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I took the 22 East, then headed south on the 55 and exited on Seventeenth Street Rick Horton lived in an upscale neighborhood in the city of Tustin, about tenthe Yahoo driving directions until I pulled up in front of a two-story Gothic revival A house fit for a vaular arches, to its cast-iron roof crestings, froles, to its multiple stacked chi and haunted-looking as any house in Orange County It was set well back from the road on a corner lot, surrounded by a massive ivy-covered brick and mortar fence The fence was topped with the kind of iron spikes that would have made Vlad the Impaler proud The entire house was co stone
I used the call box by the front gate A ave hiator and that I would like to speak to Rick Horton There was a ate clicked open I pushed it open all the way and followed a red brick path through a neat St Augustine lawn All in all, this brooding and romantic Victorian-era home seemed a little out of place in Tustin, California
Just as I stepped up onto the entry porch, the door swung open A sh the open door "Please come in," he said "I&039;m Rick Horton"
I did and foundstairway The ceiling was vaulted and there werethe day, perfect for a sluh an arched doorway and into a drawing roo roole drawing in the place Instead, it was covered in landscape oils I was asked to sit on a dusty Chippendale camelback sofa, which I did The sofa faced a three-sided bay ith dialass Theoverlooked the front lawn and awater She easily had double-D breasts, which were probably a distinct disadvantage for real mermaids Just outside thethree classic fluted Doric columns supported a wide veranda
He sat opposite me in a leather chair-and-a-half, which was perfect for cuddling I wasn&039;t in the cuddling old studs in each ear He seeold studs Call reen-plaid paja top and bottom He had the air of a recluse Maybe he was a fa
"Do you have a license I can see?" he asked As he spoke, he looked a bit confused and out of sorts, blinking rapidly as if I were shining a high-powered light into his eyes
I held out my license and he studied it briefly I hated the picture I looked deathly ill: face white, hair back, cheeks sallow I looked like a va that day seemed to have evaporated with the camera&039;s flash The picture was also a little blurry, the lines of my face amorphous
He sat back "So what can I do for you, Ms Moon?"
It was actually Mrs, but you choose your battles "I&039;"
"Oh? Who was shot?"
"My client; shot five tie Not even a facial twitch "And I think you shot him, Mr Horton"
That was a conversation killer So along the e the heavy silence
"You come into my house and accuse me of murder?" he said
"Attempted murder," I said "My client did not die, which is hoas able to hire me in the first place"
"Who&039;s your client?"
His attehable His heart just didn&039;t seesley Fulcrum," I said
"Yes, of course, the defense attorney It was on the news Watched hi I wished he had died But I didn&039;t shoot him"
I analyzed his every word and mannerism on both a conscious and subconscious level I waited for that psychic-soives e over mere mortals, that clarity of truth that tells ly, I got nothing; just the fuzziness of uncertainty His words had the ring of truth And yet he still felt dirty tohere
"Did you hire sosley?" I asked
"Maybe I should have an attorney present"
"I&039;m not a cop"
"Maybe you&039;re wired"
"I&039;ed and sat back "I can&039;t express to you how happy I was to see that son-of-a-bitch get what he deserved Trust me, if I had shot him I would be proud to say I had But, alas, I cannot claim credit for what I didn&039;t do"
"Did you hire someone to kill him, Mr Horton?"
"If I had, would I tell you?"
"Most likely not, but never hurts to ask Sometimes a reaction to a question speaks volumes" More than he realized
"Fine To answer your question: I did not hire sosley Fulcrum"
"Where were you on the day he was shot?"
"What day was it?"
I told him
"I was here, as usual My father left me a sizable inheritance I don&039;t work Mostly I read and watch TV I&039;etter"
"You have no alibi?"
"None"