Chapter 9

Just then the coroner arrived and quickly began taking pictures of the body. At this, Clay suggested that they move into another room so Katherine wouldn't have to watch.

"Damn, it's going to be impossible to question her!" the detective said looking at the weeping woman.

"Her interpreter is on the way here, but it will be a few minutes. You could either write out the questions or start with ones that you don't think I would change her answers on," Clay told them, after they had moved into the kitchen, and Katherine had had some time to calm down a bit.

"Alright, I guess we can try that. Ask her to tell us what happened in her own words."

'Oh yeah! That is a good way to start!' Clay thought as he signed the question to Katherine. He didn't think much of this detective or his methods.

"Well, Scottie and I were…talking about our day when Clay arrived at the door…um they got into a fight, and Clay knocked Scottie…" she burst into fresh tears.

The detective was about to ask a follow up question when the lights flashed. "Huh? What?" he asked, startled.

"Someone is at the door," Webb informed him, getting up to answer it. Mac and Misty, both stood there, having met on the sidewalk.

"Where is Katherine?" asked Misty.

"In the kitchen," Webb told her.

When Mac found out the body was still there, she went to take a look, telling Clay she would join them in the kitchen shortly.

Back in the kitchen, the detective was wasting no time in questioning Katherine, "So you were talking with your husband when Mr. Webb came in and started attacking him?"

"No! Clay was trying not to hit him!" Katherine tried to correct the detective.

"How did he end up killing your husband if he was trying NOT to hit him?"

Both Misty and Katherine gasped at the abruptness of this question. "Clay was protecting…um, he was trying to keep Scottie from hitting…" Katherine stopped when she realized there was no way she could make the detective understand that Clay had not started the fight without making it clear that Scottie had been beating her when Clay arrived.

"Your husband was hitting you when Mr. Webb arrived? Did he do this often?" At these questions, Katherine buried her face in her hands and began to cry again.

Mac had entered the kitchen in time to hear the detective's questions and when no one else responded she said, "This is at least the second time he had been abusing her, the first that I am aware of was on January 18, 2002, the night before she testified on behalf of Admiral Chegwidden. She passed out after being on the stand and was taken to the hospital. Mr. Webb can confirm this he picked her up the next day."

To be continued…..