The Territory A Novel - By Tricia Fields Page 0,109
We’ve got the gun that shot Red Goff.”
Kenny’s stare had grown intense and the muscles along his jawline rigid. His thought process was either operating at warp speed or had slowed to a standstill. He stared at Josie as if trying to process the information while his attorney stared at Kenny, trying to process his response. Josie loved this part of an investigation: the end of the chess game, where the opponents locked down for the final move.
Kenny’s gaze was unflinching.
Josie went on. “I’ll share something with you that we haven’t made public yet. We found the bullet. Lodged into the pine tree outside your trailer. Near the picnic table.” She paused for a moment, sipped her cold coffee, and maintained her gaze. “You’ve surely watched enough TV to realize we can match that bullet to the gun. Just like a fingerprint.”
No response.
“Or maybe that bullet will match the gun you gave Pegasus. Maybe her fingerprints are all over the gun that killed Red Goff.”
Anger flashed on his face.
“Did I mention we found the guns in your sister’s trailer? They’ve been checked. One of those guns matches the bullet that killed Red Goff.”
Sweat dripped down the side of his temples as he leaned into the table. “She has nothing to do with this.”
“Careful now,” Givens said.
“Come on, Kenny. If the bullet comes from a gun in her trailer with her fingerprints all over the gun? Even if it’s registered to you, the jury wants a connection between the shooter and the weapon.”
“It’s my gun!” His hands gripped the handles, and Josie thought he might come up out of the chair. His eyes were wide and unfocused. “I shot the son of a bitch!”
“To get at his guns?”
Givens interrupted, “Mr. Winning, I would recommend you stop right now. We need to talk before you proceed.”
Kenny ignored the attorney. Josie had seen it happen before, as if the tension of maintaining a lie had been broken and the truth came rushing out like water.
“The son of a bitch was looking at her! I caught him looking at her through the window. She was walking around clueless, completely naked.” Kenny shut his eyes and slammed his back against his seat. “I walked up to him and put a gun to his forehead. He didn’t even flinch.”
“Did you shoot him then?”
“It was his own fault he got shot!”
Kenny leaned forward suddenly and grabbed a cigarette out of the pack, lit it, and inhaled deeply. He pitched the lighter on the table and ran his hand through his hair.
“I knew Pegasus got off work at seven that morning. I was going to surprise her with breakfast when she got home. She didn’t even know I was in town yet.”
“Was your trailer set up behind Red’s place at that point?” Josie asked.
He nodded, worry lines deeply etched into his forehead. “I set up the camper about a mile behind Red’s, where it couldn’t be seen. Nobody went out there. I knew Red was too lazy to walk back there. He was supposed to be so prepared, but I was living behind his house. The bastard didn’t even know it. I walked around the back of Red’s house and saw him sitting at my picnic table. It took me a minute to figure it out. It was a dark morning, overcast. It actually looked like it might rain. I thought he was sitting at the picnic table having breakfast. Maybe taking advantage of the break in the weather. Then I saw him with his camera. She was getting ready for a shower. She had the lights on inside.”
Kenny stopped talking and placed the heels of his hands into his eyes as if to stop the images. Givens frowned and looked at Josie as if the depravity in the world would never cease to amaze him.
“He stood up from the picnic table, held his camera up to his face, twisted that lens, slinking around the trees like some private dick. Not even eight o’clock in the morning! The guy was a sick bastard.”
“He didn’t notice you standing behind him?” Josie asked.
“He was oblivious. I put the gun to the back of his head. He never said a word, just lowered the camera. We stood there in silence and watched her walk into the bathroom and shut the door. She had the windows open, the curtains pulled back. I had to watch my own sister walk in front of the damn window with no clothes on. We watched the