you do
?
”

“
I got out of bed, and checked. There was nobody there, of course. And Jerr
y’
s side of the bed was cold. So I went back to bed, and just as I was falling asleep, I heard Jerr
y’
s voic
e—
crystal clear
.
”

“
What did he say
?
”

“
‘
Yo
u’
re mine, Susan. Mine and nobody els
e’
s
.’I’
m losing stuff, hearing voices. Nobody sees Jerry like I do. Makes him mad like I do. Am I losing my mind
?
”