Laura Ch. 06

"If you were worried about her, why did you leave her behind?"

"I told you, the husband hustled her into the house before I had a time to react. I tried to get her to come out, but some people, the cabby and some others told me to go as I was making a scene. I thought she would phone me the next day and come and live with me. I was stupid, I shouldn't have left her. It's all my fault."

"Mr Rubin how is it your fault?"

"Because I knew her husband was abusing her, I had seen the bruises and marks over the past months. My being there, it just inflamed the situation," and placing his head down on his arms on the table shook his head against them mumbling "and now he's probably gone too far and killed her and it's all my fault."

"Lets start at the beginning again. When did you first meet Laura Hamilton and where?"

*

At the case meeting Martin reviewed the facts so far with the rest of the team.

"After speaking with the bar tender where the husband visited later that night I am now inclined to get a search warrant and bring him in for questioning."

"You say the bar man saw blood on his shirt? How much blood?"

"Smears, but enough to be suspicious. He could have killed her, gone back after getting drunk enough to have the courage to deal with the body, got rid of it that night or during the next day. The guy says he was very agitated, unlike his normal self, and work says he was off that next day. Plenty of time to get rid of a body and clean up any mess."

"Let's bring him in, have a chat first. He must know we are asking around about him. Should be ripe and ready for a little chat about now."

*

Robert sat waiting in the small room, his solicitor sitting to his left. The last couple of weeks had been hell. All around him colleagues and acquaintances had been questioned by police, then staring and talking about him. Each time he walked in a room at work they all stopped talking and yesterday when he walked in the bar he could swear every eye was on him.

It was becoming untenable. The little cow was making his life a nightmare and all because she had run off with that big oaf. Why didn't they go and talk to him, he was a more likely candidate to have done her in by the looks of him.

Suddenly the door opened and two Detectives entered the room, one portly with a shaven head and black moustache under a big hook nose, the other looking more like a school teacher with silver hair and a scholarly air about him.

Sitting down they introduced themselves and after explaining the procedure of taping the meeting and his rights the one with the silver hair, called Detective Dowler, asked "When was the last time you saw your wife?"

"The night she left me, October 24th."

"Well Robert can you tell us what she said when she left."

"No. She left while I was out for a drink at a bar in town. I went out and when I came back she was gone."

"Can you describe what occurred earlier that evening? What caused her to leave?"

"The little cow came home with her boyfriend, I told her to sling her hook, went out to the bar and when I returned she was gone. End of story."

"So what you are telling us is that at no time, after you entered the house did you argue or fight with your wife. What you are saying is that you asked her to leave, went out and when you came home she was gone."

"Yes that's it exactly. The little cow was gone. Go speak to the boyfriend; he should know what happened to her."

"So can you explain why your neighbour has told us she heard you screaming at your wife that night after you entered the house, and I quote 'He screamed over and over I am going to kill you.' while she could hear your wife begging for you to stop hitting her. Can you comment on this?"

Robert sat back in his chair stunned. "I just said it, I didn't do it. I was angry. I had just found out she was two timing me. It was just words."

And for the first time he realised he was in trouble.