Long Shadows

Chapter 76

B​arry Davidson had been remanded into custody after his bail hearing. He had pleaded not guilty, he told Decker as the two men sat across from each other at the jail. Davidson had hired a lawyer but had agreed to speak with Decker without his attorney being present.

“My lawyer has a stellar reputation as an obnoxious son of a bitch,” said Davidson.

“I’m sure you had your pick, since there are a lot of those around. And we spoke to Tyler.”

“He came by to visit. He’s pissed I’m in here. He keeps bringing up the alibi. The judge didn’t seem to give a crap.”

“Alibis are for trials, not bail hearings.”

“And the judge said I had to stay in here until my trial. I got a business to run.”

“Piece of advice, Barry. You need to focus on this right here. Not your business. Not even Tyler right now. Because if this goes sideways, you lose both, for the rest of your life.”

“Shit, you think I don’t know that?”

“Not from your attitude, no.”

“Why are you here other than to bust my chops, Decker?”

“I was the one who told you to get a lawyer and not make a statement.”

“I told my guy that and he was surprised. He tried to turn it into you trying to trick me, but he couldn’t figure out how.”

“I’ll lay my cards on the table. I’m not convinced you killed your wife, but a lot of the evidence says otherwise. And juries and prosecutors could give a crap what I think. They just care about what the evidence says, okay?”

Davidson sat up straighter, his expression focused. “Yeah, okay, I get that. Sure.”

“Now, your alibi is not foolproof, because your son is supplying some of it. Your gun killed two people. You have a motive. You had means, and the prosecution will argue you also had opportunity. They’ll grill Tyler on every second of the alibi and he might not make it out the other end in one piece.”

“Does he really have to go through that?”

“Yes, unless you plan on changing your plea to guilty.”

“I told you I hadn’t held that gun in years.”

“But you were holding it in your ex-wife’s bedroom, so your prints are all over it. You also told me no one went into your condo who could have taken it. But you said Julia had a key to your condo.”

“Right, she did.”

“So anyone who had access to her house could have gotten that key, gone to your place, taken the gun, used it to kill two people, and then returned it. Are there cameras in the condo building or in the elevators? Do you have cameras in your condo?”

“No, they’ve got them in the garage, but that’s it. I don’t think people want to feel like they’re being watched all the time. I know I don’t.”

“I noted you don’t have a security system.”

“The building is very secure and it’s part of a gated community. Guests have to check in with the guard, and residents have an electronic tag on their car that activates the gate. And after hours you need a key card to get into the building.”

“And Julia had one of those, too?”

“Of course. But who could have taken the key and security card and gotten into my place and stolen the gun?”

“Anyone who was at your ex-wife’s house.”

“Julia was very outgoing. And when we were married, we had a great many people over for dinner and social events.”

“In fact, they could have made a copy of the key and taken or cloned the security card at any time,” mused Decker.

“Who would hate me that much?” asked Davidson.

“I’m not sure it’s a question of hate, but of convenience,” said Decker. “You make a very appealing patsy. You obviously were still in love with her. That’s motive enough. She lied about the reason Alan Draymont was at her home. She wouldn’t even let Dennis Langley come to her house. Why was that, Barry? The truth!”

“I’ve told you all I know.”

“No, you haven’t. I think you don’t want to say because it will be embarrassing for you. So you have to ask yourself: Do you want to be embarrassed, or do you want to spend the rest of your life in prison? It will probably come out at your trial, so you might as well get it out now.”

Davidson looked shaken by this blunt talk. He let out a breath and said, “She... she caught me watching her house.”

“So she knew you were stalking her? Did she feel threatened?”

“I would never have hurt her, Decker. I swear.”

“But that was probably why she did what she did. And she was having sex with Draymont, but it had the added benefit of him being an experienced security person. She might have felt protected.”

“Didn’t turn out too well for him, though, did it?” retorted Davidson.

“Keep talking like that, Barry, and they’ll convict your ass for sure.”

Davidson changed color and looked down. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“When she saw you that time, did you say anything that might have led her to fear for her safety?”

“I... I might have been a little drunk. And I might have said... some things.”

“So the answer to my question is yes. You know, the longer I sit here, the more I think you might have actually killed her.”

Davidson looked up, scowling. “Then get the hell out of here, Decker. I shouldn’t be talking to you anyway without my lawyer present.”

“You’re still the executor and trustee of your ex’s estate?”

“Yes,” he replied in a calmer tone. “But in light of everything, I’ve talked to Duncan Trotter about assigning those duties to someone else, maybe a bank.”

“Why?”

“It’s actually what Julia would have wanted. And if I get convicted, I can’t perform those duties for the estate. And it’s a large one. It needs professional management.”

“So you knew how rich your wife was?”

“She made no secret of it.”

Decker nodded and rose. “Okay.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Go talk to Dennis Langley.”

“You really think he might have killed Julia?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t think the guy cares enough about anyone else to commit murder. From what I’ve heard, he’s too self-absorbed.”

“You might be right about that. He’s getting married, by the way.”

“Really, to whom?”

“Gloria Chase.”

“Oh right, I heard they were an item.”

“What do you know about her?”

“Blew into the area about five years ago and took it by storm. She reminded me a little of a younger Julia, actually. Strong, independent, take-no-prisoners sort of mentality. And beautiful and brainy on top of it. Langley is a lucky guy.”

“Maybe luckier than she is.”

“How do you mean?”

“Only time will tell,” said Decker.