Page 163 of Passions in Death
“Playing house with another woman? None of that, none is who she is. Erin twisted something in her. Oh, she could be charismatic, no question. Exciting, adventurous. It was a fling, one that went too far, but a fling. It would never have lasted, so I had no reason to kill Erin.”
“You did it for yourself.” Eve sat back as she studied him. “It embarrassed you. It diminished you. And yeah, enraged you. Because you’re a small, petty, stupid man.”
“I’m a man!” He shouted it. “And you know nothing. Yes, their relationship embarrassed me. For Shauna. She was making a fool of herself. I actually said that to Becca once, and what did she say? She laughed, and said, ‘A fool for love.’
“Women are so predictable. Love is the reason, the excuse, the fall guy for everything.”
“You detested Erin.”
“What if I did! She was ruining Shauna’s future. She demeaned my past. We had something special, Shauna and I. Yes, we were young, but we had something special. We were something special, and what she was doing with Erin, what she intended to do with Erin despite all sense, demeaned what we had and what we were.”
“You were never going to give Shauna back that jewelry.”
“So what? So the fuck what? I gave it to her with an open heart. I took it back because she didn’t deserve to have it.”
“Because of Erin.”
“Yes, because of fucking Erin. Maybe I’m not as sorry as you think I should be that she’s dead. But I didn’t kill her. And you have nothing, absolutely nothing, to say I did.”
“Actually, we have this one thing. Because you’re a stupid man, Greg. A stupid man who thinks he’s smart. A small-minded, stupid man who believes he’s special. You’re not special. You’re pitifully ordinary.”
“Fuck you. You have nothing.”
“Well, we’ve got this.” Eve reached in the evidence box, pulled out the piano wire. “Something else you should’ve ditched.”
His face paled, then reddened again. “I’ve never seen that before.”
“We found it in your drawer, Greg.”
“Then you put it there. You’ve probably planted evidence countless times, cheating to get where you are so you can strut around with your stunner and your ridiculous diamond and harass innocent people.”
“Every minute of the search is on record, and the recording is also in evidence.”
“Then Becca must have put it there.”
“Whoa.” On a quick laugh, Eve sat back. “You’re going to throw the woman you intend to marry under the maxibus.” Eve shook her head. “Yeah, you’re pitifully ordinary.”
“And talk about predictable,” Peabody added.
“Plus, more stupid.” She tapped the package. “The name of the shop where you bought it’s right here. And you weren’t even smart enough to pay cash or go too far out of your own neighborhood to buy it. Then you fucking kept it. It took one goddamn ’link call to verify you bought it.
“What’s below idiot, Peabody?”
“I think moron.”
“That’s you, Greg. You’re a moron. Tell us, why do you have piano wire in your drawer when you don’t own a piano?”
A light sweat sheened that all-American face. This time when he fussed with his tie, he loosened the knot.
“It’s not against the law.”
“Jesus, do you honestly think we can’t match this to the wound you put on Erin Albright’s throat? What’s below a moron?”
“Maybe imbecile.”
“He’s getting there. A garrote’s a mean way to kill, but she deserved it. So you bought the wire, and you looked up how to make a garrote. EDD’s had time to go through your e’s by now. Why don’t you tag them up, Peabody, so we can close this out?”
“Stop it! Stop it! None of that proves anything.”
