“Yes, at some point,” I finally land on.
“And what point was that?”
I pause trying to think over my answer carefully.
“Well, I had fallen asleep. But I woke up around 2am and he was there. He could have been home for much longer.”
Sheriff Stevens nods and jots down a few words on a pad of paper in front of him. He glances up at me and then writes down a couple more words. He chews on the end of his pen and glances at me again—this time, running his eyes over my body. “And that’s at your home in D.C., correct?”
“Yes.”
“What happened after he got home?”
“We talked.” I let out a small cough. “And we had sex.” I know something terrible has happened. This is an interrogation, and there’s no sense in holding any information back. Adam couldn’t have done anything wrong, so honesty is the only thing that is going to make this all go away, whatever this is.
“Is that usual for you two?”
“A husband and a wife having sex, Sheriff Stevens?”
“No, you and Adam?”
“What does this have to do with anything?” I’m irritated, and I’m done playing games with this small-minded sheriff. I tear apart men like him every day. I may be here as Adam’s wife, but I am a defense attorney.
The sheriff taps his pen against the desk. He’s waiting for me to speak as he has no intention of answering my question. He’s trying to get an understanding of Adam’s and my relationship, but why? What could he think Adam has done? Sure, we don’t have the perfect marriage, but who does? And why is it any of his business?
“We’re trying for a baby,” I say not actually answering his question, but side-stepping it. If he doesn’t answer my questions, I won’t answer his.
“Congratulations.” There’s a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“Are we done?”
“No, Mrs. Morgan. Do you know a Kelly Summers?”
“No.” I let out a deep breath. Maybe she’s our cleaning lady? No, that’s not her name. I shake my head adding to my resounding no.
He nods and underlines something on his notepad. He selects a file folder from a stack of papers and pulls out an 8x10 photo, placing it in front of me. It’s a picture of a beautiful girl with long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. She’s smiling. She’s younger—probably late twenties. She is a stark contrast to Sheriff Stevens, where he is serious, worn down, on a mission; she is carefree, letting life take her as it wants.
“This is Kelly Summers. Are you sure you don’t know her?”
I pull the photo a little closer and lean in really taking it in. Her beauty is truly captivating. Her freckles spread lightly along her nose, her lips are full, and her cheekbones are prominent.
“I don’t know her.” I push the photo back toward him. He nods, taking the picture and putting it back in the folder.
“Are you and Adam having marital problems?” He taps his fingers on the desk.
“You know what, Sheriff Stevens? This is getting ridiculous. I don’t know what Adam and I have to do with this Kelly woman, and I’ve had enough. I want to see my husband right now.” I’m half standing when Sheriff Stevens slams his hand on the desk.
“Sit down!”
“Or what? You’ll arrest me? Take me to my husband.” I stare him down. Although he is large, he is so small to me.
He flips open the folder and throws a dozen crime scene photos on the desk. Right away, I notice that they’ve all been taken in our lake house. A woman is lying in our bed, covered in blood. Her eyes are expressionless. Her torso and chest are mutilated, skin gouged and scraped. I drop my purse, and my hands immediately cover my mouth as I let out a gasp and a whimper.
I drop to the side of the desk regurgitating a bit of my lunch into my mouth. The acid burns as I try to force it back down, but this only makes my eyes well up with tears even more.
And then it hits me. Now I know why I’m here.
I feel a pat on my back. It’s Sheriff Stevens. He’s trying to calm me down.
“I’m sorry.” He hands me a Kleenex and keeps his hand on my back. I stand facing him, though my legs are a bit wobbly beneath me. I wipe my mouth and pat at my eyes, trying to compose myself. This isn’t like me. I don’t break down. I’m strong. He asks me if I’m okay and I nod. Where I once was just trying to figure out why I was here, I now need to go into lawyer mode, because this “kind and simple” sheriff routine is really the work of a seasoned pro, watching, calculating.
There’s a knock on the door. Sheriff Stevens keeps a hand on my shoulder—still trying to play nice. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I regain control of my breathing and attempt to compose myself.
The door opens, and I turn to find a tall black man in similar clothing as Sheriff Stevens. His eyes are cold, bloodshot, and they do not meet mine. He says, “He wants his lawyer.”
Sheriff Stevens nods. “Marcus, this is Sarah, Adam’s wife. This is Deputy Hudson.” I shake his hand.
His eyes bounce off me. There’s a rage in them. “Should I let him call his lawyer?”
Before Sheriff Stevens can speak, I interrupt. “There’s no need.”
“Why?” they both ask in unison giving each other a puzzled look.
“I’m his lawyer.”
10
Adam Morgan
I’ve seen the crime photos. I know what they think I did. My poor Kelly. How could this have happened? I was right there with her the whole night, but I didn’t do this. I tried to explain repeatedly about her abusive husband, and they kept saying they were looking at all angles, but it seems they’ve already picked their fucking angle.
I hope my mom was able to get ahold of Sarah, though I don’t know how I’m even going to face her. Things were just looking up for us. I was going to end it with Kelly once and for all. I was going to be a good husband again, the one that Sarah deserves. But most importantly I was going to be a father—oh God. The baby? What if she’s pregnant? What if the baby grows up without a father? I can’t let that happen; I have to get out of this. I need to be there for my child.
Deputy Hudson questioned me for the past hour and a half. Another officer stood guard, which was for the best—because I thought for sure Deputy Hudson was going to kill me or at least try. I don’t know how he knows Kelly, but I’m sure he does. He finally left me alone and scurried out when I refused to answer any more questions. I demanded my lawyer. I should have asked for one right away.
This is bad. This is really bad. They found Kelly in my home, stabbed to death. My fingerprints are going to be all over the place, all over her. We had rough sex and the note I left… Now that I think about it, it doesn’t look good. It doesn’t look good at all. But the texts from her husband are undeniable. There’s something there. They’ll have to investigate him because there’s no way they could ever believe that I would do this. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Kelly and I had a great time, and I loved her. She was there when I needed someone. I would never hurt her, but her husband would and has.
I stand up and pound on the one-way mirror, tears stream down my crumpled face.