Thunder rolled.
Oddly, he seemed more dangerous now.
Bereft of any weapons but hi,'s ban miscalculating how powerful or how clan those hands could be (but she knew), he closed in her where she stood cowering against the refri door, blood gushing from the wound on her head, bloody left hand clenched to her temple, her right hand held out like a traffic cop's, the fingers widespread, "Don't, Arthur," she said, "please, don't," but he just kept repeating over and over again, quite senselessly now, "Oh, really?" as if he were contradicting something she had just said, or perhaps asking for further explanation of what she'd said, "Oh, really?" while he slapped her over and again, methodically, his huge hands punishing her for whatever sin in his drunkenness he imagined she'd committed.
She reached for the knife on the drainboard.
And quite calmly stabbed him.
X
The Q and A took place in Lieutenant B office at the 87th Precinct, not half an hour Arthur Llewelyn Farnes was released from General. He had been treated there for a knife in the left shoulder and had been char immediately with Assault 1st Degree: "With to cause serious physical injury to another, " such injury to such person or to a third person means of a deadly weapon or a clan instrument," a Class-C Felony punishable by minimum of three and a max of fifteen.
To sweeten the pudding, he had also been with Attempted Murder, a Class-B punishable by a minimum of three and a max twenty-five. His wife, Sally Louise Farnes, had charged with the identical crimes, b.ut opini, around the old station house was that she easily beat both raps by pleading self-defense. gathered detectives and an assistant district named Nellie Brand were here this Wednesday morning at ten o'clock not so much to make certain their case against Farnes would stick - they knew they had real meat here but to find out what he knew about the murder of Father Michael Bimey.
Carella had called Nellie the moment he realized they had here a violent man whose wife had earlier gone to Father Michael to report previous abuses.
This same man had written the priest a letter that in itself seemed to imply a threat, however veiled. And, by his own admission, he had gone to the church sometime during the afternoon of Easter Sunday, where at least one witness Nathan Hooper had reported hearing the priest in violent argument with a man.
Nellie was thirty-two years old, with alert blue eyes and sand-colored hair cut in a flying wedge that seemed appropriate to her breezy style.
She was wearing this morning a dark blue skirt with a grey jacket, a pink man-tailored shirt with a narrow red-and-blue silk rep tie, and blue pumps with moderate heels. Carella liked her a lot; she reminded him somehow of his sister Angela, though she didn't resemble her in the slightest.
Sitting on the edge of the lieutenant's desk, she once again informed Farnes of his rights, and then asked him if he was certain he did not wish an attorney present. Like most amateurs who suddenly find themselves involved with the law, Farnes told he didn't need a lawyer because he hadn't done anything, it was his wife who'd committed goddamn crime here! Carella was thinking every little cheap thief on the street asked for attorney the moment he was clapped in cuffs.
Nellie dutifully informed Farnes that he nonetheless stop the questioning at any time chose to, or even request a lawyer whenever he he needed one, even though he'd declined one and asked him again if he understood all this, Farnes rather testily said, "Of course I do I look like an idiot? My wife tried to kill me!”
Miranda-Escobedo safely out of the way, switched on the tape recorder, nodded to stenographer who was taking standby notes, said for the tape that this was 10:07 on morning of May 30, identified the location everyone in it, and then began the questioning:
Q. May I have your full name, please?
A. Arthur Llewellyn Farnes.
Q. And your address?
A. 157 Grover Park South.
Q. In what apartment, please?
A. 12C.
Q. Do you live in that apartment, at that address with your wife, Sally Louise Farnes?
A. I do. Who tried to kill me last night.
Q. Mr. Farnes, were you treated at last night in the Emergency Room at General for a knife wound in the left…
A. Damn right I was.
Q. And were you held for overnight observation at Greer General, and...
A. I was...
Q. and released at nine-thirty-two this morning in custody of Detectives Hawes and Carella...
A. I was...
Q. who transported you here to the 87th Precinct for questioning, is that correct?
A. That's correct.
Q. You've been informed, have you not, that you've been charged with First Degree Assault, a Class-C felony...
A. I have.
Q. And with Attempted Murder as well, which is a Class-B felony.
A. It was my wife who tried to kill me!
Q. But were you informed of these charges against you?
A. I was.
Q. And, of course, you were read your rights in accordance with the Supreme Court decisions in Miranda and Escobedo, and you said you understood those rights, did you not?
A. You read them to me, and I said I understood them.
Q. And declined your right to an attorney, is that also correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Very well, Mr. Farnes... Leaning in closer to him now, conveying impression that now that all the bullshit was the way, she was ready to take off the gloves.. can you tell me how you happened t that knife wound in your shoulder?
A: She went crazy.
Q: Who do you mean, please?
A: Sally.
Q: Your wife, Sally Louise Farnes?
A: Yes.
Q: Went crazy, you say?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you tell me what you mean by that?
A: She went crazy, what do you think that me We were sitting in the kitchen, and all at she picked up the knife and stabbed me. N Totally nuts!
Q: Sitting where in the kitchen? At the Doing what?
A: Talking.
Q: About what?
A: I don't remember.
Q: Try to remember.
A: How am I supposed to remember what talking about? She stabbed me, goddamn it!
Q D o you remember telling your wife that s had a bad habit of interrupting yod while were...?
A: No.
Q. The way you just interrupted me.
A. I'm sorry if I interrupted you. I thought you were finished with what you were saying.
Q. No, I wasn't.
A. Then I'm sorry.
Q. But isn't that what you told your wife? That she had a bad habit of interrupting?
A. I may have said that, I don't remember. It is a bad habit.
Q. You said so yourself.
A. I don't believe I said that.
Q. Well, you seemed to get upset when I interrupted you just now. Did you get upset when your wife interrupted you?
A. People shouldn't interrupt other people.
Q. Does that upset you? When your wife interrupts?
A. It would upset anyone. Getting interrupted. I suppose you realize, don't you, that she stabbed me, don't you? I mean, I really don't see the point of did she interrupt me, did I interrupt her, it was me who got stabbed, there are hospital records to prove I got stabbed, you said yourself there's a knife wound in my left shoulder, it didn't get there by magic, my wife stabbed me, goddamn it!
Q. Do you also remember telling your wife...?
A. Did you hear what I just said?
Q. Yes, Mr. Farnes, I heard you.
A. I mean, did you hear a word of what I just said?
Q. I heard all of it, yes.