The Time Remaining

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79 13 “I told you that we’ll continue to investigate, Mr. Gilchrist.” The detective that Gilchrist is speaking to is holding a small pad on which he has already made a number of notes. He has identified himself as Martin J. Cobb, placing particular emphasis on the J as if there is another detective in the department with the same first and last name and with whom he does not want to be confused. Gilchrist notices that Cobb’s hair is cut short enough to bristle, and he has the square-faced jaw of a fullback or a linebacker. Like most modern-day law enforcement officers, he has all the answers and the prudential manners of a man who has been briefed by lawyers about how to perform his duties, how to ask and respond to questions, how to be legally correct. “I happen to know,” Gilchrist says, “that that fire could not have been started by a man who didn’t smoke.” “This individual could have been smoking, or he could have been careless in some other way. I put both possibilities in the report. We found no evidence to indicate anything else, but we’ll continue to investigate.” He pauses. “You say he didn’t smoke, but we found a half-smoked cigar beside the sofa.” “He didn’t smoke. I’ve known the man for years, and I can vouch for that.” “Maybe he decided to experiment.” He pauses again. “As I said, we’ll continue to investigate.” “When?” “First thing tomorrow morning. I have two men on duty tonight at the site to prevent any pilfering, and at 0900 tomorrow morning I’ll be back with my team, and we’ll look at everything again in case we might have missed something. It’s a police matter now, Mr. Gilchrist, and I promise you that we know what has to be done.” 80 | The Time Remaining “Cigar or no cigar, don’t you think it’s odd that a man is not able to get out of the ground floor of a house that’s on fire? The fire chief and the doctor in the emergency room told me that eyewitnesses said that his niece found him on the floor in the living room and dragged him on the porch when that cornice fell on her. Don’t you think that he could have saved himself if he knew that his house was on fire? All he had to do was smell smoke and then walk out.” “He could have been asleep, or he could have been intoxicated. We have no way of knowing his true condition at the time of the fire unless we conduct tests and . . .” “Come on, Cobb, I happen to know he never drank. Never drank or smoked. And he was the lightest sleeper I ever met. I lived in the same dormitory room with him for more than three years, for God’s sake. I know what I’m talking about.” “Mr. Gilchrist, my team and I will do our job at 0900 tomorrow morning , and if we discover any evidence of foul play, you’ll be the first to know. I promise you that.” “Are you going to put in your report the possibility that he could have been set up by certain people who wanted him to die ‘accidentally’ in the fire?” “I don’t put anything but facts in a report. I’m not in the business of making assumptions.” “Well, I am. I know that he was living under risk. He was shadowed all the time, and there were threats. I know the facts about this. It’s my business.” “If we find any evidence to suggest the scenario you’re sketching for me, there will be a hearing, and you can be present at the hearing if you think you can shed any further light on this incident.” Cobb looks directly at Gilchrist as if to indicate that this is the end of the conversation. “There’s one more thing.” “And what’s that?” Cobb asks impatiently. “I’d like to be sure that all of Tabry’s books and papers that have been taken from the house are under lock and key until I can examine them. I have a statement in writing and notarized that identifies me as the one who would be responsible for his effects if anything happened to him.” [18.223.0.53] Project MUSE (2024-04-19 07:18...