“A… s… s… simple question?” He spluttered. “Asking if my wife sleeps around is just a simple question to you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Mr. Raiden, I never said what the rumors were.”
He blinked at me, looking confused and furious. “Well… I…”
I leaned back in my chair. “Considering your response to my question, I’m going to have to say you have indeed heard some rumors.”
He raked a hand over his short hair, appearing muddled. “I don’t listen to rumors.”
“Okay.” I studied him. “I have an eyewitness account of your wife sneaking off with Archie during the reception. Does that surprise you?”
“There you go again, insinuating things,” he grated out.
“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m telling you what this witness says they saw. According to them, Archie and your wife went to the gazebo on the private patio next to the restaurant.”
He slammed his fist down on the table. “That’s a lie!”
I could tell from the way his gaze flickered, he knew it wasn’t. But he was a prideful man, and getting him to admit anything would not be easy. “Why would people make that up?”
His jaw was set stubbornly. “My wife did not cheat on me with Archie.”
I narrowed my eyes. “If you punched Archie, the ME will be able to identify you.”
He blinked at me, looking uneasy.
I pushed harder. “Every time we touch something, we leave DNA evidence. Surely you know that?”
Michael’s face hardened. “I’m not saying I did hit him, but if… if he did what you’re saying he did with my wife, who could blame me if I took a swing?”
Obviously, I wasn’t cool with him hitting Archie, but I decided being sympathetic to him might get me further than telling him that. “A lot of people might feel the way you do.”
He nodded, shifting in his seat. “Exactly. A… a man has to protect what’s his.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
“I’ve never been someone who let people walk all over me.”
No, you walk over them instead.
“Is that right?” I twisted my lips. “So, just how far were you willing to go to protect what was… yours, Mr. Raiden?”
“As far as it takes,” he rumbled but then seemed to catch himself. “I mean, within the law, that is.”
“Right.” I tapped the tip of my pen against the table. “So, let’s say… hypothetically… you punched Archie in anger.”
He waggled a finger at me. “I’m not officially admitting to that.”
My smile was tight. “Naturally.”
He harrumphed and settled back in his chair.
“As I was saying, after your altercation with Archie, where did he go?” I watched for any tics or telltale signs he was about to make something up.
His gaze flicked around the room, avoiding mine. “Well, he, uh… was angry, and he stormed off.”
“In what direction?”
He sniffed. “I assumed he’d go run to Janelle and whine about how mean I was, but surprisingly, he didn’t.”
