Page 13 of Say Nothing
"I like her," Derek commented from the observation room.
"Yeah, me too," Alison agreed.
"And when was the last time you had any sort of contact with Margaret Donovan?"Samantha asked.
Franklin smiled and said, "I don't remember."
"You don't remember," Samantha said pleasantly.She reached down into her bag and pulled out a stack of documents, placing them on the table before her.She lifted the first one and placed it before Franklin."This first one is from two weeks ago.You can read it if you like, but the footnotes are that you called her a bunch of names."She took the second one and placed it before him."From a week before that.You talk about doing things to her that she might not like."She took another and added it to the growing stack in front of Franklin."This one is kind of sweet.You talk about your undying love and how she should give you another chance.Aww."
"We get the point," the lawyer said."It would help ifyoualso got to the point, Detective Moore."
"You wanted her back, Mr.Howard, and you threatened her," Samantha said."There are a lot of threats in those emails spanning a period of five years.Five years!That’s a lot of anger."
Franklin twisted his lip into an even bigger sneer but didn't say a word.
"Your ex-wife testified against your cousin," Samantha continued."I can see how you’d be angry at her.She wasn’t solely responsible for putting him behind bars, but she’s one of the main reasons he’s in jail.You were close with your cousin, weren’t you?"
Franklin held his sneer and shrugged.
"Is that why you killed her?"Samantha asked.
It looked like Franklin moved both slowly and quickly at the same time.The sneer remained on his face, and his eyes flickered from Samantha to her partner and the mirror to the side, while he leaned back a little and almost lost his balance in the chair.There was a moment when he caught himself, and his face turned from one of disdain to one of shock, and then he pushed himself forward and grabbed the table.
"Margaret’s dead?"he asked.
Alison watched him from behind the glass, able to study his every feature and movement without it being obvious.She almost lost her footing as her legs became like jelly beneath her.
"Oh, no," she whispered.
"What?"Derek asked.
"I think we have the wrong guy," Alison said."I don't think he killed her.The killer is still out there somewhere."
"Are you sure?"Derek asked.
"It’s either that or he’s a very good actor," Alison said."I’ve been watching him since we entered the room, and he’s been smug and over-confident.He wasn’t expecting to hear that, and when he did, his reaction was genuine.He’s genuinely shocked to hear his ex-wife is dead."
"Come on," Samantha said from inside the room."You expect us to believe you had nothing to do with her death?"
"She was murdered?"Franklin asked, sitting forward.For the first time since entering the room, he didn't have a sneer on his face.
"Why’d you kill her?"Samantha pushed.
"I’ll kill him."Franklin slammed his fist down on the table, startling Detective Roisin and the lawyer but not fazing Samantha.
"Who, Mr Howard?Who are you going to kill?"Samantha asked.
"You don't have to answer that question," the lawyer said.
Franklin ignored the advice from his lawyer."Whoever killed her.I’ll rip his head off."
"Where were you last night, Mr.Howard?"Samantha asked.
"I didn't kill her," Franklin growled.
"Where were you last night?"Samantha repeated.
"I didn't have anything to do with this," Franklin claimed.
