A Killing in China Basin - By Kirk Russell Page 0,89

I don’t want to go to a police station.’

‘There’s no way around that. You’re going to need to make a statement today about what happened this afternoon. You can follow me back.’

‘But I told them back there what happened.’

‘There’s more to it.’

‘I don’t want to be interrogated.’

‘No one is going to interrogate you, but you’re going to need to answer some questions.’

Raveneau turned on to the big lot above Lake Merced and drove toward her car. As he slowed to a stop, he asked, ‘Were you meeting Deborah Lafaye here?’

‘Who?’

‘Deborah Lafaye.’

‘Oh, her, no, and I didn’t even know she lives in San Francisco.’ She looked puzzled or tried to. ‘Why would she want to meet me?’

Raveneau took a chance now and said, ‘She told us she was going to make an additional payment to you.’

‘You’re kidding.’

‘There’s a path around the lake here. Why don’t we walk and talk a little before we go downtown and you get recorded on videotape? It might make you feel better to walk first.’

‘I’ve told you the truth. I came forward so I didn’t have to carry it around any more. I’ve told you the complete truth.’

‘I know you have. There are just loose ends.’

Steps led down to an asphalted path and they went left and followed the path across a wooden bridge over a finger of the lake. Along the shoreline below were tule reeds and stands of willow trees. The wind blowing in was clean and heavy with the coming rain and seemed to revive her. She got some color back and a little flash in her eyes and a smile.

‘I’m alive,’ she said. ‘I’m lucky.’

‘Yeah, I think you’re very lucky and it’s over with Cody. He won’t ever come after you again.’

‘His legs were all twisted around.’

‘His back is broken. He may not make it, Erin.’

‘If you want the truth, it all still makes me feel sad.’

‘Because way back when you could never have imagined this?’

‘That’s right.’ She bit her lower lip. ‘It’s such a mess. He wanted me to talk to him and I started to. I told him the truth about everything, where I hid and why. I was lying on the floor of the back of the van and not even really afraid, though I felt certain his plan was to eventually kill me. He told me he had to kill Inspector Whitacre. Why would he have to kill him?’

‘I don’t know. I do know he didn’t follow you here. His van was here when you pulled in. I was behind you.

‘Think about that as we drive to the Hall of Justice, OK. We need all the loose ends and I think everyone appreciates what you’ve done in coming forward.’

They walked back up to the cars and she followed him to Bryant Street. He put his pass on her dashboard so she wouldn’t get towed out of the red zone out front, and upstairs la Rosa was waiting. In the interview room she recounted it just as Raveneau had seen it and filled in many more details about the conversation with Stoltz. Then Raveneau took the conversation back to Stoltz finding her.

‘Did he say anything at all about how he knew to be at Lake Merced?’

‘Didn’t we already talk about this?’

‘Yeah, and you’ve got to forgive me on this. Sometimes I’m going to repeat myself and I know it’s exasperating and annoying, but you’ve got to roll with it. Did he mention Deborah Lafaye?’

She pursed her lips, seemed to be trying to remember, and said, ‘A woman jumped or was pushed off his boat last night. I think he said it was her. He said she was dead, that she drowned.’

‘She didn’t drown, Erin. She swam to shore. We talked with her this afternoon.’

Now they waited. When the wait got awkward la Rosa stood and said, ‘I’m going to get another tea. Would you like one, Erin?’

They did the tea thing and Quinn stalled; Raveneau brought her back to the question.

‘Who were you meeting?’

She answered oddly, saying, ‘I know every inch of Cody’s boat. When we were having our affair we would meet at the dock because the boat was safe. It took a key to get through the dock gate and the boat had a bed, and sometimes we’d go out on the bay. I can picture the gold colored paneling, the dark wood of the wheel and the white and blue paint like it was yesterday.’

So they touched on the relationship with Cody again, and then revisited