Free The Advocate - 02 - The Advocate's Betrayal by Teresa Burrell Page B

left right away, she would’ve had to walk to her car and drive home. That would’ve put her there not much before eleven, even if she hurried.”
    “That’s right, and it would’ve been at least ten thirty-five p.m. before she left, because we talked for a few minutes after I checked the time. We offered to walk her to her car when we left, but she said she was staying a little longer.”
    “So, it must’ve been at least eleven p.m. before she got home and probably even longer.”
    “That’s true.” Sabre wrinkled her forehead. “That still gives her an hour and twenty-one minutes to kill him. What’s your point?”
    “I’m just trying to see if the time works. Do they think she decided to go gambling and then come home, walk in, and stab her husband because he snored too loud?”
    “Who knows what they think at this juncture, but you have a point. She couldn’t have killed him if he were awake. She’s a little, bitty thing and he’s a good size man…and strong. He weighs about one hundred and eighty pounds. He’s nearly six foot tall and he’s pretty muscular.” Sabre realized mid-sentence she was speaking as though he were still alive and changed her verb tense. “There’s no indication of a fight. He would’ve had to have been sleeping and she would’ve had to get him on the first stab. What are the chances of that?”
    “Not likely, but you’re right. He would’ve had to have been sleeping. So, she had a maximum of eighty-one minutes to have an argument with him, wait for him to go to bed, and then kill him while he was asleep. And that’s pushing the envelope of the time frame for his death.”
    “Can’t they pinpoint the time of death more closely?”
    “I think they can. We’ll have to ask JP. He’ll be able to clear some of this up for us, tell us how realistic it is.”
    “Perhaps Betty can shed some light on it, too. I’ll go see her after we talk to JP. He’s meeting us for lunch. We better get moving.”
    When they arrived at Pho’s Vietnamese restaurant in the strip mall across from Kearny High, JP was there waiting for them.
    “I’m glad you could join us for lunch,” Bob said.
    “Yeah, me too,” JP said, as he picked up his file from his trunk and followed them into the restaurant. “I’ve never eaten here. How’s the food?”
    “Good,” Bob said.
    “Bob says it’s good, but he really only knows number ‘one-twenty-four’ is good because he’s never tried anything else. But, yes, the food is good,” Sabre said as they walked in. Directly in front of the door sat a three-foot tall, gold-colored statue of a Buddha surrounded by fake yellow and white flowers and gifts of food. Sabre stopped for a second to admire the bright gold fish swimming in the aquarium just below the Buddha shrine before catching up to the guys. Once inside the main dining area they were seated at their usual table. In one corner of the rather long room was a karaoke machine playing American songs sung with heavy Asian accents.
    “JP, have you seen the police report?” Sabre asked, always getting right to the point.
    Before he could answer, Bob said, “Can we order before we start talking business?”
    JP said, “Yeah, let’s get some vittles into that cowgirl.”
    “Or we could just eat,” Bob said. Sabre laughed.
    “So, what’s the ‘one-twenty-four’?” JP asked.
    “It’s rice noodles with pork,” Bob answered.
    “Sounds good to me. That’s what I’ll have. This menu’s too long to read.”
    Their favorite waiter, a young, witty man, came to the table. “Hi, Binh,” Bob and Sabre said at almost the same time.
    “Hi, what you like to drink today?” he asked, carefully enunciating each word.
    “JP?” Bob asked.
    “Iced tea would be good.”
    “Just water for us,” Bob said.
    “Fine then, one iced tea and two Vietnamese Seven-Ups,” Binh said with a little smirk. “And Mr. Bob, you want number one-twenty-four, and you ma’am, what you like