“I agree it’s best if you can share yourself with your partner. However, I don’t think it makes you a murderer if you don’t.”
“How very open-minded of you, Sheriff.” He scowled. “You know what? Italsodoesn’t make you a murderer just because you have an argument with someone right before they’re killed.”
Touché
“Of course not.”
“You’re treating me like I definitely killed Archie.”
“That’s not true. Maybe if you’d stop talking about Archie for a moment, I could get your side of the story. That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
His mouth thinned. “Sure, but I get the feeling you think my story is a work of fiction.”
I tapped my pen on the table as I studied Kobe. He wasn’t stupid. He’d got himself into trouble with drugs, but he wasn’t a dumb person. I could tell that he’d put a lot of thought into all the things he was saying about Archie. Maybe too much thought. Maybe he’d become obsessed with Archie. Maybe that obsession pushed him to kill the man he perceived as stealing his woman.
“The problem I have with you, Kobe, is that of all the people at the wedding, you openly hated Archie,” I said flatly.
“Yes.”
“You’re not even going to try to deny it?”
He sighed. “What’s the point? You know I hated him. But you think I hated him just because of jealousy. You think I lost my mind because he had Janelle and I didn’t.”
“All right, if not that, what was your other reason for hating him?”
He exhaled. “He wasusing Janelle for her money. He married her to get his hands on her family’s wealth.”
“Can you prove that?”
“Not from in here.”
“Well, until you convince me you couldn’t possibly have killed Archie, you’re not going anywhere. I still haven’t heard where you were from the time you snuck back to the reception until you ended up in the band’s van.”
He groaned and leaned his elbows on the table. “I swear, I didn’t kill Archie.”
“Then convince me of that.”
“How?” he demanded.
“I’m not sure. You keep talking about how Archie treated Janelle. How is it you knew so much about their life together? Were you stalking her?”
Scrunching at his face, he rasped, “Hell no.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes,” he snapped. “I know a lot about Janelle’s life with Archie because Janelle and I still talk. All the time.”
Surprised, I frowned. “Did Archie know?”
“I highly doubt it.”
“Why were you two still in contact with each other?”
“We care about each other.”
I squinted at him. “Archie implied you abused Janelle physically.”
A pink flush crept up Kobe’s face. “I fucked up. I can admit that. I’ve been going to counseling. I’ve accepted that I have anger issues, and I’ve been going to a therapist.” He kept his gaze on the table. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit a part of me hoped maybe I could get Janelle back. But then she told me she was going to marry Archie.”
