Read Under Suspicion - The Legend of D.B. Cooper Page 104
When Deputy Rissley finally found him, Chet was sitting on a stool hunched over a cup of coffee at the diner. With his elbows on the counter and head in his hands, he sat motionless staring at the cup in front of him. Joe walked over and put her hand on his shoulder.
“Excuse me, sir,” she said. Chet didn’t move. Rissley shook his shoulder gently. “Excuse me, sir,” she said again.
“Huh, what?” Chet replied as if shaken from deep concentration. He hadn’t realized how much time had gone by since he’d arrived at the diner. Staring at the same cup of coffee he’d ordered an hour ago, he’d been replaying the argument with Alan over in his head.
Alan had never spoken to him like that before, and he’d never physically harmed him like he did this afternoon. Would Alan cut Chet loose and find another reporter like he said? Chet thought they were friends and wanted to believe that Alan would never betray him. But over the past hour, he had the chance to reflect on everything he’d known about Alan.
Alan was always dangling carrots in front of people to get their help, then failed to live up to his promises. Chet felt depressed as he seriously doubted his so called friend’s integrity. So depressed that he barely noticed Rissley when she’d spoken to him.
“Oh hello, Deputy,” he finally said. “What can I do for you?”
Rissley looked at him closely. His face was slightly pale and his eyes were bloodshot. She remembered what she’d decided about him. He was the weak link and was now vulnerable. She wondered if she and the Sheriff could pull this off. “Are you all right, sir?” she asked in a genuinely concerned voice.
“Yes I’m fine,” he answered as he ran his fingers through his hair then straightened his tie. “Now, what is it you want?”
“May I have a few minutes of your time, sir.”
“Shoot.”
“Outside please, sir.”
Chet looked at her for a moment then shrugged. Standing slowly, he pulled a couple of dollar bills from his pocket and threw them on the counter. Following Rissley outside, he again asked. “What do you want, Deputy?”
“Sir, I’ve been asked to bring you into the station for questioning.”
This brought a faint smile to Chet’s face. “I’m just a reporter, Deputy. What kind of questions would someone need to ask me?”
“I’m not sure, sir. I was just ordered to bring you in.”
Chet’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid that’s impossible.” He looked at his watch and remembered that he’d told Stapleton he’d meet them in Centralia for a planning session. “I’m already late for a meeting with my producer. Anymore of a delay could ruin my evening report. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to be going to Centralia,” he said and started to turn away.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist, sir,” she said as she grabbed his arm. He turned back to her and gave her an irate look. She’d dealt with people like him before. Though his face looked confident, his eyes showed something else. She hoped that it was enough of an advantage.
“Haven’t you heard of the freedom of the press!” he said angrily. “You can’t stop me from doing my job!”
“I’ve got a job to do, as well,” she replied as she tried to be tactful. “Besides, unless you go with me, you’ll never make it in time for the evening news.”
Chet looked at her questioningly. “What are you talking about?”
“Highway twenty has been closed until further notice. There won’t be any traffic either way until late tonight,” she said calmly. “If you’ll answer a couple quick questions, I’d be happy to take you there by another route.”
Chet thought about it for a moment. He had to get to Centralia soon or blow his chance of giving the evening report. “I guess I have no other choice.”
“This way.” Rissley led him to her Blazer. Both of them got in, and Rissley put on her seat belt. “I’d buckle up if I were you.” She smiled. “This might get a little bumpy.” Chet had barely gotten his seat belt buckled when he was thrown back into his seat as Rissley stepped on the gas pedal. The Blazer tore out of the diner’s parking lot and raced down the street.