Chapter 65
DEL RIO CROSSED the room and held up his right hand, put his left on the Bible. He swore to tell the truth, and it was a safe bet he would.
But was it a smart bet? That, I didn’t know.
I was emotionally raw, still reeling from dragging into court brave, dead men who had many times over earned the right to rest in peace. I was furious about Lewis’s attack on Del Rio, and now the ADA had badgered Rick into testifying for himself against Caine’s advice.
Del Rio looked like the man he was: rough-hewn, volatile. Maybe the jurors would also see my friend, a man who was so loyal, he stayed to say good-bye to the dead.
Caine approached Del Rio, said, “Mr. Del Rio, were you in love with Vicky Carmody?”
“No. I was not.”
“How did you feel about her?”
“She was a nice girl. I mean, woman. She was a nice woman. She was very sweet.”
“How long were the two of you involved?”
“I don’t really know to the day or anything. But most it could be was six months.”
“Was Ms. Carmody in love with you?”
“Nah. She liked me, but she was ready to get married and have babies, and I’m the wrong guy for that.”
“So did she break off the relationship?”
“Yeah. You don’t hurt a girl like Vicky. I might have let her see enough of my rough side that she would make the decision.”
“So you weren’t angry with her?”
“Not at all.”
“On June fourteenth, the night in question, did you go to Ms. Carmody’s house?”
“Yes. I did.”
“And tell the court what happened.”
“I came over. I parked in her driveway. I saw the UPS guy across the street, so I waved to him.”
Rick smirked. I wished he hadn’t done that.
“Then what happened?”
“I think Vicky waved to him too. Then she let me in the house.”
“Please go on.”
“She made tea. I got a beer from her fridge. We had some uncomfortable small talk, and I gave her back her camera. Then I kissed her cheek on the way out the door. I told her to take care. She said, ‘You too.’
“I drove home. I went into my house and took a six-pack into the living room and I watched a ball game. I woke up on the couch and it was about two. I went to bed. Next day, I went to work.”
“Did you ever get into a fight with Vicky?”
“No. Well, I may have done a little shouting. Where I come from, shouting is like belching. It doesn’t mean anything. But I never hit her. I never threatened to hit her. I never would. I’ve never hit a woman in my life.”
I thought Rick’s testimony had gone pretty well, but now Caine had to turn the witness over to the other side.
I had a very sick feeling thinking about that.