Chapter Twenty
Frank Trudeau had not run out of steam. "Mrs. Austin, you and Mrs. Marchetti have become close friends since her hospitalization, haven't you?"
"Yes, we have," Jenn replied, looking him directly in the eyes.
"You do know that she had a long-standing - and very serious – relationship with your husband?"
"Of course. In the past. That has nothing to do with our friendship – or your investigation, Sir."
"It does make the two of you becoming friends seem a bit....unlikely," Hansen put in.
"Exactly," Trudeau agreed. "How did the two of you become close, Mrs. Austin?"
"We share common experiences."
"Like loving the same man?"
Jenn narrowed her eyes. "We've both been abused. It happened to me several years ago, and when Steve told me what Jaime had been through, I thought maybe I could help her."
"So you feel Mrs. Marchetti was abused?"
"Are you an idiot?" Jenn snapped. "He nearly killed her!"
"What sort of help did you offer her?" Hansen queried.
"Someone to talk to. I gave her some advice...and then just...listened."
Trudeau leaned closer. "Advice about what?"
"I told her she needed to reclaim her life – divorce Michael before he had the chance to hurt her again...or worse. And I helped her find a divorce lawyer. Steve and I have been keeping her company while she's been here, trying to boost her spirits."
"Is that why you came here last night?" Trudeau asked.
"Yes."
"We know that you got here at 7:15 – alone - and left at 7:45, with Peggy Callahan. Where was your husband, Mrs. Austin?"
"I...don't know. Peggy and I went out for coffee."
"What time did you return home?"
"Just before 10."
"Was Colonel Austin home at that time?"
"No. But -"
"Thank you, Mrs. Austin. We'll need you to wait here until we've questioned your husband."
- - -
Rudy stood behind the nurses' station, feigning an absorbing interest in the file in front of him but really eying the door to the room where Jenn was being questioned. The instant he saw the three men leave and head in Steve's direction, he walkie-talkied the nurse who was waiting in Jaime's room. "Wheel her down now," he said urgently. The X-Ray machine was warmed up and ready and he'd already helped Jaime onto a gurney so she could quickly be wheeled in and back out again. Rudy had the feeling that Steve's interrogation would give them plenty of time...
- - -
Steve was on his feet and pacing; the wait had been torturous. He declined to take a seat when the investigators invited him to do so, feeling stronger and more in control if he remained standing.
"Colonel Austin," Trudeau began, "can you tell us where you were last night between 6pm and midnight?"
"Mostly running errands."
"For six hours? Must've had an awful lot of errands."
"Yeah, well, stuff piles up."
Trudeau frowned. "Were you supposed to meet your wife here, to visit Mrs. Marchetti?"
Steve wished he knew what Jenn had already told them. "Yes," he admitted. "But I got tied up and didn't make it."
"How long were you 'tied up'?"
"'Til around 10:30, I guess." Steve continued to lead the interrogators in circles, giving them only what they specifically asked for (and in as few words as possible) for nearly 20 minutes.
"Who do you believe killed Michael Marchetti?" Trudeau demanded in closing.
Steve shrugged. "Since you fellows haven't broken out with any information, like how he died or exactly when...I wouldn't begin to hazard a guess."
"We will be in touch," Trudeau snapped as the three men opened the door and allowed Jenn to rejoin her husband.
Jenn flew to Steve's side, leaning gratefully into the comfort of his arms. "Are we...okay?" she asked, when the three men were gone.
"Yeah. At least, I think so."
"Did you tell them....about Rudy....?"
Steve kissed his wife, trying to calm her fears. "They didn't ask."
- - - - -