| 8 Comforting Stranger |
| Mike moved across the room toward Peggy, she stepped nervously out of his way as he approached. He gazed down at her, sensing her uneasiness as he moved to the armchair and sat down. �There�s no need for you to be afraid of me, Peggy.� �I�m still not totally convinced of that.� She moved around the huge bed away from him. �I can see that. At least you�re prepared to hear me out. I appreciate that.� �Why are you here?� she asked, sitting on the bed. �It concerns the death of your husband, Rick.� She flashed him a glowering look. �How do you know his name?� �That�s what I want to explain.� Peggy folded her arms across her chest. �So, explain.� �Alright.� He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands between them. �You were going to tell me what happened, remember?� �Yes. So?� she asked in an agitated tone. �I already know what happened.� �How? Are you a detective?� �No, I told you what I do.� �Then, how can you know what happened to Rick?� �I read a report outlining the incident.� �If you read a report about his death, then you have to be associated with the police, right?� �I am associated with law enforcement in a sense, but, not the police.� �You�re not making any sense.� She stood up and paced back and forth beside her bed. �If you�re not a detective, why are you here?� She stopped and gave him a questioning look. �You�re not a journalist, are you?� �No.� �Then, I don�t understand.� She sat down again. �You will, I promise. Just bear with me, okay.� Peggy nodded dubiously. �Alright.� �It was approximately three weeks ago; on October 15th at 7:00 p.m. Rick was the last person to leave the office. He locked up and walked along the street in the direction his four-wheel drive was parked. He was seen just prior to the incident by several people, and he stopped to talk to Ed Jenkins for approximately five minutes before proceeding to his vehicle. At 7:10 p.m. he reached his car and moved out onto the roadway to unlock the driver�s door. It was then that an unknown vehicle sped along the street hitting your husband and catapulting his body 30 metres along the roadway, killing him instantly.� |