That one word carried with it all the warning he needed as a reminder that he’d promised himself not to upset his wife. When this little meeting was over, he would accompany detective Saunders outside, and he would have his answers.
Holding out his hand, the shorter of the two introduced himself as Saunders. Jason didn’t bother to shake his hand. Rather, he looked down at the man with a menacing stare. When he was sure his look had registered, he broke eye contact and stepped aside to reveal his wife.
“Mrs. Kingdom, my name is detective Bonetti,” the taller of the detectives said. “The doctor assured us it would be okay if we asked you a few questions.”
As the detective moved closer to the bed, Jason folded his arms and widened his stance, his eyes following his every move.
“Yes, please go ahead,” Aviva confirmed.
Detective Bonetti started off asking innocuous questions about where she had been coming from, what time she had left her appointment and who she was meeting.
Jason remained quiet throughout this line of questioning as this was information he already knew. His interest, as well as the detective’s lay in how the accident actually happened.
“Mrs. Kingdom, please tell us what you remember about the accident.”
It seemed to Jason that Aviva hesitated before she began to speak. That she refused to look at him was an indication that his wife was fighting an internal battle.
“Are you okay, Angel?” Jason asked, his concern evident.
“I’m fine, Jason.” Taking a deep breath, Aviva finally looked over at the detectives and began her recollection of the event.
“It was an accident. I was driving along and something, an animal I think ran in front of me, I swerved to avoid it, and the next thing I knew I was heading for some trees. When I woke up, I was here. That’s all I remember,” Aviva finished with a slight shrug.
The detectives continued to ask more probing questions in an attempt to garner as much information as they could. When they began asking the same questions with a slight twist, Jason called a halt to the proceedings.
“That’s it detectives. My wife’s tired. If she remembers anything else, we’ll let you know.” Jason could see they wanted to protest but obviously thought better of it.
Giving Aviva a probing stare; he wanted her to know he was not happy with what she had just revealed to the detectives. Breaking eye contact with her, Jason walked to the door and held it open for the two men. Following them outside, he closed the door firmly behind him, ensuring a deliberate barrier between them and Aviva.
Knowing better than to go on the offensive, he chose his words with care. He wanted to find out as much as possible about what they knew. He was sure Aviva hadn’t told them the whole story. In fact, he was one hundred percent sure she had omitted much more than she had imparted. There was a reason for her omission, but that could wait. Right now, he intended to find out, what hard facts the detective had.
With his back to the door, Jason concealed his frustration towards the whole situation. He would ask his questions although he felt fairly sure answers were not going to be forthcoming. Jason knew if Saunders and his sidekick refused to answer his questions, he would find another way to get whatever information they held. The direct approach was just the most expedient, not the only route.
“What’s going on here?” For a split second, Jason wanted to pull back the abrupt question and start over. Then he realized, he didn’t care how he sounded. They could reveal what they knew or not, but by the end of the day he would know exactly what had gone down.
It had taken these men hours to notify him about Aviva’s accident, and he wasn’t about to cut them any slack. His soft approach in the room had been for Aviva’s benefit. A closed door now stood between them, and he had every intention of keeping it real.
“Sir, this is a police matter. All you need to know is that we will be speaking to your wife again. ”
Jason had done his best to ignore Saunders, but there was something about his demeanor that rankled.
“Why?” By now Jason was only holding on to his temper by a thread.
“Why, what?!” Saunders snapped.
Taking the time to look Saunders up and down, Jason realized the man had a problem with him. As he knew they had never met, the reason for his attitude eluded him. The detective’s animosity could be the fallout from their earlier conversation, but Jason sensed there was something else at play.