Jonathan had said about Dorothy getting Jonathan canned.
“It doesn’t really change anything, does it?”
“It strengthens his motive,” said Alex acknowledged bitterly, almost like it was a personal betrayal.
“Wait a minute, boss. That reminds me of something you said.”
“About what?”
“About his mom having a motive.”
“If I remember rightly, Juanita, you rained on my parade when I came up with that one.”
“Yes, but if Dorothy actually got Burrow canned, it’s a whole different ball game. Now it’s no longer a case of Ma Grissom pimping for her retarded son. This time it’s revenge for sabotaging her son’s education.”
Alex seemed to be thinking about this.
“What did Nat say about Burrow’s ma?”
“He hasn’t got back yet.”
“Still?”
“Oh, wait a minute. I think that’s him.”
“Okay, ask him what he got and we’ll talk later. I need to step on it and I want to make sure I get to San Q in one piece.”
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
Nat came through the door just as Juanita hung up.
“Is Alex in?”
“No, I was just talking to him. He’s on his way back to San Quentin.”
“Anything new?”
“Not really. Jonathan Olsen was here and the boss decided to go and see Burrow right after that.”
Nat was taking off his jacket.
“Any particular reason?”
“I think maybe he wanted to check out some of the things Jonathan told him.”
“Like what?”
“Apparently, Dorothy got Clayton Burrow kicked out of high school.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
Nat went into the kitchen and re-filled the coffee maker.
“Why’s Alex off on a wild goose chase to San Quentin now?” he called out
“He didn’t have time for details.”
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” Juanita replied. The sound of the grinder and the smell of coffee beans filled the air. Juanita raised her voice above the background noise. “So what’s your take on Mrs. Burrow?”
“She gives body and soul to the words ‘trailer trash.’”
“Do you think the latest info about Burrow getting canned elevates her as a suspect?”
“Why should it?”
“It kind of strengthens her motive, doesn’t it?”
“Only if you buy it.”
“And you don’t?”
“Clayton Burrow was the kind of kid who would probably have got canned from high school sooner or later, regardless of anything that Dorothy Olsen or her brother might’ve done.”
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t blame her … or that his mother didn’t blame her.”
“No, but I’ve just met the woman and I can tell you that she doesn’t give too bits for her son or his education. There’s no way she would have killed for him. She’s a selfish woman. What’s that word Alex likes using? Narcissistic. She didn’t even notice what Clayton was turning into, when it was happening in front of her nose. When she finally did wake up and smell the coffee, it was only for long enough to resent the monster that she’d unleashed upon the world – almost like a latter-day Frankenstein.”
“Will you quit with your literary comparisons?”
Nat, she recalled, had a bachelor’s degree in English Literature.
“What I mean is, everyone misunderstands Frankenstein. He wanted to create life, but he created something that he couldn’t love. The monster didn’t start out a monster. It started out as a creature with feelings that his creator couldn’t bring himself to love. And love was all the creature wanted. So the creature became a monster because he was starved of the love that he craved. I think it was the same with Burrow. It’s like that saying that Alex misquoted over the phone to you.”
Juanita raised her eyebrows, quizzically.
“Hell hath no fury,” Nat explained.
“Oh, yeah. Everyone misquotes Shakespeare.”
“Congreve actually. William Congreve. The full saying is ‘Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turned. Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.’ But it isn’t just a woman. A man needs love too. And
“It doesn’t really change anything, does it?”
“It strengthens his motive,” said Alex acknowledged bitterly, almost like it was a personal betrayal.
“Wait a minute, boss. That reminds me of something you said.”
“About what?”
“About his mom having a motive.”
“If I remember rightly, Juanita, you rained on my parade when I came up with that one.”
“Yes, but if Dorothy actually got Burrow canned, it’s a whole different ball game. Now it’s no longer a case of Ma Grissom pimping for her retarded son. This time it’s revenge for sabotaging her son’s education.”
Alex seemed to be thinking about this.
“What did Nat say about Burrow’s ma?”
“He hasn’t got back yet.”
“Still?”
“Oh, wait a minute. I think that’s him.”
“Okay, ask him what he got and we’ll talk later. I need to step on it and I want to make sure I get to San Q in one piece.”
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
Nat came through the door just as Juanita hung up.
“Is Alex in?”
“No, I was just talking to him. He’s on his way back to San Quentin.”
“Anything new?”
“Not really. Jonathan Olsen was here and the boss decided to go and see Burrow right after that.”
Nat was taking off his jacket.
“Any particular reason?”
“I think maybe he wanted to check out some of the things Jonathan told him.”
“Like what?”
“Apparently, Dorothy got Clayton Burrow kicked out of high school.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
Nat went into the kitchen and re-filled the coffee maker.
“Why’s Alex off on a wild goose chase to San Quentin now?” he called out
“He didn’t have time for details.”
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” Juanita replied. The sound of the grinder and the smell of coffee beans filled the air. Juanita raised her voice above the background noise. “So what’s your take on Mrs. Burrow?”
“She gives body and soul to the words ‘trailer trash.’”
“Do you think the latest info about Burrow getting canned elevates her as a suspect?”
“Why should it?”
“It kind of strengthens her motive, doesn’t it?”
“Only if you buy it.”
“And you don’t?”
“Clayton Burrow was the kind of kid who would probably have got canned from high school sooner or later, regardless of anything that Dorothy Olsen or her brother might’ve done.”
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t blame her … or that his mother didn’t blame her.”
“No, but I’ve just met the woman and I can tell you that she doesn’t give too bits for her son or his education. There’s no way she would have killed for him. She’s a selfish woman. What’s that word Alex likes using? Narcissistic. She didn’t even notice what Clayton was turning into, when it was happening in front of her nose. When she finally did wake up and smell the coffee, it was only for long enough to resent the monster that she’d unleashed upon the world – almost like a latter-day Frankenstein.”
“Will you quit with your literary comparisons?”
Nat, she recalled, had a bachelor’s degree in English Literature.
“What I mean is, everyone misunderstands Frankenstein. He wanted to create life, but he created something that he couldn’t love. The monster didn’t start out a monster. It started out as a creature with feelings that his creator couldn’t bring himself to love. And love was all the creature wanted. So the creature became a monster because he was starved of the love that he craved. I think it was the same with Burrow. It’s like that saying that Alex misquoted over the phone to you.”
Juanita raised her eyebrows, quizzically.
“Hell hath no fury,” Nat explained.
“Oh, yeah. Everyone misquotes Shakespeare.”
“Congreve actually. William Congreve. The full saying is ‘Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turned. Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.’ But it isn’t just a woman. A man needs love too. And
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