Why Are You Asking Me That?

Mr. Dalton?"

"Yes Marge."

"There are two gentlemen her to see you."

"Do they have appointments?"

"No sir; they are policemen and they say they have to talk to you."

"Please send them in."

The door opened and two men came in and I stood to greet them. The two were Detective Owens and his partner Detective Franks. I indicated two chairs along the wall and then asked:

"What can I do for you gentlemen? I presume it has something to do with my ex-wife?"

"Ex-wife?"

"She isn't legally my ex-wife yet, but the divorce is in progress. In my mind however she is an ex and good riddance."

"You are right in that our visit has to do with Mrs. Dalton. We have received information that leads us to believe that you."

"Just hold it right there. This meeting is over. You can remain in the outer office until I can get my attorney down here."

Franks said 'We could just take you downtown and talk in an interrogation room."

"And I wouldn't say a fucking word until my attorney was present and then I might just refuse to say a fucking word at all. I understand you want to close this case and I know my hatred of the bitch makes me a person of interest as the saying goes, but I will not cooperate. I hope whoever did it gets clean away. Whoever it was has my undying gratitude for doing something to the bitch that I wished I'd had balls enough to do.

"Ball is in your court! Are you going to wait while I call my attorney, take me to jail and wait for my attorney or leave and make better use of your time?"

Franks said "I'm all for option two. I don't much like your attitude and taking you out of here in handcuffs in front of all the people in your office might make you a little more humble."

"I don't think that will be necessary John" Owens said, "We can wait to talk to Mr. Dalton." Then to me he said "Here is my card. Call your attorney, find out when he can be here and then call me and we will come back."

"Just wait in the outer office. Tell Marge if you would like coffee or a soft drink while you wait. My attorney's office is just two floors up and he or one of his associates can be right down."

They got up and moved to the outer office and as they went it suddenly occurred to me that I had just seen the "Good cop, bad cop" scenario in action.

I picked up the phone and called my attorney and when the receptionist put me through to him I told him the police were here to talk to me and from the way the talk seemed headed I felt that I needed his presence. John told me he would be right down and four minutes later he walked into the office.

I told him how the conversation had started, why I had cut it off and called him. He told me I'd been wise to do it and then I let Marge know she could send the detective back in.

Once they were back in the office I made the introductions and waited to see what would happen next. Detective Owens said:

"As I was saying before Mr. Dalton stopped things, we have received information that leads us to believe that Mr. Dalton may have had a hand in what happened to Mrs. Dalton."

Before I could say a word John said "Obviously this information is not totally credible or you would be here to arrest my client and not talk to him."

"That could still happen" Franks said.

"I realize it is in everyone's best interest to cooperate with the local authorities" I said, "But if that man" I said pointing at Franks, "Opens his mouth one more time with a sarcastic remark this interview is over and you can take me to jail and John here can start the false arrest suit against the city. Are we clear?"

"There, there now" John said, "Just cool things down a little here. Go on Detective."

"Mr. Dalton; do you know a William Neubert?"

"Slick Willie? I've known him for years."

"You admit to knowing him?"

"Of course I do. We grew up together. I've known him since we were eight years old."

"Are you aware that Mr. Neubert has ties to the Montoni family?"

Of course I know that. He was married to Maria Montoni until she died of cancer a few years back. I was the best man at his wedding. I've got ties to the Montoni family. I dated Angelica Montoni for a year and I still play golf with John Montoni four or five times a year and my wife is Alberto Montoni's niece. Now could we please get on with what you are here about? I've got a ton of work on my desk to plow through.

Then it hit me!

"Shit! I know what this is about. The Montoni's are reputed to have ties to organized crime. Willie is connected to the Montoni's. I was seen talking to Willie. Ergo, I must have somehow arranged for the Montoni's to use the underworld connections to cause what happened to Carmen."

I could see from the look that came over Frank's face that I'd scored a bullseye. Detective Owens said:

"I think you just ruined my partner's day. He thought for sure we might be onto something."

"Sorry to have burst your bubble Detective Franks. If you gentlemen have nothing else I have a ton of work I need to back to."

They got up and left and I asked John "Do you think they will drop me as a suspect or should I keep you on speed dial?"

"They are cops. Once they set their sights on you they don't tend to walk away until they are sure in their own minds that you didn't do it. I don't think they are done with you. Keep your phone handy."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The story that brought the police to my office had its beginnings when Billy Neubert's family moved into the house next door from ours. Billy and I ended up best friends.

In high school Billy got the screaming hots for Maria Montoni. Maria had no time for Billy since he wasn't one of the 'cool guys. He wasn't the quarterback on the football team, he didn't pitch on the baseball team, he didn't like basketball and had no urge to try and understand the game let alone play it. And most of all, Billy didn't have a car. At that point in his life he didn't even have a license. As a result of all the above Billy had to watch as the object of his desire spent all her time with those who, according to Bill, unworthy of her.

He tried to get to her, but never got her to say yes. He tried in the nineth, tenth and the eleventh grade and got nowhere, but in the twelfth grade a miracle happened. Billy finally got Maria to say yes. But it was a conditional yes. It wasn't Billy's charm or looks that got him that yes.

It was me.

And no, I did not go to Maria and talk her into giving Billy that date. It turned out that Maria's younger sister, who was a grade behind us had a crush on me. I'd seen her around and even though she was a great looking girl I had no interest in her. I was too busy chasing the great looking girls in my own class. And I'd had a fair bit of luck.

I'd lost my virginity to Pauline French three weeks before the senior prom and we went at it hot and heavy until she dropped me to go to the senior prom with Dick Moore. Billy's sister Nancy furthered my sexual education with a little help along the way from Carol Meis.

What got Billy his date with Maria was him talking me into going on a double date with him, Maria and her sister Angelica. I'd just broken up with Carol and was at loose ends so I agreed to do it as a favor to Billy.

Something 'clicked' between Maria and Billy and from that point on they were a steady couple. Angelica and I hit it off and we started keeping steady company also.

Billy and I graduated and moved on to State which was two hours away from our home town. I still dated Angelica, but I could tell she wasn't happy with me not being around on a daily basis so I wasn't surprised when I came

home one Friday and called her to see what she wanted to do that evening and she told me she already had a date for the night. I told her to have a good time and I hung up on her.

I called around and found out there was a party at Gene Ellsworth's place and since we were good friends I invited myself. Carol Meis was there without a date and we hooked up. I asked her out for dinner and a movie on Saturday, she said yes and the date ended up in room 114 at the Motel 6.

Sunday afternoon I got a phone call from Angelica. "You didn't call yesterday."

""Didn't see any need to."

"But you always call. We always date when you come home."

"Yes Angie; always. When I get home from school on Friday I call to see what you would like to do. Always. And we go out and have a good time. Always. Always except for last Friday. Last Friday I came home like always. I called you like always. I asked you what you would like to do like always. You catch where I'm going with this?"

There were a few seconds of silence and then "I'm sorry."

"So am I Angie; so am I" and I hung up. I didn't see her again until Billy's wedding.

In our third year at State Billy and Maria were still going strong. Perhaps too strong. I don't know which failed, her birth control or his condom, but Maria got pregnant. Billy told her to let her parents know and he would drop out of school and get a job so he could support her and his child. Maria wouldn't hear of it.

Billy didn't know it but Maria had a trust fund that she came into when she turned twenty-one which had happened one month earlier. She told him she would draw on it to keep him in school and to support them until they graduated and he could find a good job. When she told her parents her mother went into full planning mode to get it done before Maria started to show.

When Billy told me about the trust fund and how it was going to keep him in school I laughed and said:

"Aren't you some slick dude sliding into something like that."

Merle Foster overheard, laughed and said "Slick Willie? Has a kind of ring to it" and from then on to all his friends Billy was known as Slick Willie.

Billy asked me to be his best man and of course I said yes. At the rehearsal dinner I met Billy's cousin Carman and on my part it was love at first sight. Billy knowing me as well as he did saw the way I as looking at her and laughed.

"Best be careful bud; she'll chew you up and spit you out. Angelica is more your speed and she comes with a trust fund."

He was joking, but in hindsight I should have taken him seriously.

Carman was one of Maria's bridesmaids and I asked Carman if she had an escort for the festivities and she told me "Not yet." I volunteered my services.

"After all; I am the Best Man" and I put heavy emphasis on the "Best Man."

She gave me an appraising look and then accepted. Six months after graduation we were married.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We had been married for eight happy years. At least they were happy for me until I found out, quite by accident, that Carman apparently wasn't all that happy with what we had.

It happened at the downtown Hilton. I was there to have a working lunch with one of my company's customers. He just happened to be passing through town and there were some documents that needed his signature and my boss had asked me to meet him and get the papers signed.

As I entered the restaurant I met Tom Deerfield coming out. Tom was another of my company's customers. We stopped and exchanged hellos and he said:

"I'd love to stop and talk, but I need to hurry and get a room. My girlfriend is meting me here for a long lunch, if you catch my drift."

"Go. Have fun. I'll call you and we can have lunch next week."

I entered the restaurant and spotted Mark, the man I was there to meet, and I joined him at his table. My seat gave me a view of the lobby so I saw Carman when she came in and Joined Deerfield at the counter. She smiled and they kissed. I thought of jumping up and running out there to demand an explanation, but then thought "Fuck it" and stayed where I was.

From the way she greeted him it was obvious that this wasn't their first meeting. I'd just have to do a little digging to find out more about what my darling wife was up to.

When lunch and my business with John was over I made a visit to the offices of Ralph Peters. I'd known Ralph for years. He'd been the center and I'd been the right guard on our high school football team. Instead of college Ralph joined the local police force and was on track to becoming a detective until a drug bust went bad and he got shot in the leg. It shattered a bone and even after surgery he limped. He was medically retired and he decided to set himself up as a private investigator.

Six thousand dollars later (and that was with the Good Buddy discount) I had all I needed to know about my loving wife. I say loving wife because she still acted like one. Even with her two boyfriends she gave me a sex life that most other men could only dream of.

Two boyfriends? Yes indeed. Besides Deerfield she was seeing a guy named Wayne Abdon.

++++++++++++++++++

It was maybe a month, month and a half later I was busy at my desk with a bunch of contracts when Marge let me know I had a phone call from a Sgt. Reynolds on line three. I picked up the phone and found out my wife had been admitted to Wayne General Hospital. Reynolds told me she had been the victim of an attack.

"An attack? What kind of attack?"

"She was approached by an assailant who threw acid in her face."

More than that he didn't know.

I told Marge what was going on and then I headed for the hospital. When I checked in at the desk in the emergency room the woman behind the counter, after telling me that my wife was in one of the triage rooms and she had no other information at that time, she raised her hand a and waved it.

I wondered what the hell she was doing, but the answer to that walked up to me. Two men in suits that had seen better days came up to me and introduced themselves as Detectives Owens and Franks. Owens then asked me where I had been between twelve-thirty and one-thirty. I asked him why he would be asking me a question like that.

"Please just humor me and answer the question."

"I'm not in a humorous mood Detective. I've been informed my wife was attacked, the lady at the desk can't tell me anything and I'm in the mood for answers and not questions."

"Please Mr. Dalton; if you would just cooperate �" I interrupted him with "I'm in no damned mood to cooperate. I want to know what happened to my wife and I'm not going to answer any damned questions until I find out."

I was being a jackass and I knew it, but they were cops and I had a hardon for cops over two traffic tickets in the last two months. One for not coming to a complete dead stop at a stop sign. Three in the morning and no one in sight either to my right or left and the asshole wrote me up. Then two weeks later another asshole wrote me up for being three miles over the speed limit on Meadows Avenue. Three miles! Fuck a bunch of cops!

And it was not lost on me that their first words to me were "Where were you. That old me that to them I was a suspect.

"Cooperation is a two-way street. You tell me what is going on and I'll answer your questions. Owens looked at Franks and then back to me and then said:

"Somewhere around one-ten this afternoon someone walked up to your wife and threw acid in her face."

"One-ten? Carmen would have been at work at one ten."

"She apparently took a long lunch today."

"My next question is why would you think I would throw acid in my wife's face and don't bother trying to tell me you don't think it. You did ask me where I was at the time."

He gave me a long look and then said "Your wife was walking out of a room at the Motel 6 on Perry Street when someone walked up to her and threw a jar full of acid in her face."

"Are you going to make me drag it out of you?"

"She was leaving with a man and he also go a face full."

"Okay. Now I understand. My wife was cheating on me so I must have taken my revenge. Or at least I'm suspected of doing it. So, to answer your question. From twelve to one I had a business lunch with three of my customers and from one until I got the call about my wife I was in my office working on contracts. And yes, I have witnesses to both and I'll give you their names and numbers."

Which I did and then I left the hospital. Under the circumstances I saw no need to see Carman. When Carman came home from the hospital she found that I had moved out. I'd not talked to her or any of her family (except for Billy) since she left for work on the day of the attack.

I obtained a copy of the police report and using it as my proof I filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery. Mrs. Abdon may have already done so, but on the off chance she hadn't I sent a copy of the police report to her. Anonymously of course.

Carman has a very sexy looking body, but any man who wants to enjoy it will need a strong stomach to get past her face. The acid really did a number on it. Plastic surgery might help, but that costs money which is something Carman does have. And it is something she can't get from me thanks to a pre-nup she signed before we got married. And the really sweet part? It was something she insisted on. She was expecting to inherit a bundle from her father. Unfortunately, he was forced to file bankruptcy four years after we were married.

And Deerfield? Nothing of course. Abdon wasn't a customer whereas Deerfield is one of the company's best.