Murder at the Opera - Margaret Truman [45]
“I know that,” Berry said. He slid a printed copy of the Miranda warning across the table and asked Warren to silently read it while the detective read it aloud. When he was finished, he pushed a pen at Warren and asked him to sign it. Warren angrily swept the paper and pen off the table.
“Have it your way,” Berry said. He consulted the second sheet of paper he’d carried in with him. “As a non-U.S. citizen,” he read, “who is being arrested or detained, you are entitled to have us notify your country’s consular representative here in the United States. A consular official from your country may be able to help you obtain legal counsel, and may contact your family and visit you in detention, among other things. If you want us to notify your country’s consular officials, you can request this notification now, or at any time in the future. After your consular officials are notified, they may call or visit you. Do you want us to notify your country’s consular officials?”
“What do you think I’ve been saying all along?” Warren replied.
“Had to read it to you,” Berry said, smiling. “For the record.” He showed Warren the fax. “Everything correct on it?” he asked. “We’ll fax it over to your embassy right away. You can see I’ve indicated that you want an attorney assigned to you. I’m sure the folks at the embassy will arrange that
“It looks okay,” Warren said, the defiance in his voice fading.
Berry let silence dominate for a few seconds.
“I don’t know why you arrested me,” Warren said softly. “I didn’t do anything
You’ve been warned you don’t have to say anything without a lawyer, Berry thought. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law.
“You haven’t been arrested,” Berry said. “We just wanted to ask you a few questions
“Then why did you send cops to bring me here?”
“I’ll tell you why, sir. Detective Johnson asked you questions at that place where you were playing the piano—Takoma Park, right?”
Warren nodded.
“And she told me that you weren’t very cooperative
“I had nothing to tell her. I didn’t have anything to do with Charise being murdered
“Maybe, maybe not. But you were her roommate, which means you were close to her. We tend to look first at people who were close to a murder victim
“Close? You mean like husbands or wives, or boyfriends and girlfriends?”
“Uh-huh
“I wasn’t anything like that with Charise. We roomed together, that’s all
“You’re both from Toronto
“That’s right
“You knew each other there? I mean, before coming here to Washington?”
“Yes,” he mumbled. Then he said with more animation, “But not well
“She was a pretty girl, as I understand it,” Berry said.
“She was. Yes, she was
“And talented.” He grinned and spread open hands in a helpless gesture. “I don’t know anything about opera, but I’m told she had a great future as an opera singer
Warren shrugged. “She was okay,” he said.
“Just okay?” Berry asked, his interest heightened.
“Yeah. I’ve worked with better singers
“As I said, I wouldn’t know about that
“Where’s my music?” Warren asked.
“What music?”
“I had music with me when they arrested me
“I wouldn’t know about that, either
The door opened and a detective handed Berry a note.
“Looks like your embassy is on the ball,” Berry said. “Someone from there wants to speak with you. You can use that phone over there in the corner. I’ll leave you alone
Berry left the room as Warren went to where the phone rested on a low, empty bookcase and picked up the receiver.
“They’re sending a lawyer,” the second detective said.
“Yeah, I’m sure they are,” Berry said. “I wanted to get into that so-called alibi he said he had before a lawyer got involved
“What’d he claim?”
“He claims he was out drinking and got drunk, too drunk to remember who he was with or where he was
The other detective laughed. “Maybe he went out to celebrate offing the kid
“Maybe he didn’t go out at all,” Berry said. “He’s no big drinker. I’m sure of that
“Looks like he might have gotten in a fight wherever he was. That’s a mean-looking face
“Willie
“Portelain?”
Berry smiled. “Sylvia says the