In the Clearing by Robert Dugoni Read Free Book Online

rehearsed, and intended to further her anticipated self-defense argument.
    “You’re willing to talk to us today with your lawyer present?” Kins asked Angela Collins.
    She nodded.
    “You have to answer audibly,” Berkshire said.
    “Yes,” she said, touching her lip as if it hurt to talk.
    “And you understand that this conversation is being videotaped and recorded?” Kins asked.
    “Yes.”
    “And, again, you agree to us recording what is said?”
    “Yes.”
    Kins was being cautious, even more surprised Berkshire would allow them to record the interview.
    “All right,” Kins said. “Whenever you’re ready.”
    Angela Collins took a deep breath, grimaced, and exhaled. “Tim came to the house to pick up Connor. He was upset.”
    “Tim was upset, or Connor was upset?” Kins was pretty sure she meant Tim, but he wanted to get her in the routine of answering his questions and prevent her from providing a soliloquy.
    “Tim was upset, but Connor was also upset.”
    “Why was Connor upset?”
    “He didn’t like going to his father’s apartment.”
    “Why not?”
    “Tim was hard on Connor. He was always on him about something.”
    Kins made a mental note to pursue that line of inquiry. Could the kid have snapped from persistent abuse? “What was your husband upset about when he came to the house?”
    “He was upset that my attorney had asked for an increase in support.” She slurred the last word and again paused to touch her lip. “He said he didn’t have any more money to give me. He said I was already taking more than seventy percent of what he was clearing after taxes. He accused me of hoarding money.”
    “According to the terms of a negotiated restraining order, your husband wasn’t supposed to go into the house,” Kins said, expecting Berkshire to object that Angela was there only to provide a statement. Berkshire, however, had his head down, taking notes on a pad.
    “That’s right.”
    “You let him in anyway?”
    “No.” She shook her head. “Connor opened the door, and Tim forced his way in.”
    “Did Tim hit Connor?”
    “Yes, but not then.”
    “What happened next?”
    “Tim became verbally abusive. He said I was spending money on worthless things. That’s when he picked up the sculpture and began shaking it. He said it was a waste of money. I told him to put it down.”
    “Where was Connor when this was going on?”
    “I’d sent him to his room at the back of the house and told him to shut the door.”
    “Then what?”
    “The argument escalated. Tim got more and more worked up. I told him I was calling 911. That’s when he hit me with the sculpture.”
    She said it matter-of-factly, like someone reciting lines but showing no real emotion. “Where did he hit you?”
    Angela Collins touched the wound on the left side of her head.
    “How many times did he hit you with the sculpture?”
    “Just once. That’s all it took to knock me down.”
    “Then what happened?”
    “He kicked me in the stomach and started yelling at me.”
    “How many times did he kick you?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Then what?”
    “He dropped the sculpture and shouted for Connor that they were leaving, but Connor wouldn’t come out of his room. He’d locked himself in. Tim went back there and started pounding on the door, telling Connor if he didn’t open it, he’d break it down.”
    Kins was wondering how Collins could recollect such details if she’d been hit in the head hard enough to cause a wound that would require three stitches. “And Connor opened the door?” he asked.
    Angela Collins nodded. “Tim told him to get his stuff, that they were leaving, but by now Connor didn’t want to go with him. He told him no, and that’s when Tim hit him.”
    “You saw it?”
    “No, but I heard it. Tim has hit Connor before. He slapped him hard across the face. It sounded like a bullwhip.”
    Angela Collins started to shake, and Atticus Berkshire placed a comforting hand on her back. Kins