READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Vol. 1 Issue 9 March 2014 | Page 71

It was the lifeline she’d been
looking for. She bobbed her
head several times, her face
changed color to something like
normal, and she regained her
breath. I said, “Let’s get out of
here before one of your office
mates comes back. We need to
go someplace where you can tell
me your story. Where’s a good
place?”

EXCERPT FROM THE
TALUS SLOPE:
Judy Benoit turned every shade
of red, rose, pink, and purple
known, but was now ashen and
gray. She rubbed her hands on
her jeans trying to dry her
palms. Sweat broke out across
her brow and started to drip in
her eyes. Tears coursed down
her cheeks. She moaned and
leaned over at the waist toward
me. I watched her shoulders
shake and wrenching sobs began
escaping her lips. After a couple
minutes, the crying began to
subside and she slowly raised
her head. Her face was a wreck.
She took a couple of deep
breaths and shuddered. “You’re
right on almost everything. I
didn’t know the truth until I was
back here. You’ve gotta believe
me. I didn’t know what they
were doing, and I still don’t
know all of it except for one
thing---I didn’t kill Martie. Oh,
God, I didn’t kill her!”
I let her stare into space for
several seconds. “I believe you,
Judy. But, you’re going to have
to tell me everything. If your
story holds up, I’ll do everything
I can for you.”

She shook her head. “I
definitely don’t want to go to
my apartment. We need to go
where Jon can’t find us. He
knows about you and that
you’re after him. He came to
my house last night after you
went to his office. He
threatened me. He said he could
send the cops evidence I killed
Martie and unless I kept
working with him he would do
it. I’m scared of him, Mr. Scott.
I’ve never been so scared of
anything in my life.”
I thought for a minute. “Let’s
drive, Judy. If we’re on the move
and don’t go anyplace he knows,
we can spend as much time as
we need to sort out your story.”
She nodded, stood up, and
grabbed her backpack.
When we got to the parking lot,
I