SHE OFFERED THEM COFFEE. They were overloaded with it. Nevertheless, accepted it. Jack couldn’t help looking at Mrs. Russell’s ass as she was in the kitchen. Alex gave him a pat on the thigh that meant: ‘behave.’ After taking the first sip of his cup, Alex put it down on a small, round glass table that was between them and Mrs. Russell, then he said,

“Who can you think of? Who, from your standpoint, could have murdered your husband?”

Mrs. Russell didn’t flinch. She was accustomed to that question.

“I don’t know, Detective Alex. My husband was a very smart, successful man. He was very well known in town for his philanthropic efforts. He loved to help people in need. He almost every day recalled his younger days, in which he had nothing, so he felt almost obliged to give back to those who were in the same position he was then. With this, I’m not saying he was a saint. Of course, he had a temper, and he could be ruthless when regarding his business. But if I’m honest, I never knew of any enemy. One that represented a real, dangerous threat, no.”

Alex had picked up his cup again, so when he was about to interrupt Mrs. Russell with a question, he had his mouth filled with coffee. She noticed and continued,

“Maybe it was an envious person, you know. Envy exists. Evil exists. He had everything in life. He was still young, I mean, for a businessman of his caliber, the early forties is super young. He had money, mansions, businesses, the respect of people. He was well known, even popular if you will. And he had me. I’m not going to be modest. I’d been winning beauty queen contests before having my first period. Who wouldn’t want me? Who wouldn’t want his life?”

“You’ve said something remarkable, Mrs. Russell. You just told me you didn’t know of any enemies who represented a real, dangerous threat to your husband, implying he had some enemies, although, before your eyes, not very dangerous ones. Can you elaborate on that? Who are they?”

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Mrs. Russell shook her head as if regretting what she had said. Maybe she was underestimating Detective Miller’s perspicacity. Detective Hudson had never been a problem for her.

“It’s nothing, you know,” she started. “Nothing. Uh, let’s say—some days he fired people, you know. And sometimes people didn’t liked it and they argued against it. Or maybe sometimes he forced rising companies to sell the majority of their actions to him, so he gained control over them. And then you’d hear rumors in the halls of the big companies’ buildings and five stars hotel lobbies. They’d talk shit about him and what a selfish prick he was. I heard them. My friends heard them. No one cared.” She shrugged.

Alex took a look at Jack. Jack looked back to Alex. They were wrecked. Alex began to understand why Hudson couldn’t make anything out of talking to this woman.

Alex was in a bad humor. He looked at his watch and it was fifteen past ten. Almost all morning was gone now and he was exactly in the same spot: without anything to sniff, nothing to track down. He stood up and was planning to say goodbye to Mrs. Russell when he heard a violent noise coming from one of the rooms.

What the fuck. I told you to put that beast in his cage!

Yes, it came from one of the rooms. It was a man’s voice. Russell immediately looked nervous.

“You didn’t tell me you weren’t alone, Mrs. Russell.”

“I didn’t have to,” she said, trying to regain composure.

Linda! I swear for God I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him today! As soon as I have my gun in my hands I’ll kill him.

The noise again. It sounded as if the man inside the room was throwing the drawers of a closet around. It was a violent event that was happening inside. Mrs. Russell shook her head, in a frustrated attitude.

Jack went for his gun. He took it out of his waistband. Alex made a sign to him with his open hand, telling him to calm down and wait.

Alex just stared at Mrs. Russell fixedly.

“Are you telling me who’s inside and what exactly is going on? Who is that man going to kill?”

Mrs. Russell covered her face with both hands, rubbing his cheeks violently, and then, after a violent yell of complaint, she gave in.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll show you.”