Serpent’s Tooth

“I’m fine, Rhonda.” Decker’s eyes fell on the duffel bag. “Impromptu vacation?”

“I’m getting outta here. At least until this thing blows over. Who the hell wants this kind of notoriety?”

A savvy point. Decker placed his mug on an upside-down trash container. “Is that okay?”

Rhonda laughed. “It’s a garbage can. I’m not exactly worried about coffee rings.” She looked him up and down. “You’re cute. Wanna fuck?”

“No, thank you.”

“I look like shit, huh?”

“You look fine, Rhonda.” Decker took out his notepad. “You know, the sooner we get started, the sooner I’m out of your hair.”

“You’re gonna ask me questions about Harlan?”

“Yep.”

“Why do you care? He’s dead.” Her eyes watered. “They’re all dead. I thought the only things that the pigs cared about were looking good on the witness stand and beating up minorities. You’re real big. I bet you’ve punched around more than your fair share of niggers.”

Decker said, “Me? I shuffle paper.”

“Bullshit,” Rhonda shot out. “You look defensive, cop. Betcha I hit a nerve. See, we all have pasts. So don’t you go judging me like I’m some freak because I hooked up with a nutcase.”

“I don’t think you’re a freak, Rhonda. Right now, I see you as a very vulnerable woman.”

“Where’d they teach you that? Cop Psych 101? You should stick to pounding the shit outta motorists.”

Decker was quiet.

She gave him a long hard stare. “You were there last night, weren’t you? At Estelle’s?”

“I was there the entire night.”

“I saw you on TV. You’re the one who said it looked like your worst nightmare.”

“Glad to be remembered as a sound bite.”

“You’re also in today’s paper—picture, quote, and all.” She glared at him. “You had tears in your eyes.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah, you did. Did they also teach you how to cry in Cop Psych 101? Or was it Cop Compassion 101?”

Decker offered a sad smile. “Wish I conformed to your hard-ass image. I’d sleep better at night.”

Again, her eyes moistened. She rubbed her cheeks, wiped away tears. “I’m real attracted to you. Sure you don’t want to fuck? Might put me in a gabby mood.”

“I’m going to have to pass.”

“You’re married?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t care.”

“But I do. Can we get started?”

“Why do you need to ask any questions if the case is solved?”

“Because there are still lots of unanswered questions—”

“Like why he did it?” She gulped her juice. “Hell if I know.” She cocked her hip. “I knew I had bad taste in men. But this …”

“You called yourself an ex-girlfriend.”

“This is true.”

“When did you two break up?”

“You mean, when did I kick him out? ’Bout four months ago.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Rhonda let out a bitter laugh. “’Cause I got sick of his running around. More than that, I just got sick of Harlan Manz. The man with the plans that never panned out.”

“He was an actor?”

“He was a jerk.”

Decker waited.

Rhonda sighed. “Harlan was a professional wannabe. Wannabe actor, wannabe model, wannabe tennis pro, wannabe stud, wannabe this, wannabe that. What he was … was a nothing.”

Decker said, “In his apartment, I saw film posters with his name on them.”

“Yeah, he was a card-carrying member of SAG. Showed it to you at every opportunity. Those films were shelved, never even made it to video … what is your rank again?”

“Lieutenant.”

“A big shot.”

“A legend in my own mind.”

Rhonda smiled briefly. “Harlan was …” She sighed. “He was a slacker … a loser with a good backhand. And that’s about it, bub.”

“A wannabe tennis pro.” Decker waited a beat. “So he had tennis ambitions?”

“Maybe. Guy had some talent but not good enough to be pro. He used to teach tennis at a country club—”