French Silk(107)

He asked, "Why'd you agree to lie about it, Josh?"

"I honestly didn't think it made any difference. Ariel was almost hysterical when she discovered his body. It was so, you know, bloody. I didn't think she could have had anything to do with the murder."

"What do you think now?"

Josh stopped pacing. Standing at the edge of Cassidy's desk, he faced him. "Now, I think she did."

Cassidy was afraid to swallow, to blink, afraid that the merest motion would shatter Joshua Wilde's fragile statement and it would disintegrate, that it would no longer be real. "What changed your mind?"

Josh was a man at war with himself. At least that's the impression he gave. He wiped his damp palms on his pants legs. "Contrary to what Ariel's saying to the media, she's unhappy about this pregnancy. In fact, she's livid over it. She plans to stage a miscarriage, which will serve a dual purpose—get rid of the baby and win more sympathizers."

Playing along, Cassidy registered shock. "She sounds like a monster."

"You don't know the half of it, Mr. Cassidy. She envisions herself a megastar, wielding influence over millions of people. You ought to hear the plans she has for the Prayer and Praise Hour. Outlandish stuff. For a start, she wants the pulpit to become a political forum for candidates who share her views on current issues. She's already extended invitations to several guest speakers. She's ambitious and shrewd, and determined not to let anything or anyone stand in her way. She's gone off the deep end, lost all touch with reality."

"Get back to the murder."

Josh resumed his seat. He linked his fingers between his knees and stared at them as he spoke. "My daddy was a tyrant. He played God over everybody, including Ariel and me. Especially Ariel and me. He teased her about her tendency to gain weight until she developed an eating disorder."

"The newspapers hinted that she'd been diagnosed bulimic, but it was never confirmed by the hospital staff in Kansas City."

"It's true. And this baby, she sees it as just another of Daddy's cruel jokes. See, it's like he's still got control over her. I think she knew she was pregnant long before that night she collapsed. I think she was furious with Daddy for forcing a child on her when she'd made it clear to him that she didn't want one. I think she killed him over it."

Cassidy decided to play devil's advocate by shooting holes in Josh's allegations, the way a defense attorney would shoot holes in a case no better corroborated than this. "It works in theory, Josh, but it's still circumstantial. Did you hear your father and Ariel arguing over this pregnancy?"

"No. I didn't know she was pregnant until the night she was rushed to the emergency room."

"Did you hear her threaten to kill your father?"

"No."

"Ever?"

"No. He wouldn't have tolerated that kind of talk."

"Does you stepmother own a gun?"

"No. At least not to my knowledge. But her brother is a convict."

Cassidy had uncovered that in his preliminary investigation. "According to prison records, Ariel hasn't had any contact with her brother for years, not even a postcard. I doubt he could have procured a weapon for her without somebody finding out."

Josh shrugged. "That was just a guess. She could have gotten a gun on the sly and disposed of it where it wouldn't be found."

"Maybe," Cassidy said noncommittally.

"Think of the wounds. A man gets a woman pregnant. She's furious with him for saddling her with an unwanted child. She shoots his balls off. Doesn't that make sense?"

Cassidy squinted one eye as though considering the viability of the hypothesis. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to tell you, Josh, it's shallow."

"I thought you'd be more excited," he said morosely.

"When she left your suite that night, was Ariel wearing shoes?"

"Shoes? No. She was barefoot, I think. She had taken off her shoes when we made love. I don't think she put them back on. Why?"

"We're still checking on some carpet fibers found in your father's bedroom." He paused for a moment. "Did either you or Ariel rent a car while you were here?"

"I did. I like having my own transportation."

"You drove around New Orleans?"

"Plenty. Every day. I rented a convertible and enjoyed driving with the top down."

That information could easily be checked out. "Did Ariel ever accompany you on these drives?"

"Once, I think. Twice maybe. Why?"

"Are you still sleeping with her?"

"No. Not for weeks now."

"What happened?"

Josh glanced up at him, then away. "I don't know. She got so carried away with being the leader of the ministry, there never seemed to be time. Or she'd be tired and cranky. Or I'd fuss at her about throwing up and she'd get mad. Now that I know about the baby…"

"What?"

"Well, I wouldn't feel right making love to her while she's carrying my stepbrother."

Cassidy leaned forward. "Do you see the irony in that, Josh? It was okay to screw your father's wife while he was alive, but now that he's dead and she's pregnant with his baby, you've gone squeamish."