The Naked Typist

happening. I need to establish that someone else had access to the gun. And more than just access, I’d like to establish that they would have known about it.”

“You want me to say I showed someone the gun?”

Steve took a breath, rubbed his head. “I don’t want you to say anything. I’m not asking for perjured testimony here. Frankly, it wouldn’t be worth a shit anyway. What I want are the facts. So stop trying to figure out what you want to say and what I want to hear, and just concentrate on the basic problem. Someone knew you had that gun and took it. Now, who could have done that?”

“Well, David.”

“Right,” Steve said. “But the suicide theory is out. So unless David took it and someone found it in his apartment and killed him with it, that doesn’t help us. In fact, it hurts us, ’cause the most likely person would still be Kelly. Now who else?”

Clay’s brow furrowed. He shook his head. “I don’t know. Anyone could have known, could have done it, but I simply don’t know.”

“Great,” Steve said. “Now when was the last time you saw the gun?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t remember. It’s been a long time. I hadn’t thought about it.”

“Well, think about it now.”

“I don’t know. I used it for cash transactions. They all sort of blend into each other. I can’t remember the last time. I had my own problems. I was distracted.”

“Right. With the embezzlement. Go on, think about the embezzlement.”

“What about it?”

“You got wind something was up, and you sent a memo to Milton Castleton.”

“Yeah.”

“And you faxed it.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Fine. Now from that point on, did you have reason to use your gun?”

He frowned. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?”

“As a matter of fact, no, I’m pretty sure not.”

“Why is that?”

“Because that was one of the things. That was worrying me, I mean. One of the reasons I wrote the memo. There seemed to be something funny with the figures and no one had asked me to make a deposit for a while. Which had me paranoid. I was afraid they might peg me.”

“You weren’t paranoid. They did.”

“Yeah.”

“But from the time you sent the memo, you don’t recall ever seeing the gun?”

“When you ask me like that, no, I guess I didn’t.”

“Okay. Good. Now let me ask you something else. When you weren’t using the gun, did you always leave it in your desk-”

“Yes.”

“Let me finish. Or did you ever leave it at home?”

“Oh.”

“Well, did you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, think about it. After you made a deposit-at night, after work-did you go back to the office to put the gun away or would you go straight home?”

“I’d go home.”

“So you’d take the gun home.”

“Yeah.”

“You bring it back the next morning?”

“Sure.”

“When you took off the gun at home, where would you leave it?”

“On my dresser.”

“On your dresser?”

“Or in the drawer.”

“Which was it?”

“Either. Both. It was no big deal, you know. I never thought about it.”

“You ever forget and leave the gun at home?”

“Not that I remember.”

“But you could have?”

“I could have, sure.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? Your sister cleaned out your room, packed your stuff for storage. If you left the gun home, that’s when she would have got it.”

“Then I’ll say I didn’t.”

“What?”

“If they ask me, if they put me on the stand, I’ll say I didn’t. I’ll say I never kept the gun at home.”

Steve frowned. “I told you, I’m not asking for perjury.”

“I know. You’re not asking nothing. I’m just telling you what I’m gonna say.”

Steve held up his hand. There was an edge in his voice. “Let me tell you again. I’m not interested in what you’re gonna say. I’m interested in the facts. Just between you and me, is it possible you left the gun at home?”

“Yeah, it’s possible. But I’ll never say that. I promise.”

“Thanks for your support,” Steve said dryly. “Okay. Now we got the gun. It could be at the office, it could be home, you’re not sure which. Am I right?”

“Yeah.”

“All right. Never mind now who you think you’re helping. Where do you think the gun was?”

“At the office.”

“That’s your best guess?”

“Yeah. It’s possible it was home, but I don’t think so. If you ask me, I think I left it at the office. If they ask me, I’ll swear I left it at the office.”

“Okay. Fine. But say you left it at home. Your roommate- what’s his name?”

“Jeff Bowers.”

“Okay. This Jeff Bowers-what about him?”

“What about him?”

“Could he have taken the gun?”

“Sure, but why the hell would he?”

“You tell me. What’s his connection with Castleton Industries?”

“None. He didn’t have any. He’s an actor.”

“Yeah, but they do job-jobs. Drive taxis. Wait tables. In between work.”

“Yeah. So?”

“Any of his job-jobs have anything to do with Castleton Industries?”

Clay’s eyes widened. “You trying to prove Jeff did it?”

“I’m not trying to prove anything,” Steve said. “I’m trying to raise an inference. If the prosecution raises the inference the gun was at home, I want to raise the inference that Jeff could have taken it. You know what that means, to raise an inference?”