Chapters 13/14--The Righteous Brother
13
Raymond accepted the piece of paper with Candy’s revised statement as if it might be radioactive, but didn’t even glance at the text, as if he already knew what it said.
“What the hell is this, Macklin? Your resignation?”
He laughed.
“I never was working for you, Raymond. Was I? Just covering your ass with the local power players.”
Raymond’s pale eyebrows rose, but he nodded.
“I could get you in trouble for investigating without a license.”
Mack waved away the half-assed threat.
“No money changed hands.”
“I thought I was doing you a favor,” Raymond said. “Give you something to do while you’re hanging around mooning after Karin.”
Mack pointed at the statement.
“The way you did Karin a favor? I know Candy wasn’t lying to me—so why were you?”
His cousin’s face went white as lard. He flipped the paper over as if that would hide its meaning. At that moment, Mack was as close to loving Raymond as he’d ever been, for trying to protect Karin.
“I was trying to do the right thing,” Raymond said. “All Candy saw was her standing there. Well before the fire started.”
“Right for whom? Those kids? The parents?”
“She couldn’t have started that fire. She doesn’t have it in her.” Raymond flushed. “She’s your wife, for god’s sake. Don’t you believe in looking out for your family?”
That explained why she wouldn’t talk to him about why she’d been at the IGA, even on the night she’d tried to seduce him. His heart dropped—he couldn’t keep this hidden.
“You only on the job to protect your family, Raymond? Or just the people who were born in South Barnham?”
“It’s not like that.”
“What is it like, then? You know her father was an electrical contractor. You think she was in there changing a fuse?”
“I interviewed her,” Raymond said. “She told me she was there, but that she didn’t do anything.” He shifted in his chair. “I didn’t think anyone would pick up on it. And once I wrote out Candy’s statement . . .”