The Amazing Harvey by Don Passman Read Free Book Online

under another name?”
    â€œYou sound like the cops.”
    â€œGood.”
    I made a sweeping flat-hand gesture with both hands, like the umpires use when someone’s safe on base, and shook my head in an absolutely not. “I don’t know her. I mean, I didn’t know her. Whatever you’re supposed to say.” I started biting my cuticle.
    The phone rang. Hannah got up and flipped the toggle switch to silence it.
    She sat, recrossed her legs, and tightened her lips. “Harvey, I have to ask you some uncomfortable questions.”
    I put my hands under my thighs to keep them away from my teeth and cleared my throat. “Okay…”
    â€œI’m sorry to do this. It’s necessary.”
    I nodded.
    Hannah spoke while looking down at the pad. “Do you have any criminal history?”
    I laughed. She didn’t.
    I said, “No. Nothing but a DUI in Virginia.”
    â€œThe cops mentioned that. What happened?”
    â€œI was in college at the University of Virginia. A bunch of us got drunk after finals. The group decided I was the least drunk, so they elected me to drive home. Accepting that honor wasn’t one of my better decisions.”
    â€œBad piece of luck. Virginia is one of the few states that takes DNA for any arrest. Most jurisdictions only take DNA from felons.”
    â€œGreat. On top of that, they used a needle to take my blood, and I get really freaked out by needles.”
    Hannah looked up. “I’m not crazy about shots myself.”
    I felt my pulse quicken from the talk about needles. “Yeah. I was really sick when I was a kid. I had to have a lot of injections.”
    She went back to looking at her yellow pad. “You have any substance-abuse issues?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œLiquor?”
    I took my hands out from under my thighs and grabbed the chair arms. “Maybe I’ve been seriously drunk five times in my life, counting that time in college. I don’t even like booze.”
    â€œDrugs?”
    â€œWhy are you pushing this?”
    â€œI’m not making any judgments. We can’t afford to be surprised.”
    â€œNo drugs. No sex. Just some rock and roll now and then.”
    She put down her pen. “This isn’t a joke. The cops are focused on you. They’re building a case.”
    I realized I was gripping the chair arms so tightly that my knuckles were blanching. I let go. “Sorry. That’s just my way of, you know, dealing with stress.”
    â€œWhere were you the night Sherry was killed?”
    â€œAt the Magic Castle. With David Hu. Remember him from high school?”
    â€œWho?”
    It was so tempting to get into a “Who’s on First?” routine. “Skinny Asian kid who was on the debate team. Remember?”
    She stuck the pen sideways in her mouth and spoke through her teeth. “Sort of. He’ll vouch you were there all night?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œGive me his information.”
    I gave her David’s phone number and e-mail. She wrote it down, then flipped back through the yellow pad. Hannah played with a strand of her hair while she studied what she’d written.
    I said, “I made a mistake, talking to the cops, huh?”
    Hannah looked at me. “In a word, yes.”
    Ouch. I felt my shoulders slump.
    She said, “It’s history at this point. Just don’t talk to them again. They’re allowed to say anything to trip you up. They can even lie, to trick you into saying something, and what you say is still admissible against you. So don’t fall for their BS. And don’t miss any chances to shut up.”
    â€œOkay.”
    Hannah turned her yellow pad facedown on her lap. “We need to hire a private detective to work on your case.”
    I jumped up from my chair. “That means you’re in?”
    She blew out a sigh. “I suppose.”
    I jumped out of my chair. “Thank you, thank