Now You See It... Part 27

Now You See h... 105

Ca.s.sandra stopped, wavering, and turned to face him

"My husband did it." she told him.

"Your husband-"

"-did it," she cut him off.

He stared at her as though devoid of comprehension.

"Did you hear me?" she demanded.

"Yes," he answered. "You said..."

His voice trailed off again as though he hadn't inkling- one regarding what she'd said.

Ca.s.sandra ground her teeth together. She did mat when she was furious.

"My-husband-murdered-his-agent/' she said slowly, s.p.a.c- ing each word evenly, enunciating clearly.

Plum's eyes narrowed. "You witnessed it?" he asked.

"Yes! Of course I did! Why else-"

Suddenly, she stopped and looked around the room.

"No, wait," she said. "He wouldn't do that. It wouldn't make sense."

The Sheriff was as nonplussed as I was, except mat he could verbalize it.

"What wouldn't make sense?" he asked.

Ca.s.sandra threw off momentary confusion with a willful scowl.

"I want you to arrest my husband," she told the Sheriff.

"I'll testify to what I saw."

The Sheriff's expression did not, in any way, reflect a bulb turning on.

"Which was what?" he asked. (Rustic idiot, I thought.)

"I just told you!" snapped Ca.s.sandra, teeth grinding again. "My husband murdered his agent. Poisoned him!"

"Poisoned?" said the newly startled Plum; dearly, he could only deal with one brief bit of information at a time.

"Yes," said Ca.s.sandra. "Yes. Yes. Arrest him and 111 tes- tify against him."

106 Richard Matheson

"Regarding what?" he asked as though trying very hard to get it straight in his brain. Who elected this dolt? I won- dered.

"You still don't understand?" Ca.s.sandra said, incredu- lous.

Her insulting tone made him bristle.

"I mean, regarding how it happened," he responded sharply. "Where it happened. When it happened. And if you have any notions about it, why it happened."

The demands, though scarcely a barrage of them, seemed too much for Ca.s.sandra now. Shaking her head fitfully, she returned to the bar, lifted a handful of cracked ice to her face and rubbed it over her forehead as though to chill alertness and perception into returning.

Plum and I observed. I didn't know what the worthy Sheriff was thinking, but as for me, I was trying hard to fathom why Max would commit murder (down to one now), then notify the law and have it show up at his house.

I had to a.s.sume mat it was done in a desire to pay for his crime.

Boy, was I wrong.

Done, Ca.s.sandra dumped me ice back into the bucket, blew warm breath on her palm, then turned to the Sheriff.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Apparently I'm still drugged."

"Drugged?" the Sheriff echoed, perplexity renewed.

She couldn't hold her tongue. (I wonder if I could have.) "Did you think I was taking a nap on the floor?" she asked.

"Now see here-" Sheriff Plum looked grievously of- fended.

"All right, I'm sorry," Ca.s.sandra said. "Forget it. I want you to arrest my husband for the murder of his agent."

"Where did this happen?" the Sheriff asked.

"m this room," Ca.s.sandra answered.

Now You See It.. 107

He gazed at her-much like a cow, it occurred to me- obviously waiting for elaboration.

She pointed across the room.

"My husband's agent was sitting on the floor there. I thought he'd been shot-"

She broke off, wincing. "No, forget that," she said, "it's not important."

"Not important?" Plum looked shocked.

"I'll explain it later," she responded tightly. "The point is that my husband's agent was sitting on the floor over there when I brought him a gla.s.s of Scotch."

"Wait a second," Plum objected. "You brought him a gla.s.s of Scotch? I thought you said-"

"I didn't know it was poisoned!" Ca.s.sandra cried. "Ob- viously, my husband had poisoned me Scotch! His agent was upset by what had happened-I'll explain it later!" She cut Hum off. "Anyway, his agent asked me for a gla.s.s of Scotch, so I gave it to him. 1 had no idea it was poisoned."