And a Puzzle to Die On Read Online Free PDF

was the size of a small steam engine. He had a hand on Daigue’s shoulder, guiding him to the chair. The guard sat the prisoner down, looked through the window, saw Cora, and rolled his eyes. He retreated to the door and stood with his back to it, arms folded, face impassive, as if he weren’t there.
    Before Darryl Daigue even opened his mouth Cora knew why the jury had found him guilty. Daigue
looked
guilty. His face seemed etched in a permanent sneer. It was a nasty face, the face of a man who could easily rape and kill an innocent girl. And it wasn’t justthe passage of twenty years’ time, and hard time at that, prison time, the type of time to desensitize a man, burn out his soul, leave him a bitter, angry wreck. No, what Cora sensed was something inherent in his nature, some vibration Daigue gave off, the feeling that everything wasn’t quite all right. Cora could sense it, and she realized the jury must have sensed it too. That was why he had been sentenced on such skimpy evidence, the admission of his marijuana stash notwithstanding.
    There was something in his eyes, and not just the usual shifty eyes of a criminal. No, Darryl Daigue’s eyes were steel-gray, steady as a rock, unblinking.
    Uncaring.
    Unfeeling.
    He sat watching her, not moving a muscle, just staring at her like a cobra about to strike.
    Cora repressed a shudder, picked up the phone.
    After several seconds, he did so too.
    “Darryl Daigue? I’m Cora Felton.”
    He didn’t answer, just stared at her as if she were a creature from another planet.
    “Are you Darryl Daigue?” Cora persisted.
    “What do you want?” he demanded.
    “I just want to talk to you.”
    “Why?”
    “I’m a private investigator.”
    His guffaw was rude. Ugly.
    Cora ignored it, said, “I’d like to get you out of here.”
    That got his interest. His dead eyes narrowed. “What, are you nuts? I’m here for life.”
    “Not necessarily.”
    “Yeah, necessarily. No possibility of parole.”
    “There is if I find new evidence.”
    “Fat chance of that.”
    “You mean there is no evidence?”
    “After twenty years? You’re mental, lady. You’re a real head case.”
    Cora muttered a pithy expletive and slammed down the phone.
    That got Darryl’s attention. He waved his hands. She could see him mouthing the words, “Hey! Hey!”
    Cora picked up the phone again. “Let’s start over. A lawyer asked me to look into your case, see if there’s any hope of you getting out. On the surface, your chances would appear slim. Since you happen to agree with that assessment, I see no reason to pursue this any further—”
    “Wait a minute, wait a minute. A lawyer asked you to look into me?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Why?”
    “That’s between you and the lawyer.”
    “
What’s
between me and the lawyer? I haven’t
got
a lawyer. I didn’t even have a lawyer at my trial.”
    “You had a public defender.”
    “Yeah, sure. He didn’t know anything. The judge had to run his case for him.”
    “Oh, really? It was my understanding you were caught with marijuana and it was suppressed at trial.”
    He snorted. “So the jurors never heard about it. And if you believe that one, lady …”
    “I’m not saying the jurors never heard about it. I’m saying the lawyer you keep putting down got it suppressed.”
    “Well, excuse me, lady. Like I should be the guy’scheerleader. My lawyer got me a life sentence. Gee, a regular Perry Mason.”
    “You want my help or not?”
    “What, if I bad-mouth my lawyer you’ll walk out on me? That seems a little harsh.”
    “I don’t give a damn what you say about your lawyer. The question is whether you want to cooperate with
me
.”
    Daigue thought that over. Cora could practically see the wheels turning in his brain.
    “Okay.”
    “Fine,” Cora said. “Tell me about it.”
    He blinked. “Huh?”
    “Your case. Tell me about your case. Why are you in jail?”
    “Oh, for Christ’s sake!”
    “I know what the prosecution