Chapter 13 - The Statement| Detective Brooks called Adrian's attorney on a Monday morning.
She requested a formal follow-up interview and informed him that the investigation had uncovered inconsistencies between Adrian's initial account and the travel records.
Adrian arrived at the police station two days later.
His attorney sat beside him. Detective Brooks placed a recorder on the table and reviewed the conditions of the interview.
Then she asked the question Adrian had been avoiding.
“Mr. DeLuca, did you accelerate because you were trying to reach the airport in time for your flight?”
Adrian stared at his hands.
“Yes.”
“Did Vivian Cole ask you to hurry?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know the road conditions were dangerous?”
“I knew it was raining.”
“Did you consider stopping or slowing down?”
“I should have.”
“That's not what I asked.”
Adrian swallowed.
“Yes. I considered slowing down.”
“And why didn't you?”
He could have blamed the pressure of the schedule. He could have blamed Vivian's repeated complaints. He could have blamed the tires, the weather, the bend in the road, or the guardrail that failed to keep the SUV on the pavement.
All of those details had played a part.
None of them had held the steering wheel.
“I wanted to make the flight,” he said.
Detective Brooks waited.
“I thought I could manage the road. I thought I could make up the time.”
“Did you understand that Sophie was in danger?”
“I didn't think we would crash.”
“That is not the same as understanding the risk.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
“No. It isn't.”
The interview continued for another hour. He answered questions about the trip, his relationship with Vivian, and the decision to keep the travel arrangements from Claire.
When Detective Brooks asked whether he had told Sophie to keep the trip secret, Adrian admitted that he had.
“Why?”
“Because I knew Claire would ask questions.”
“Would those questions have been unreasonable?”
He looked up.
“No.”
“Why didn't you tell her the truth?”
“Because I didn't want to face what I was doing.”
The detective wrote something in her notebook.
“After the accident, did you contact Ms. Cole before you spoke to your wife?”
Adrian hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I was worried about her condition.”
“Were you also worried about your relationship with her becoming public?”
“Yes.”
“Did you consider how your wife might interpret that?”
“Not at the time.”
Detective Brooks paused the recording.
“I need you to understand something, Mr. DeLuca. We are investigating the accident, not the morality of your marriage. But the choices you made before the crash are relevant to the sequence of events. We cannot evaluate what happened if you leave out the pressure, the destination, or the reasons for the drive.”
Adrian nodded.
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
He looked at the recorder.
“I think I'm beginning to.”
When the interview ended, his attorney accompanied him outside.
“You should be prepared for the investigation to continue,” the attorney said. “There may be additional questions. Do not discuss your testimony with Vivian.”
Adrian nodded.
He walked to his car but did not get in.
For years, he had been skilled at giving people the version of a story that made him look reasonable. He had used carefully chosen words to make his absences sound necessary and his betrayals sound complicated.
The truth had required fewer words.
He had wanted to go on a trip with Vivian.
He had hidden that choice from Claire.
He had driven too fast.
And Sophie had died.
He could not yet know what legal consequences would follow. That was for the investigators and the courts to determine.
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But for the first time, he stopped searching for a sentence that would make him feel less responsible.
There wasn't one.
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