Free Acts of Malice by Perri O'Shaughnessy

disastrous. No vagueness here, no ambiguities, no grounds for misinterpretation that Nina could see, on this reading anyway.
    Beside her, Jim crumpled up the statement and flung it onto the ground.
    ‘‘Well,’’ Nina said, looking at it, making no move to pick it up, ‘‘she tells a compelling story.’’
    ‘‘This never happened. You have to believe me. Heidi’s the one who broke the bathroom mirror by accident a few weeks ago—I don’t remember the exact day—she was cleaning in there. She wove it into this story. That detail—it makes it sound so real. You don’t believe this, do you?’’
    ‘‘We have to find Heidi and get this straightened out.’’
    ‘‘No shit. What have I been telling you?’’
    Nina gave him a long look. ‘‘She’s trying to put you in jail. This kind of hate doesn’t come out of nowhere, Jim.’’
    ‘‘I love her,’’ Jim said. ‘‘I don’t care what she said. And she loves me. She’s confused is all. I—I’m sorry. I kept reading her note, and I couldn’t stand for anyone else to see it. It was too humiliating. I tore it up.’’
    ‘‘You
what
?’’ But something else even more important had struck her. ‘‘Wait a minute!’’ she said.
    ‘‘What?’’
    ‘‘What’s the matter with me? They can’t use this!’’ Nina said. ‘‘She’s your wife. She’s repeating statements you made in the course of a private conversation with her.’’
    ‘‘So?’’
    ‘‘Conversations between husbands and wives are privileged. Confidential. What do they think they’re doing?’’
    ‘‘Privileged? What do you mean?’’
    ‘‘I mean this is garbage, legally speaking. You have a right to keep your conversations out of court.’’
    Jim looked skeptical. ‘‘Really?’’ he said. ‘‘But she can still testify against me, can’t she?’’
    ‘‘Nope. Same privilege. She can’t testify about private conversations you had with her. I get it now. You talk about this, you try to explain it, you refute it or deny it or whatever, and Collier has an argument that you’ve waived the privilege. He must think I’m stupid.’’ Angry and relieved at the same time, she jumped up.
    ‘‘All right,’’ she said. She dug round in her purse. ‘‘Take my car keys. Go right now and get in the Bronco. I’ll be right back.’’
    ‘‘I thought you said— Don’t I have to go back in there?’’
    ‘‘Not anymore,’’ Nina said. ‘‘Not until I understand all this better. It’s too dangerous for you.’’
    His face sagged with relief. He took the keys and bit his lip, saying, ‘‘Okay.’’
    She returned to the conference room alone. Collier was waiting calmly in one of the beat-up chairs around the table, one ankle resting on the other knee, still drinking that godawful coffee. She noticed the ‘‘wanted’’ posters on the cheap wall paneling for the first time, full-face and profile shots of young, unshaven, but otherwise ordinary-looking men. It was like being in a suburb of the police station.
    ‘‘It’s not gonna happen, Collier. I can’t let you have him this afternoon,’’ she said, looking at the posters so she wouldn’t have to look at him.
    ‘‘What? Where is he?’’ Collier half rose.
    ‘‘Gone.’’
    ‘‘We’ll see about that.’’ He picked up the phone.
    ‘‘Think, Collier,’’ Nina said. ‘‘You’re not ready to arrest him yet, or you would have done it. He’s under suspicion, and he’s going to assert his right to remain silent. Heidi’s statement isn’t ever going to be seen by a judge or jury because he’s asserting the marital privilege starting now. What else have you got? Doc Clauson? He’s an embarrassment.’’ She leaned against the door frame and closed her eyes. A wave of faintness washed over her. They had been reprieved.
    ‘‘You tried to trick me,’’ she said more quietly. ‘‘It’s not like you.’’
    ‘‘I never said it was hard evidence. You asked for it, I gave