“I’m sure it was very hard,” Decker replied quietly.
She suddenly gazed hard at him. “Wait a minute. Oh my God, that happened to you. Your family. I remember now. It was all over the news.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Decker. “Your husband’s wallet and wristwatch were missing. And a gold ring with encrusted diamonds he wore.”
She nodded. “I gave that ring to him. For what turned out to be hislastbirthday,” she added coldly.
“Anything else you can remember that might help me?”
“I don’t want to help you,” she said candidly. “Because Meryl Hawkins killed my husband. We were going to have a family. We were going places. We talked about moving to Chicago. I mean, a place like Burlington can only take you so far.”
“Then why are you still here?” asked Decker just as bluntly.
“I…My husband is buried here.”
Decker’s features softened. “I can understand that.”
She stood. “I really need to get going, so if there’s nothing else?”
Decker rose from his chair. “Thank you for your time.”
“I’m not going to wish you luck. And I’m glad that Hawkins is dead.”
“One more question. Can you tell me where you were between eleven and midnight on the night Meryl Hawkins was murdered?”
She blanched. “Do you really believe I had anything to do with his murder?”
“I don’t know. It’s why I’m asking. But if you have an alibi, it would be good to get it out there. The police are going to ask you for one.”
“Why?”
“Because he was back in town and you believe he killed your husband. If it makes you feel any better, we asked Susan Richards the same thing.”
“And didshehave an alibi?”
Decker didn’t answer.
“When was it again?” she asked, evidently upset.
He told her.
She stood there rocking back and forth. “I’ll have to check my schedule and see what I can find. I’m so busy I have a hard time remembering what I was doing an hour ago.”
As he headed to the door, she called out after him.
“Why are you really doing this?”
He turned back, his hand on the doorknob. “There’re enough guilty people in the world without us making an innocent person one.”
“Do you really think Hawkins was innocent?” she said skeptically.
“That’s what I’m going to find out.”
“You sound confident. But it’s been a long time. Memories fade.”
“I don’t have that problem,” said Decker.