weird guilt trip she's got going.' She rolled onto her side and ran a hand along his chest. 'It's probably why I'm so goddamned needy.'
'But you're a grown woman,' he said. 'Why do you put up with it? Why not just leave her out of your life?'
Ronnie heaved a shaky sigh. 'Because she's my mother, Hutch, and Christopher's grandmother. She's probably the best thing that ever happened to that boy. And believe it or not, I still love her.'
They put them in separate rooms. Waverly went with Ronnie and Detective Charlie Mack, while Meyer decided to tackle the interview with Hutch.
Meyer kept him waiting in an unoccupied office cubicle with a barren desk and three straight-backed chairs. After what seemed an eternity, the door opened and Meyer came in with another guy in a suit, this one sporting an Arizona tan.
'Mr. Hutchinson, this is Deputy Gerard Thomas of the Sedona Sheriff's homicide division and he'll be joining us for this interview. It's my understanding that you've waived your right to counsel?'
'I've got nothing to hide,' Hutch said.
The two cops exchanged a glance as they scraped chairs back and sat. Meyer took a digital recorder from his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of Hutch. But he didn't turn it on.
'Before we start,' he said, 'I just wanted to tell you I've watched several episodes of Code Two-Seven on Netflix. Pretty good show, even if it's mostly bullshit.'
'Most of them are,' Hutch said, wondering if this was an attempt to soften him up.
'You still making money off it? Residuals, they call 'em?'
'I'm not sure that's any of your business.'
Meyer held up his hands. 'You're right, you're right. Just a friendly question. But I figured a guy who has time to sit in court all day, must be making money somehow. It's not like you have much of a career left.'
So much for the softening part.
'Are we gonna start this interview? Or is this part of it?'
Meyer smiled and reached for the recorder, flicking it on.
A tiny red light shone.
'All right, let's make this official. This is Detective Jason Meyer of the Chicago Police Department, along with Deputy Gerard Thomas of the Sedona Sheriff's Department, interviewing witness Ethan Hutchinson. Are you here of your own free will, Mr. Hutchinson?'
'More or less,' Hutch said.
'You've waived representation, and your answers to these questions are not coerced in any way, is that correct?'
'Yes.'
'Thank you,' Meyer said. 'Can you tell us what you know about Daniel Tillman of Sedona, Arizona?'
'He was the ex-husband of a friend of mine and the father of her child.'
'Is that friend Veronica Baldacci?'
'Yes,' Hutch said.
'And are you aware that Mr. Tillman was found dead in his home last night under questionable circumstances?'
'It's my understanding that he shot himself.'
'And how did you come by that understanding?'
'It was on the news last night.'
'And when did you first become aware of Mr. Tillman's death?'
'On the news last night.'
'You're sure about that?'
Hutch frowned. 'Yes, I'm sure.'
Meyer and Thomas exchanged another glance.
'Mr. Hutchinson,' Meyer said, 'is it true that you're helping finance the defense in the matter of State vs. Veronica Baldacci?'
'I'm not sure that's any of your business, either.'
'All right. What about the nature of your relationship with the defendant?'
'What about it?'
'How would you characterize it?'
'Like I told you,' Hutch said, 'we're friends.'
'But isn't it true that she moved out of her previous residence and is living with you at an apartment here in Chicago?'
So much for keeping
'Along with her mother and son, yes. But only for the duration of the trial.'
'Sounds like more than friends to me,' Meyer said, then glanced at Thomas. 'What do you think, Deputy?'
Thomas spoke in a soft baritone. 'I'm the fish out of water, here, but I tend to agree.'
Meyer grinned at Hutch. 'Not that I blame you-she's a nice little piece of furniture. But I gotta ask you this. How can you live with the woman who's about to be-'
'Don't call her that again,' Hutch said, feeling his chest tighten.
'Call her what?'
'A piece of furniture.'
Meyer assessed him for several seconds, then said, 'I can see this is making you uncomfortable, Mr. Hutchinson, so let's change course a little. How many years have you worked in Hollywood?'
'Why is that relevant?'
'Humor us.'
Hutch choked out a laugh. 'Okay,' he said. 'Close to ten years. Do you want a list of my credits, too?'
'I don't imagine it's all that long, but I'm sure I can get it on IMDB, should I ever care. What I'm interested to know is this: in the course of your work over the years, have you come in contact with a lot of experts?'
'Experts?'
'You know,' Meyer said, 'like stunt men, fight choreographers, weapons handlers, security consultants, guys like that.'
'Sure,' Hutch told him. 'I do a lot of action stuff.'
'They're pretty tough guys, huh?'
'Some of the toughest.'
'But everyone knows,' Meyer said, 'how difficult it is to make a living in the movie business. You think any of these tough guys you've met do work on the side?'
Hutch was no dummy. He saw exactly where this was headed.
'I'm sure they do,' he said. 'But not the kind of work you're suggesting.'
'And what kind of work is that?'
Hutch sighed. 'Come on, Detective, if you want accuse me of something, just come out and say it.'
Meyer grinned again, leaning toward Hutch. 'Nobody's accusing anyone of anything, Ethan. We're just asking questions. But if you're trying to tell us something, we'll be all too happy to listen.'
'Are we done yet? Because this is getting ridiculous.'
Meyer leaned back again. 'You're right, you're right-the stunt man thing is probably a stretch. But what about drug dealers? You've got a pretty well-documented history of narcotics abuse. I'll bet you've met some shady characters in your time.'
Hutch bristled. 'I'm ten months sober and you're way out of line.'
'Am I? We're cops, Ethan, and part of our job is to look at the world from several different angles. And when somebody gets dead, we have to consider the circumstances surrounding that death. Was it violent? Did he have enemies? Is the trajectory of the bullet in his skull off just enough to suggest it may not have been suicide?'
'Are you saying Ronnie's ex was murdered?'
'Maybe, maybe not. You tell me.'
