Perhaps They Should

A woman is interrogated in a murder. 300-word flash

Perhaps They Should Be

Karen Harper was ushered in by a policewoman. She took the empty chair by the table and sat demurely with her gloved hands in her cashmere clad lap.
“My name is Detective Cal Billings,” said the man in the other chair, holding out his hand to be shook. She looked at it like it was a snake about to attack her. Billings picked up his pen.
“Am I a suspect?” Karen said. Billings stared at her. She stared defiantly back.

“Ms. Harper, we don’t have any suspects yet, it’s early days in this murder investigation,” Billings started by saying.
“Then why am I even here,” she asked with emphasis on the ‘here’.
“As the spouse of the deceased, you can provide valuable information about his habits, friends, enemies, your marriage.”
At the last word, Karen snorted.
“Did you two not have a good marriage?”
“He asked me for a divorce. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve kept myself in good shape and I always dress well. I thought he loved me!” She teared up, dabbing at her remarkably dry eyes with a hanky.
“I see.”

Billings continued to question her and found no reason to suspect her.
“Thank you for your time, ma’am,” he said finally. He escorted her to the door and they met the junior policewoman who had showed her into the room. Billings and the young policewoman watched her leave like a ship under full sail, umbrage in every step.
“You know she’s guilty, right?” his colleague said softly.
“I do? No evidence. why do you think she’d guilty?”
“She would never allow a man to dump her; you can tell from her attitude.”
Billings stared at her.
“Tail her then and find me some evidence other than woman’s intuition.”