Read Online Cast a Blue Shadow by P. L. Gaus - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: P. L. Gaus
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Favor’s room ahead of the sheriff and found the boy seated at a computer desk, playing with a flight simulator. Robertson stepped in behind Branden, closed the door, and leaned back against it.
“I think we should talk, Sonny,” Branden said.
Sonny looked back at Branden and returned to his game. Branden watched with growing annoyance as the plane on the screen rocketed up. Sonny rolled the plane over, nosed it down, and let go of the joystick, ignoring the warnings about an imminent crash. The plane hit the ground and exploded, and Sonny sat for a long time with his back to Branden, watching the fireball on the screen. When he stood up, he went straight to a wooden box at the foot of his bed, took out a baseball and glove, and repeatedly snapped the ball into the pocket of the glove, saying, “They shouldn’t leave her bloody like that. When are they going to clean her up?”
Branden shrugged and watched the ball.
Sonny faced the wall next to the door, where Robertson had leaned casually back, and bounced the baseball onto the hardwood floor, against the wall, and back into his glove. He repeated this half a dozen times and then drew back and hurled the ball at Robertson’s head.
Robertson ducked the missile, and it bounced back and crashed into a plastic model airplane on a shelf on the other side of the bed.
“Not a good idea, Sonny!” Branden shot.
“I want out of this house!” Sonny shouted.
“Is he under arrest?” Branden asked Robertson.
“No.”
“Is there any reason he can’t leave?”
“I still need to talk to him,” Robertson said, eyes fixed on Sonny.
“I don’t want to talk anymore,” Sonny barked. “I’ve done nothing but talk all morning.”
“I have one or two questions yet,” Robertson said with forced restraint.
Sonny flopped back onto his bed and waved his arms in the air. “What is it?”
Robertson came forward into the bedroom and took off his suit coat. He folded it carefully and laid it over the back of a reading chair. He walked around the foot of the bed, found the baseball in a corner and dropped it into the glove on Sonny’s left hand. Around on the other side of the bed, the sheriff took a position standing next to the professor, and asked, “When you phoned 911 this morning, Sonny, who else was in the house?”
“I don’t know.”
“Was Bliss here?”
“I used the intercom to try to reach him. No. He didn’t answer.”
“Your sister?”
“I suppose so.”
“You didn’t check?”
“No.”
“Any particular reason?”
“What do you care?”
“You found your mother dead and didn’t check around for your sister?”
“I don’t like her Jenny.”
“You shared that sentiment with your mother, I understand.”
“I told all that to the officer.”
“He’s a captain.”
“If you say so.”
“Did you hear anything last night?”
“I take a pill.”
“But did you hear anything in the night?”
“I take sleeping pills and don’t wake up until five or six.”
“You didn’t call until 6:30.”
“I get headaches.”
“You get headaches, or you wake up with headaches?”
“Wake up with them. Usually by five.”
“How did you find your mother?”
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
“You’re in the habit of wandering into her bedroom at five in the morning?”
Sonny didn’t reply.
“Where did you find her?” Robertson pressed.
“I don’t know.”
“Sure you do.”
“In bed, I guess. She was dead.”
“How did you know she was dead?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did you touch her?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know?”
“I watched her, I guess.”
“You stood and watched her? How long?”
“A while. I don’t know. I kind of blacked out.”
“Did you go anywhere else before you called?”
“No.”
“You used the phone in the master bedroom?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’d be a good half-hour that you ‘watched her,’ based on when you called. Could easily have been longer.
“I think we should talk, Sonny,” Branden said.
Sonny looked back at Branden and returned to his game. Branden watched with growing annoyance as the plane on the screen rocketed up. Sonny rolled the plane over, nosed it down, and let go of the joystick, ignoring the warnings about an imminent crash. The plane hit the ground and exploded, and Sonny sat for a long time with his back to Branden, watching the fireball on the screen. When he stood up, he went straight to a wooden box at the foot of his bed, took out a baseball and glove, and repeatedly snapped the ball into the pocket of the glove, saying, “They shouldn’t leave her bloody like that. When are they going to clean her up?”
Branden shrugged and watched the ball.
Sonny faced the wall next to the door, where Robertson had leaned casually back, and bounced the baseball onto the hardwood floor, against the wall, and back into his glove. He repeated this half a dozen times and then drew back and hurled the ball at Robertson’s head.
Robertson ducked the missile, and it bounced back and crashed into a plastic model airplane on a shelf on the other side of the bed.
“Not a good idea, Sonny!” Branden shot.
“I want out of this house!” Sonny shouted.
“Is he under arrest?” Branden asked Robertson.
“No.”
“Is there any reason he can’t leave?”
“I still need to talk to him,” Robertson said, eyes fixed on Sonny.
“I don’t want to talk anymore,” Sonny barked. “I’ve done nothing but talk all morning.”
“I have one or two questions yet,” Robertson said with forced restraint.
Sonny flopped back onto his bed and waved his arms in the air. “What is it?”
Robertson came forward into the bedroom and took off his suit coat. He folded it carefully and laid it over the back of a reading chair. He walked around the foot of the bed, found the baseball in a corner and dropped it into the glove on Sonny’s left hand. Around on the other side of the bed, the sheriff took a position standing next to the professor, and asked, “When you phoned 911 this morning, Sonny, who else was in the house?”
“I don’t know.”
“Was Bliss here?”
“I used the intercom to try to reach him. No. He didn’t answer.”
“Your sister?”
“I suppose so.”
“You didn’t check?”
“No.”
“Any particular reason?”
“What do you care?”
“You found your mother dead and didn’t check around for your sister?”
“I don’t like her Jenny.”
“You shared that sentiment with your mother, I understand.”
“I told all that to the officer.”
“He’s a captain.”
“If you say so.”
“Did you hear anything last night?”
“I take a pill.”
“But did you hear anything in the night?”
“I take sleeping pills and don’t wake up until five or six.”
“You didn’t call until 6:30.”
“I get headaches.”
“You get headaches, or you wake up with headaches?”
“Wake up with them. Usually by five.”
“How did you find your mother?”
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
“You’re in the habit of wandering into her bedroom at five in the morning?”
Sonny didn’t reply.
“Where did you find her?” Robertson pressed.
“I don’t know.”
“Sure you do.”
“In bed, I guess. She was dead.”
“How did you know she was dead?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did you touch her?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know?”
“I watched her, I guess.”
“You stood and watched her? How long?”
“A while. I don’t know. I kind of blacked out.”
“Did you go anywhere else before you called?”
“No.”
“You used the phone in the master bedroom?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’d be a good half-hour that you ‘watched her,’ based on when you called. Could easily have been longer.
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