Ed glanced at Ralph as he crossed the sidewalk. "I'm sorry, old boy," he said, then got into the back of the car. Before (officer Nell closed the door, Ralph saw there was no handle on the inside of it.
"Okay," Leydecker said, turning to Ralph and holding out his hand.
"I'm sorry if I seemed a little brusque, Mr. Roberts, but sometimes these guys can be volatile. I especially worry about the ones who look sober, because you can never tell what they'll do. John Leydecker."
"I had Johnny as a student when I was teaching at the Community College," McGovern said. Now that Ed Deepneau was safely tucked away in the back of the cruiser, he sounded almost giddy with relief.
"Good student. Did an excellent term paper on the Children's Crusade."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ralph said, shaking Leydecker's hand. "And don't worry. No offense taken."
"You were insane to come up here and confront him, you know," Leydecker said cheerfully.
"I was pissed off. I'm still pissed off."
"I can understand that. And you got away with it-that's the important thing."
"No. Helen's the important thing. Helen and the baby."
"I can ride with that. Tell me what you and Mr. Deepneau talked about before we got up here, Mr. Roberts... or can I call you Ralph?"
"Ralph, please." He ran through his conversation with Ed, trying to keep it brief. McGovern, who had heard some of it but not all Of it, listened in round-eyed silence. Every time Ralph looked at him, he found himself wishing Bill had worn his Panama. He looked older without it. Almost ancient.
"Well, that certainly sounds pretty weird, doesn't it?" Leydecker remarked when Ralph had finished.
"What will happen? Will he go to jail? He shouldn't go to jail; he should be committed."
"Probably should be," Leydecker agreed, "but there's a lot of distance between should be and will be. He won't go to jail, and he isn't going to be carted off to Sunnyvale Sanitarium, either-that sort of thing only happens in old movies. The best we can hope for is some court-ordered therapy."
"But didn't Helen tell you"The lady didn't tell us anything, and we didn't try to question her in the store. She was in a lot of pain, both physical and emotional.
"Yes, Of course she was," Ralph said. "Stupid of me."
"She might corroborate your stuff later on... but she might not.
"You know.
Domestic-abuse victims have a way of turning hot to heel raumns, der the new Luckily, it doesn't really matter one way or the law. We got him nailed to the wall. You and the lady in the little store down the street can testify to Mrs. Deepneau's condition, and to who she said put her in that condition. I can testify to the fact that the victim's husband had blood on his hands. Best of all, he said the magic words: "Man, I just can't believe I hit her." I'd like You to come in-probably tomorrow morning, if that works for you-so I can take a complete statement from you, Ralph, but that's just filling in the blanks. Basically, this one's a done deal."
Leydecker took the toothpick out of his mouth, broke it, tossed it in the gutter, and produced his tube again. "Pick?"
"No thanks," Ralph said, smiling faintly trying to quit smoking, "Don't blame you. Lousy habit, but the thing about guys "which is an even worse that they're too goddam smart for their own good. If you get high side, hurt someone... and then they pull back. Like you did, Ralph-you can there soon enough after the blo almost see them standing there with their heads cocked, listening to the music and trying to get back on the beat."
"What was," Ralph said. "Exactly how it was."
"That's just how ite awhile-they appear "It's a trick the bright ones manage for qu to make remorseful, appalled by their own actions, determined amends. They're persuasive, they're charming, and it's often all but ath the sugar coating they're as nutty impossible to see that underneath is like Ted Bundy some. fruittcakes-Even extreme case as Christmas fru, look normal for years.
The good news is that there times manage it, In spite of all the psycholike Ted Bundy out there, there aren't many guys killer books and movies."
Ralph sighed deeply. "What a mess. ok on the bright side: we're gonna be able to keep "Yeah. But 10 her, at least for awhile, He'll be out by suppertime him away from on twenty-five dollars bail, but-" d.