Four Square Ch. 03

"As I said, I did not see him until he hit David on the head." said Ashwarya angrily. "And I'm only going to answer questions based upon what really happened, not based upon your fantasies!"

"Harrumph." I said. "And mind your tone with me, Mrs. Subramaniam. Okay, let me ask the question another way: had Amit ever watched you have sex with David? Had he filmed or videoed you and David having sex?"

After a pause, Ashwarya said "Yes, he videoed some of our... encounters."

"Okay." I said. "So on the day of the death, you were crying out as if you were being raped, as part of a sexual roleplay scenario?"

"Yes, and I've answered that many times." Ashwarya snarled.

"And you'll answer it every time any of us ask you... or you can take the Fifth." I replied. "My own reason for asking: did you not consider that your neighbors might hear you, and call the Police, or as Amit did, come in to investigate?"

"I did not think I was that loud." said Ashwarya.

"The doors and windows were closed?" I asked.

"The bedroom door was partly open." said Ashwarya.

"So Amit knew that you and David were having sex, since he filmed it." I said. "He knew who David was, since you and Amit were on David'd team at your work. So I can understand that if Amit came in and you did see him, you'd think nothing of it. So why would Amit hit David on the head?"

There was a long moment of silence, with Ashwarya looking at her lawyer. Blake finally spoke: "You can't ask my client what was in the mind of another person, Commander. At best, it calls for speculation. At worst, it puts her in a position where you can twist any answer she gives." He turned and said to Ashwarya: "Don't answer that."

"Okay." I said. "Madam, how long had you been having sexual relationship with David?" I asked.

"For months." Ashwarya said. "We made love in his office at work, then Tanu and I invited David into our home for our roleplay games. It worked out very well."

"And no problems at work arose from it?" I asked. "No friction between David and Tanu?"

"No, David was Tanu's boss, and Tanu knew his place in our relationship." Ashwarya said. I definitely understood the underlying nature of that comment.

"And Tanu had no problem with you and David having sex at David's home?" I asked

"If he did, he never expressed any problems to me." said Ashwarya.

"And Amit?" I asked. "Did you ever have sex with Amit?" I asked. "Oral sex, or intercourse?"

"No, Amit was nothing." Ashwarya said, some spite in her voice. "David was very good in bed, and was very good to me. And Tanu is my husband, and we love each other. Amit? He only wishes he could make love to a woman like me."

"So he was content to film you having sex with David." I said. "Had to be hard on Amit... those were some very hot couplings, if I do say so myself. I can only imagine how hard it must've been on Amit, watching that, filming it, then getting no relief?"

"Your language is inexcusable, and borderline sexual harassment." said Chip Blake. "There is no excuse for using that kind of language in addressing my client."

"Oh, I fundamentally disagree." I said. "I am establishing possible motives for Amit murdering David Lang, and jealousy like that is among those possible motives."

"Amit did not murder David!" Ashwarya spat. "It was an accident, a misunderstanding!"

"So tell me," I said, "how did your sexual relationship with David begin? He came onto you? You onto him?"

"We had a very strong mutual attraction from the time we met at work." Ashwarya said. "I was very receptive to David when he kissed me, which led to having sex on his desk in his office."

"And Tanu was okay with it?" I asked.

"Tanu and I have an open relationship." said Ashwarya. "You wouldn't know anything about that, and there is nothing wrong with it."

"You might be surprised how much I do know about it." I said. "My wife studies these kinds of relationships as part of her work at the University. And one thing I know is that the husband's relationship with the other man, the 'bull' in the vernacular of these relationships, is defined by a few things. If the husband gives permission to have sex with his wife, it's one kind of thing. If he doesn't, it's another... and possibly more abusive. So did Tanu express to David that permission?"

"I don't know." said Ashwarya. "You'll have to ask him that."

"Oh, I'll be sure to, among many other questions." I said. "Did you videotape your first encounter with David in his office?"

"Yes." said Ashwarya. "And Tanu enjoyed the video very much."

"I'm sure he did." I said. "To conclude this questioning, I'm going to ask you to look at some photos of some people. They might be witnesses that can confirm you were heard crying for help that afternoon."

"I don't see how they could, but I will look at them." Ashwarya said.

I flipped through photos of Barsbane, Trent, Quint, and Shimono. "No... no... no... er... no." Ah, she'd reacted to the photo of Keiko Shimono, I noticed.

"Sure you don't recognize any of them?" I asked, peering at Ashwarya.

"Are you done?" Ashwarya demanded to know. "I am tired of answering these pointless, silly questions!"

"I agree." said Chip Blake.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Zippidy-doo-da, zippidy-a." I sang out loud in my office. "Several indictments are a-comin' our way..."

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Captain Perlman, who had joined me, Commander Ross, and Detective Rodriguez in my office.

"The Fitch case, and the Lang case." I said. "Sooooo... who am I about to cold-bust in the Lang case?"

"Amit has charges against him already." said Tanya. "So I'd guess him."

"Let me be more clear." I said. "I am going for murder in the first degree, here. Who am I going to put away for life, if not on the table at Jacksonville?"

"You did establish a motive for Amit." said Julia. "And it's a good one. He might've been very jealous that he was not a part of the sexual festivities, and murdered David when he had the chance."

"You know, that could go for Tanu, too." said Tanya. "Maybe he was jealous of David porking his wife, but was too timid to say anything. Maybe he thought he'd lose Ashwarya to David if he said anything."

"And a beautiful, smart woman like her is certainly worth trying to keep." Cindy said. I barely avoided doing a double-take and peering at her.

"Yes." agreed Tanya. "So he sets up a roleplay scenario, somehow gets Amit to be where he can hear Ashwarya crying out, Amit comes in and Tanu says nothing, and Amit goes for the statue and David's head, legitimately thinking David really is forcing Ashwarya and Tanu into non-consentual sex. Amit kills David, takes Tanu's problem away."

"Good thought." said Cindy. "If memory serves me correctly-------"

"And it usually does!" I said with a wicked grin. A green crowbar was waved in my general direction, but in concession that I'd finally gotten somebody back for doing that to me in the past.

"Touché. Cindy said. "I was going to say that Tanu said that he thought Ashwarya locked the door to the hall, but she hadn't. And the windows were closed when Tanu said he thought they were open, which means Ashwarya might have closed them. So maybe she's implicated in this, though I'm not as sure about any kind of motive."

"So, sir," said Julia Rodriguez, "what do you say? Which one is right?"

I smiled. "The answer is..."

To be continued.

This story is dedicated to the memory of Atlanta Police Officer Larry Taylor, who was also my cousin. He contracted and died of an unknown illness, which may have been Legionnaire's Disease before they knew what that was. May he rest in peace.