'Any time, little lady.'
She glared at him but did not respond. 'Please state your full name and address.'
'Sheee… you know my name and address.'
'Just do it, Jim,' Rainey said.
'James Wayne Darby. RFD Three, Sandytown.'
'How long have you lived at that address?'
'Uh, eight years. My daddy left it to me.'
'Age?'
'Twenty-nine.' He laughed and then said, 'Just kiddin'. I'm thirty-eight and holding.'
'Are you married?'
'I was. My wife is dead.'
'Was your wife Ramona Smith Darby?'
That's right.'
'How long were you married?'
'Ten years.'
'Did you graduate from high school, Mr Darby?'
'Yep.'
'Did you attend college?'
'Yes, I did, on a baseball scholarship.'
'And did you graduate from college?'
'No. Got my leg broke in a car wreck when I was starting my third year. Couldn't play ball anymore and lost my scholarship, so I had to drop out.'
'Then what did you do?'
'Went to work on my daddy's farm.'
'Were you married at the time?'
'Yes. Ramona and I married just after I dropped out.'
'That's when you went to live at RFD Three, Sandytown?'
'Right. My daddy's farm. He built a garage apartment for us.'
'Do you have any children?'
'No.'
'Is your father still living?'
'He got a stroke four years ago.'
'And died?'
'Yeah, he died.'
'How about your mother?'
'She died when I was in college. Cancer.'
'I will ask you if you will now agree to a polygraph test.'
'Objection,' Rainey said. 'We've been over this. I've advised my client against the polygraph. It's not admissible in court and there's no advantage whatsoever to Mr Darby taking a polygraph since it cannot benefit him in any way. And let's not make an issue of this with the press, okay, Martin?'
'I assume that's a 'no',' Parver said.
'That's right, little lady, it's a no,' said Darby.
Vail leaned across the table, but Parver moved a foot over his and stopped him. She stared straight at Darby and said, 'Mr Darby, I'm nobody's little lady, especially yours. Now you agreed to this interrogation. We can do this quickly or we can spend the day here. It's up to you.'
Darby's face turned a deep shade of vermilion. He started to get up, but Rainey put a hand on his arm and nodded towards his chair. Darby sneered, then shrugged, sat back down, and fell quiet.
Parver took a diagram out of the folder and laid it before him. It showed the first floor of the Darby farmhouse. The front door lead from a wide porch into a small entrance hall. An archway opened on the left
