"What do we do now?"
"What do we do? We say goodbye. That's what we do. I've listened to your story, now I'm calling the police to report what you told me. I've no choice. There's not a chance in hell I'm going to avoid police questioning, thanks to you."
"You'd turn me in? That's a rotten thing to do."
"Hello! You got me over here and displayed me to the world. There are a dozen witnesses outside that door ready to testify we met here. If you'd whispered your secret to me out on the street somewhere, I'd have a choice but not now. Don't you get it?"
"But no one knows I was there. I can get away with it, if you'll just keep your damn mouth shut."
"Well, you won't. Murderers always fail to notice something. For one thing your prints are on the murder weapon."
"No, don't think so. I grabbed his hand not the gun."
"You just told me you grabbed the gun. Which was it, his hand or the gun? You see the police are going to jump on little things like that. Your DNA is on his body if you struggled. I don't know. Or they'll find out you bought a gun. Something. Where did you get his address? Tammy gave it to you, didn't she?"
"Don't remember."
"Police are going to find out she gave it to you. Bingo, you're tied to Barner. You need to call Tammy. She has to report the rape. Going to her doctor would be good even if too late for treatment. Photos of her bruises would be great."
"The doc will find old bruises."
"Really!" That stopped him. Who are these people? He hadn't considered that kind of reckless lifestyle. "Tammy into drugs or something?"
"She's into showing off her boobs."
That didn't answer the question. Nevertheless, drug use would explain the loose sex and the destructive behavior. Toss drugs into this mess and proving rape would be impossible, he thought. And a trial for Loraine would be disastrous. If drugs are involved, the police will not only question him they'll test him for drug use and tear up his apartment. No question now, he should run the other way. "Okay, forget the medical exam. Still, you do need evidence to support your story of why you lost it and went after him."
"I don't get it. Why is Tammy reporting the rape so important? I still shot the bastard."
"If there's no rape why did you shoot him? The rape has to be there. The rape is what set you off. The rape is why you went after him. The rape explains everything. Have you tried to reach her?"