Straw Men by Martin J Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

Dagnolo’s stalking scenario is fantasy?”
    Padgett shrugged. “Miss Kennedy raised some valid points. The mayhem at the crime scene in some ways obscured the fact that this was an extremely organized attack.”
    â€œWhich, from a psychological perspective, rules out DellaVecchio.”
    â€œNot necessarily,” Padgett said. “He’s not as dumb as he looks—bright enough, I think, to understand the idea of revenge. I think that’s the story here.”
    Christensen stared. “You’ve got another book contract, don’t you, Burke?”
    Padgett cackled. “Haven’t pitched it to my agent, but now that you mention it…” The little man stroked his beard as if contemplating the possibilities, then laughed out loud. “Kidding! Really!”
    Christensen shook his head. “Tell me your revenge theory.”
    â€œOK, it’s like this.” The man actually rubbed his little hands together. “I didn’t see it at first, but I started thinking about it as the case went along. The one thing no one ever questioned here was DellaVecchio’s capacity for sexual infatuation. You know the history there.”
    Christensen nodded. “The harassment cases. A possible attempted rape.”
    â€œExactly. But nothing on the order of this, violence-wise. Those were basically gropings, right? Your boy acting like a dog in heat, humping-on-the-bus stuff. True, it was escalating, and that’s not unusual. But this attack was a leap. Damned vicious stuff. So I’m saying there was some other component here that pushed him further.
Something
that made this woman different than the others.”
    Christensen was lost. “Burke, they’d never even met. Why would he want revenge on someone he’d never met?”
    Padgett smiled, having arrived finally at the crux of it. “Not her,” he said. “Her husband.”
    â€œDavid?”
    â€œYes, David. David Harnett. He got little mention at the trial, but I’ve done a little homework. Did you know that all three times DellaVecchio was arrested before this, David Harnett was involved?”
    Christensen feigned a yawn. “Old news. Brenna looked into it and didn’t even think it was worth bringing up. Didn’t fly then or now. Yes, David Harnett was involved in those arrests, either directly or peripherally. So what? He worked sex crimes at the time. The idea that DellaVecchio attacked Harnett’s wife as a payback is a big stretch. Ludicrous, even.”
    Padgett wouldn’t be denied. “Explains a lot, Jim. This was more than just a sex fantasy. The violence was just too over-the-top. The crime scene, the wine bottle rape, that reads like punishment, pure and simple. Trying to kill her wasn’t enough. This guy wanted to humiliate her.”
    Padgett sat back, inviting a response.
    â€œExcellent work, inspector,” Christensen said. “But you’re forgetting one annoying little detail.”
    â€œThe DNA.”
    â€œRight. DellaVecchio didn’t do it. Somebody else did and then set him up.”
    Padgett dismissed the idea with an elfin wave. “You could argue that, Jim, but whether he did or didn’t almost doesn’t matter. What I’m saying is DellaVecchio is
capable
of that kind of violence. I think he’s capable of worse. That’s all I’m saying. This guy’s a constant threat to anybody who gets too close.”
    â€œSo, it’s OK to lock away somebody who’s
capable
of a crime? Isn’t prison supposed to be for people who make bad moral choices? You said yourself DellaVecchio’s not capable of that. You said—”
    â€œLook, I’ll just say this flat-out: Somebody else is gonna get hurt. That’s my concern.”
    Christensen studied Padgett’s face, wondering where this was going.
    â€œBased on what I know—” Padgett weighed his words for a moment. “Based