"That's what happened." Suskind folded his arms now. "It was self-defense. I have a right to defend myself."

"You have a right to break into private property, to dig around in it, to walk away from an injured woman who fell because you'd broken into her home while she was sleeping, to a.s.sault another and to kill a man? You're going to find out the law doesn't give you a single one of those rights, Suskind, and you'll have a long time to think about that in prison when you're serving a life sentence for first-degree murder."

"It was self-defense."

"Is that going to be your story for why you killed Lindsay Landon? Did she attack you, threaten you, so you had to bash in the back of her skull to defend yourself?"

"I didn't kill Lindsay! Landon killed her, and you cops let him get away with it. Money, family name, that's why she's dead and he's free, and he's lording it in a house that's rightfully mine."

Corbett glanced toward the two-way mirror, gave the faintest nod. Nearly sighed. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake, but a deal was a deal.

"How do you know Landon killed her?"

"Because he did. She was afraid of him."

"She told you she was afraid of her husband?"

"She was a wreck after he went at her in public that day. She said she didn't know what he might do. He'd threatened her, told her he'd make her sorry, make her pay. It's on record! I promised her I'd take care of her, take care of everything. She loved me. I loved her. Landon was already done with her, but when he found out about us, he couldn't stand that she was happy. He went over there, and he killed her, then he bought off the cops and walked."

"So Wolfe was paid off?"

"d.a.m.n right he was."

Corbett glanced around, nodded again when Eli walked in. "Eli Landon entering interview. Mr. Suskind, I think, again, we can save some time, get this all straightened out, if Mr. Landon's a part of this process. If you object to having him here, just say so and he's out."

"I've got plenty to say to him, here and now. You murdering b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"That was going to be my line. But let's talk." Eli took a seat at the table.

CHAPTER Thirty

"YOU DIDN'T WANT HER."

"No," Eli agreed, "I didn't, and I wanted her less when I found out she'd lied to me, cheated on me, used me. Did she know why you started the affair? Did she know you were using her to get information on me, on Bluff House, the family, the dowry?"

"I loved her."

"Maybe you did, but you didn't start sleeping with her out of love. You did it to screw with me, and to pump her for anything I might have told her about the dowry."

"I knew her. I understood her. You didn't even know who she was."

"G.o.d, you're right about that. No argument. I didn't know her, I didn't want her, I didn't love her. I didn't kill her."

"You went in that house, and when she told you to go to h.e.l.l, to get out, that she and I were going to be together, to get married, start our lives, you killed her."

"Tough marrying her when you already have a wife."

"I'd already told Eden I wanted a divorce, and when Lindsay told you we were both getting free, you couldn't stand it. You didn't want her, but you didn't want anyone else to have her."

"I thought your wife didn't know about you and Lindsay until after Lindsay's murder."

Suskind's hands balled on the table. "She didn't know about Lindsay."

"You just told your wife, the mother of your two kids, you wanted a divorce, and she didn't ask any questions?"

"It's none of your business what's between me and Eden."

"It's funny though. Lindsay and I sure weren't so civilized and reasonable when we were heading toward divorce. A lot of arguing, a lot of accusations and blame. I guess your wife's a better person, one who'd just step away, let you have what you wanted. Where were you going the night Lindsay died? Come on, Justin, she was packing, we'd had an ugly public fight, and she was upset. You were in love with her, and you'd already asked your wife for a divorce. Lindsay wasn't going out of town without you."

"It's none of your business where we were going."

"But when you went by to pick her up ..."

"It was too late! You'd killed her. The police were already there."

When he lunged up, Vinnie simply stepped over, put a hand on Suskind's shoulder and shoved him down again. "Keep your seat."

"Keep your hands off me! You're as guilty as he is. Every one of you. I couldn't even stop that night, couldn't even see her. I could only ask one of the neighbors standing out in the rain what was going on. And he told me there must've been some sort of a break-in and the woman who lived in the house was dead. She was dead, and you'd already started sliding out of it."

Saying nothing, Eli glanced at Corbett and tacitly pa.s.sed the ball.

"What you're saying now doesn't jibe with your previous statements to the police in the matter of Lindsay Landon's murder."

"I know how it works. Do you think I'm stupid? If I admitted to being anywhere near the house, the cops would've pinned it on me. He killed her." Suskind jabbed a finger toward Eli. "You know it, and you've got me in here for doing what I had a right to do. Do your job. Arrest him."

"If I'm going to do my job, I have to have it all straight. I need the facts. What time did you drive by the Landon house in the Back Bay?"

"About seven-fifteen."

"And after that?"

"I went straight home. I was half crazy, I couldn't think. Eden was making dinner, and she told me she'd just heard a bulletin that Lindsay had been killed. I broke down. What do you expect? I loved her. I was out of my mind, and Eden helped me calm down, helped me think it through. She was worried about me, about our kids, so she said she'd tell the police I'd been there, with her, since five-thirty, that we shouldn't have to go through the scandal and the pressure because of what Landon had done."

"She lied."

"She protected me and our family. I'd let her down, but she stood up for me. She knew I didn't kill Lindsay."

"Yes, she did," Eli agreed. "She knew you didn't kill Lindsay. And she knew I didn't kill Lindsay. She gave you an alibi, Justin, one the cops believed. And you gave her one that put her at home, with you, being the good wife, sharing some margaritas, cooking dinner for the two of you when she'd gone over to confront Lindsay, and Lindsay had let her in."

"That's a lie. A ridiculous, self-serving lie."

"And Lindsay probably said to her something along the lines of what she said to me the last time we spoke. That she was sorry, but that's the way it was. She loved you, and you were both ent.i.tled to be happy. So Eden grabbed the poker in a rage and killed her."

"She couldn't do that."