WMC - First to Die

Chapter 107

I DECIDED TO TAKE A HUGE RISK. Iflblewit.it could knock the lid right off my case. I decided to run what I suspected by Jenks. I met him in the same visiting room. He was accompanied by his lawyer, Leff. He didn't want to meet, convinced there was no longer a point in talking with the police. And I didn't want to convey my true intent and end up feeding their defense arguments if I was wrong. Jenks seemed sullen, almost depressed. His cool and meticulous appearance had deteriorated into an edgy, unshaven mess. "What do you want now?" he sneered, barely meeting my eyes. "I want to know if you were able to come up with anyone who would like to see you in here," I said. "Pounding the lid on my coffin?" he said with a mirthless smile. "Let's just say, in the interest of doing my duty, I'm giving you one final chance to pry it back open." Jenks snorted skeptically. "Sherman tells me I'm about to be charged in Napa with two more murders. Isn't that great? If this is an offer of assistance, I think I'll take my chances on proving it myself." "I didn't come here to trap you, Mr. Jenks. I came to hear you out." Leff leaned over and whispered in his ear. He seemed to be encouraging Jenks to talk. The prisoner looked up with a disgusted glare. "Someone's ru

Chapter 108

SLOWLY, UNAVOIDABLY, I was starting to feel as if I were on the wrong airplane, heading to the wrong city. Against all logic, I was growing surer and surer that Nicholas Jenks might not be the killer. Oh, brother! I had to figure out what to do. Jenks in handcuffs was the lead picture in both Time and Newsweek. He was being arraigned in Napa for two additional murders the following day. Maybe I should just stay on the wrong plane, get out of town, never show my face in San Francisco again. I got the girls together. I took them through the mosaic that was starting to come clear: the acrimonious contest over the divorce, Joa