find anything.'
'Was he all right with the questions?' I asked. I still needed to
talk to Johnson about the polygraph request.
'Actually, he seemed pretty thrown off by the whole thing. He was sort
of out of it in general, though. I guess no one wants to think about
something like that happening to their wife. Anyway, when I found out
the condom wasn't his, I was thinking sex offense. But it fits with
what Chuck and Mike got, too. Maybe the vie was using condoms on the
side with Caffrey.'
'Doesn't mean Caffrey did it, though,' I said. 'It would just explain
the spermicide.'
We were stuck again.
As we broke up, Chuck tried to get my attention. I raised a finger in
his direction as I ran to catch Johnson alone.
'Griffith got a call today from Susan Kerr,' I said. He looked at me
but didn't say anything. 'Did one of you ask Townsend Easterbrook to
take a polygraph last night?'
The look on his face said So that's what this is about. 'Yes. As a
matter of fact, I did.'
'I thought we were going to talk before you did anything on that.'
'You weren't there, Sam. Am I supposed to stop everything and call you
before I make any kind of decision on one of my investigations?'
I ignored the rhetorical question because, like most rhetorical
questions, it was stupid. 'If this was just another procedure, why
didn't you mention it to me this morning?'
'If you want me to say I'm sorry so you can tell your boss you did what
you needed to, then I'll do it, Sam. I know how your thing works over
there at the courthouse. But the guy had just gotten the news and was
being cooperative; the moment was right to ask him to help us eliminate
him. If I turn that into a DA decision and I mean any DA it gets
political and never would've happened. No offense against you
personally, but I just needed to do it.'
'So you admit you intentionally went behind my back.' I'd nearly
gotten killed going out on a limb on one of Johnson's cases. I
couldn't help but sound indignant.
He closed his eyes and shook his head. 'No, it wasn't like that.'
My stare must have told him I wasn't buying it.
'OK,' he said. 'Maybe I could have brought it up with you at the crime
scene yesterday. But I could tell when we were riding up to Kerr's
house that the subject made you nervous, so I decided to play it by
ear. Honestly, last night at the house, it seemed like the right move
to make.'
'Well, it wasn't,' I said. 'From everything I've heard, this guy's on
the verge of losing it. I don't need you pushing him over the edge by
asking for a poly the minute after he learns his wife was murdered. And
don't tell me you would've done it with another DA, because that's
bullshit and we both know it.'
He bit his lower lip and avoided my gaze. Maybe we didn't know each
other as well as we'd assumed.
I finally broke the silence. 'What's your problem with the guy anyway?
If he didn't do it and I don't think any of us really thinks he did how
could you put him through that?'
'It's not about suspecting him, Kincaid, it's about doing the
investigation right. He was being so cooperative, I thought, if I
asked, he'd say Sure, let's do it right now, whatever I can do to help.
As it turned out, that's not how it went, so it probably wasn't worth
getting you so fired up.'
'He won't take it?' I asked. I had assumed from the conversation with
Duncan that Townsend was put off by the request but would nevertheless
humor the police.
'I overstated that.'
'What exactly did he say?'
'The question seemed to catch him off guard not like he was threatened
by it, but more like his feelings were hurt. You saw how out of it he
was that first night at the house. It was the same thing. Then he
finally said he didn't see a problem but would let me know today.'
'And what did he say today?' I asked.
'Nothing. I had to call him about the nonoxynol. He didn't mention
the poly, and I held off on pressing him. See, now that really
would've pissed you off.'
'Don't push it, Ray.'
'Look, I'm sorry I went around you, but I know what it's all about with
