Deconstructing Bridges

Chapter Eleven

Matthew looked up from his chair to see Rose being practically dragged from the interview area by two men. She was stumbling writhing as her arms were restrained, and she was screaming. Having seen and experienced her organised fighting style firsthand, it was clear these thrashing movements which seemed almost uncontrollable served no purpose of escape. They seemed to serve no purpose at all. Once out the door the men held her firm against the wall while her shoulders convulsed until finally she calmed, almost to the point of limpness. She was not trying to escape. In fact, her legs no longer looked as though they would support her weight. As they attempted to lead her, cuffed, she was almost dragging her feet, her head hanging low, her once luxurious hair tousled and falling from its tie. Finally they simply pulled her over into a chair, standing over her as she slumped there
Feeling sick within his gut, he sprang up to run into the interview room where Eddie paced, holding a handkerchief to his nose. The cloth was stained with blood, and Matthew swore loudly as he took in the scene. A metal jug lay on the floor surrounded in a puddle of water. A chair lay on its side, the blue folder tossed on the floor.
As he took in the sight of his partner, he noted the reddened scratches evident on the surface of his neck and cursed again in disbelief.

"Damn it, what the hell happened? She attacked you? Why? What did you tell her?"
"I was going through the victims, the crime photos, just trying to get a damn reaction from her. Defensiveness, anything. She went silent and grabbed them, she rifled through them herself. She looked horrified, I thought I was getting through to her, but then she threw it at me and went nuts."
He surveyed the photos.
"Was it too much? Do you think she had no idea the depth or implications of what she'd been doing?"
"Maybe. She just kept accusing me of lying."

Eddie sat back in the chair, still pinching his nose as he breathed noisily through his mouth.
"What did we miss?"
"She missed it, Eddie. She made a deal with the devil, not understanding what that meant. We caught her, and you made her see it. That's all."
Eddie shook his head.
"She's smart, Matt. She's too smart not to know what he was capable of. Perhaps she didn't know everything, but it shouldn't have been this much of a shock. It's not that, I'm telling you. We're missing something. Something important."
"Wong..."
Matt crossed his hands behind his head in exasperation.
"After all of this, how can you be trying to rationalise her?"
"How can you not be?"
Eddie stood indignantly, dabbing at his nose to see that the bleeding had stopped for now.
"She is your fucking wife, Matt. How can you not see that this doesn't add up? She's a liar. Maybe a criminal. But something does not make sense, and I'm going to put the pieces together."
Matthew didn't want to hear it. He was shaking his head as he spoke, his face almost purple.
"How can you defend her? After what she's done, how can you defend her?"
"Because unlike you, I don't want her to be guilty."
That shocked him. Dumbfounded, he gaped at Wong who was adjusting his clothing.
"You... you think I wanted this?"
"Not before. But now, yes. You want her to be guilty. That justifies your anger. You're beyond reason."
"And you want her to be innocent."
"Yes. I want this to be a mistake. She was not just your wife, Matt. Bridges was a friend to this whole community. It's not just a betrayal to you. We knew her as well. Why wouldn't we want to hold on to the chance that this was a mistake and she can be redeemed?"
Matt rubbed his forehead in exasperation. This was ridiculous, arguing over this.
"You're a fool. As big a fool as I once was. And if you continue thinking that she is redeemable, then you'll prove yourself to be an even bigger idiot."
"You're hurt. You're still hurt, and you know why? Because you fucking loved her. Even if you don't want to admit it, you loved this woman."
He felt as though his jaw might snap, so taught were his muscles. A headache was forming at his temples. He almost felt like greeting it, the feeling was becoming so familiar.
Ah my old friend. You're back.
"It wasn't real."
"For her, maybe it wasn't real. For you it was."
Dabbing his nose a couple of times to ensure that the bleeding had halted, Eddie strode to the doorway before abruptly halting in his tracks.
"Mr Wong, I've been looking for you," an annoyingly familiar voice spoke, smooth as velvet.
Matthew heard Eddie sigh. As he stepped forward to peer out the door, he recognised the female attorney from yesterday, the 'Ball Buster' as he had now dubbed her.
"Ms Reilly, you shouldn't be down here."
"I'm here to meet with my client. Your staff simply ran off before they showed me to where he is."
Bethany raised an eyebrow, one finger tapping impatiently on the file in her hands.
One of the officers over in the corner spoke up in indignation.
"We didn't just run off. We were needed."
Bethany twisted her perfectly slender neck which was displayed to perfect with her hair twisted in an elaborate knot. Apparently after trying and failing at the temptress angle yesterday, today she was going for 'poised and intimidating'. And she was pulling it off, her gaze like ice as it swept over them all.