Apples Never Fall

“I just drove. Like I’ve told you. Many times.”

“You just drove.”

“I was upset.”

“What about?”

Ethan could see Stan’s frustration rising like boiling water, which was exactly what Christina wanted. She was slowly turning up the temperature.

“I was upset because I’d argued with my wife.”

“But you don’t remember what you argued about.”

He unfolded his arms once more and leaned toward her. He was a big man. “No, that’s not right. I never said that. I do remember what we argued about, but it’s personal. My marriage is private. It’s none of your business. It’s not relevant to your investigation.”

It took a certain type of man to say to a police detective: “It’s none of your business.”

Christina said, “If you’re worried about your wife, perhaps you could let us determine what’s relevant.”

Stan shrugged in the manner of his oldest son. Said nothing.

“So you came back and she was gone.”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t call anyone. You didn’t call a single one of your children. You didn’t call a single friend. You didn’t call her.”

He lifted his chin a fraction. “We’d argued. Like I told you. I knew she was angry with me. I assumed she’d gone to stay with someone—and that she’d be back the next day.”

“But she wasn’t.”

“No, she wasn’t,” said Stan.

“Was there any infidelity in your marriage?” she asked.

His nostrils flared. “No.”

Christina flipped a page in her notebook. For show. “It’s my understanding your youngest daughter once caught your wife with another man at a party.”

“That was a long time ago. Joy drank too much punch and kissed Dennis Christos. It was hardly a great love affair. Old mate is dead now anyway. According to my wife I killed him.” Stan frowned as he realized what he’d just said. “I didn’t literally kill him. He had a heart attack.” He sniffed. “He should never have kissed my wife either, by the by, but as I said, that was a lifetime ago.”

Grudges can last a lifetime, thought Ethan.

Stan jerked his chin at Christina’s notebook. “Did my daughter tell you that? About Joy kissing Dennis at the party?”

“Your former son-in-law, Grant Willis.”

His brow cleared. “Right. Well, that makes more sense.”

“You mean because your daughter wants to protect you?”

He said nothing.

Christina said, “I’m guessing all your children want to protect you.”

“I don’t need protection,” said Stan. “Because I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“The young woman who stayed with you last year,” said Christina. “I believe she was a former student’s younger sister. Your most famous student’s sister.”