Free Lemons 02 A Touch of Danger by Grant Fieldgrove Page A

it would never be enough. Every single person in America just KNEW I did it and nothing could convince them otherwise.
    “It’s funny, isn’t it, Mr. Lemons?”
    “What is?”
    “The fact that so many guilty people get to walk free because they are celebrities or sports stars or some shit, all the while I know I am innocent, yet here I am, with a life sentence and OJ is out playing golf and doing whatever the hell he does. Just doesn’t seem fair.”
    “I know, Ms. Ricks, that guy is guiltier than shit. And, I used to love that show Fall Guy. Did you ever watch it? ‘
    Blank stare.
    “Lee Majors as Colt Seavers…No?”
    Blank stare from Ricks with the added bonus of a look of utter bewilderment and stupidity from Elise. I cleared my throat. “Is there anything else you can tell us about the case?”
    “What do you want to know?”
    I looked her over and tried to think of something to ask. Truth is, I honestly didn’t know what I was hoping to find here. I studied her appearance and body language. She looked beaten down and broken. At one time, she would have passed for a semi-attractive woman who probably wouldn’t have had a hard time finding a good man. It seems unfortunate that she decided on Brad Jackson. It proved to be her greatest mistake and pretty much cost her her life.
    She had only been in prison a little over four years, but her face had a ragged look to it that would suggest a lot longer. Times were probably not very pleasant for her in here, especially if there were any Brad Jackson fans currently in lock-up.
    Her eyes were dark and gave the impression of being dead and she had a few small wrinkles at the ends of both of them. I learned those were called crow’s feet, and I also learned (the hard way!) that you should never point them out to women. I glanced over the rest of her body while I still thought of something to ask. I noticed her fingers were bent in an odd position.
    “Ms. Ricks, may I ask what is wrong with your hands?”
    “I have bad arthritis in both of them. Had it for years, nothing can really fix it. It’s a pain in the ass.”
    “Did you have this arthritis during the period of the murder?” I asked.
    “Yes, and long before, actually. This was one thing my shitty defense actually brought up. How could I hold a knife and stab a woman with my fucked up hands? It wasn’t much help, though. I had no problem holding their little prop knife, so that actually backfired on me and made things even worse for me.”
    “Hmmm.” I thought for a while before proceeding. “So, you admit to stalking Mr. Jackson, and having fantasies about his wife being gone and you two being together, but you do not admit to murdering him, correct?”
    “Yes, Mr. Apples. That is quite correct. I have never hurt anyone before and I certainly didn’t kill that woman. I thought it about, sure, but I would never have acted out on it. I’m sure everyone has had thoughts of murder before, a boss or an enemy, it doesn’t mean you would actually follow up on it.”
    Apples?
    “Ms. Ricks,” Elise said. “Where were you on the night of the murder, if you don’t mind me asking?”
    “That’s another thing,” she answered. “I was at his house for a while, and then went home, with no witnesses and no alibi. Like I said, I’m not proud of what I did to that man, and I know based purely on my story I look guilty as sin, but I know for a fact that I didn’t kill her, which means whoever did is out there walking around.”
    “Why were you at his house that night?”
    “Same reason I was there all the time. Just to see him. Catch a glimpse of him. I was breaking my restraining order, I knew it, but I didn’t care. At one point, I even got out of the car and snuck up to a front window and peeked in. I saw the wife alive and well and absolutely no sign of Brad, so I left. I know that I was not seen by anyone! If that housekeeper says she saw me then she is either lying or mistaken. I was out of the car