Spinning Man Page #7

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This is unbelievable.

I... I don't have my ID.

Okay, in you go.

Up you go.

Help him put his belt on.

There you go, sir.

Sorry for the confusion.

You can't be

too careful these days.

- Is that what you call this?

- Oh, come on, Evan.

I've got all night,

young lady.

A shrug's not gonna cut it,

I'm afraid.

I'm sorry.

You've hardly said two words

to me all week, Zelda.

I know everything's

a little crazy at the moment.

Is that what's bothering you?

No.

Well, what is it?

Promise you won't tell mommy?

Your mommy and I don't keep

secrets from each other,

okay? But if you tell me

what it is,

I'll decide

if she needs to know.

She asked me about that day

you picked me up from camp,

when you were late.

Z, I need you to be

honest with me,

okay? Completely honest.

Do you think

i had something to do

with what happened to that girl?

No.

Oh, good, because I didn't.

You know me.

I wouldn't hurt a fly.

Autopsy just came in.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

Is Evan birch home?

It's detective Malloy.

They had an event tonight

at the university.

All right, let's do it.

It's only a faculty party.

It'll be fine.

We should figure out

what we're gonna say.

Well, just the truth.

It's outrageous

we're being strung along,

and hopefully everything

will be cleared up soon.

We're hanging in there.

It's outrageous how

we've been strung along,

but everything

will be cleared up soon.

Let's hope so.

Situations like this

tend to show our real selves,

you know?

I'll have a chardonnay

and a scotch and soda.

And actually, I'll have one for the road.

Double, neat.

It's criminal, what they're

putting you through.

You can sue, you know.

One battle at a time.

I think the most important thing

is we gotta get Evan

back in the classroom.

What do you mean?

Here you are.

They pulled you from classes?

I think I spoke

out of turn, buddy.

Sorry.

- Until when?

- Uh, spring.

The... the second coming.

Who knows?

Hey, Barbara.

You look fantastic.

Can I talk to you for a second?

- Yeah.

- Sorry.

You having fun yet?

When were you

planning on telling me?

Oh, wipe that stupid smirk

off your face.

What? What?

When did this happen?

Why didn't you tell me?

Frankly, I think it's

the least of our problems.

You think our livelihood

is the least of our problems?

Listen, listen, let's just

finish our time here,

and I promise we can fight

about this when we get home.

No. I'm going home now.

Why? So you can finish

interrogating Zelda?

- Interrogating?

- Well, what else would you call it?

Has that cop deputized you yet?

- Ellen.

- Let go!

Ellen, listen. Just relax.

Have a drink.

- Sit down, please.

- Why? To give everyone

- a better chance to gawk at us?

- No.

It's outrageous how they're

stringing us along...

- Ellen.

- But everything's gonna be cleared up soon!

Do you hear

how ridiculous that sounds?

I hear how ridiculous you sound.

Will you please calm down?

I'm sick of being calm!

Under a bit of pressure lately.

Ellen!

What's gotten into you?

- What's gotten into me?

- Yeah.

Just go back in there,

and peddle whatever

jolly bullshit you want, Evan.

I'm going home.

All right, so that's it?

Things get tough,

and you just leave?

Whatever happened

to for better or worse?

Oh,

you're gonna lecture me

on keeping promises?

What's that?

I found it, in your desk.

Who wrote it?

You found it,

as in it magically appeared,

or you went looking

through my desk?

Oh, no, no, no.

I searched your desk.

I searched the whole,

entire house. Who wrote it?

What have I ever done

that's made you so distrustful?

- What have you done?

- Yeah.

You know exactly

what you've done!

Evanston? Really?

God, for the millionth time,

nothing happened.

Well, I saw you! I saw you

f***ing in your office!

I never f***ed her

in my office!

You know what

you don't understand?

I don't even care

that you did it anymore.

I don't,

but it's the lie.

You've been telling me,

you've been telling yourself nothing

happened for so many years,

I think you actually believe it.

And I'm terrified about what else

you could convince yourself of.

Press okay.

...not like

i was satisfying some curiosit.

- Can I have a scotch?

- You got it.

Have you got

a telephone I can use?

Detective Malloy, please.

I'd like to report a crime.

Mm-hmm.

Can we talk?

Sure.

Come on in.

Alone?

Long night?

Yeah.

How 'bout some coffee?

What did you do there?

Uh...

You're a tough man

to track down.

Where have you been?

Do you have trouble remembering

things sometimes, detective?

People and places, sequences?

I've read

a lot of studies on it.

It's, uh, it's fascinating.

You know, m... memory is really the

least reliable function of our brain.

I mean, it's reliable in that it

reinforces one's concept of self,

as opposed to providing

an... an accurate account

of past events.

Is this gonna be on the test?

I had a student once

when I was at evanston,

Carol. We, um...

- We had an affair.

- Mm-hmm.

Her parents threatened

to sue the university, I think.

Ellen was pregnant, and, uh, i

resigned, and we moved here.

But I also remember

that nothing happened.

She tried to kiss me.

I said no, and she got angry,

and she told her parents

that we slept together anyway,

and that's... that's why

we had to leave.

But I don't remember

which one actually happened.

I can't prove either,

and, uh,

and without proof I'm...

I migh...

I might have killed that girl.

I saw her that day at the lake.

I... I went over to... to see he.

She... she remembered

me from, uh,

from a... a ride

I'd given her once,

and, uh, she knew

a lot about me.

She'd read my book.

She had a crush on me.

She asked if I wanted

to take a walk.

She knew an old trail

around the dam.

I said, "yeah, that'd be nice."

We were alone.

It was quiet.

The view was beautiful.

No one had looked at me

like that in a long time.

Things

got a little heated.

And...

I tried to hold her arms...

So she couldn't move,

j... just to keep control.

I mean, she...

She tried to push me,

and she ran.

I chased after her. I...

I didn't want her

to get the wrong idea.

She lost her footing.

She... she fell

and hit her head.

I panicked. I...

I didn't know what to do,

and I pushed her in.

I mean, it wasn't on purpose.

- None of this was... was on purpose.

- Evan!

The washrooms are around the corner

if you want to splash your face.

Am I under arrest?

No.

Read that.

It's the final autopsy report.

You didn't kill Joyce bonner.

She fell off a cliff on the

opposite side of the lake.

It was an accident.

And she wasn't found

by the dam.

That was misinformation

we leaked.

The autopsy shows

she broke both her wrists,

probably from trying

to slow her fall.

Her neck was broken.

The fall killed her instantly.

That's why we were trying

to get you in here.

I d... I don't understand.

- I just confessed to you...

- The case is closed.

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