everyone lives happily ever after."
"Has
your marriage changed over the last eight years?"
"We
got two kids, so yeah, it's changed."
"Sharon's
very concerned about her children, Mr. Taggart. You might want to consider
letting them see her."
"I'm
not taking them down there and letting them see their mother in jail. No
way."
"I
can arrange for her to see them in another part of the building if you'd
like."
"I'll
think about it."
"Sharon
said the Browning the police confiscated belongs to you. Is that correct?"
"Yeah,
it was a Christmas present a couple of years ago."
"From
Sharon."
"Yeah."
"Has
she ever fired it?"
"I
took her out a couple of times. She doesn't like to hunt, so I took her to a
firing range."
"Is
she a good shot?"
"A
regular Annie Oakley."
"Can
she hit moving as well as stationary targets?"
"You
shoot?"
"Afraid
not."
"Well,
they got these little round things about the size of a half dollar and painted
orange. They swing them back and forth at different speeds and out of
synch."
"And
she could hit those?"
"Didn't
miss a one."
"About
how far was she from these moving targets?"
"Oh,
forty or fifty yards. Maybe a little more."
"Were
you impressed with her shooting ability?"
"I
guess so. Didn't think much of it."
"Sharon
told me she was at home with you on January eighteenth when the last shooting
took place. Can you verify that?"
"Yeah,
we were home. We all ate dinner, watched a little TV. Sharon usually gets the
kids in the sack around eight or eight-thirty."
"Then
what?"
Frank
smiled and shrugged, "Then I tried to hustle her into bed. You know, enjoy
a little rec time."
"So
you and Sharon made love that evening," Harriett said.
"I
said I tried, but she said she was too tired. One thing led to another, and we
had a spat about it. I finally gave up and went to bed alone."
"When
did Sharon come to bed?"
"Couldn't
tell you. She was there when I woke up the next morning."
"Does
she stay up late by herself often?"
"All
the time. She reads, works on the computer. Does just about anything she can to
avoid going to bed with me."
"Do
you think she's avoiding being physically intimate with you?"
"Sharon's
what you'd call frigid. Been that way since Laurel was born. I thought she'd
get over it, but so far she hasn't."
"Are
you involved with any other women outside of your home, Mr. Taggart?"
"You
want to know if I'm cheating on my wife?"
"Yes."
"I've
done a little dippin' over the last couple of years. In fact, it was Sharon who
recommended it. She told me once when we had a fight that if I wasn't getting
what I needed from her, maybe I should look around and find someone else. She
just didn't want to know about it if I did."
"So
you took her suggestion."
"Yeah.
But I never told Sharon about it."
"Do
you think she knew anyway?"
"I
don't think so, but I doubt she'd care. She's changed, especially recently.
Distant. Argumentative. That kind of thing."
"I
see," Harriett said, making a notation on her pad.
"I
mean once we were horsing around and I grabbed her from behind, just playing
around. At first she was laughing. Then I wouldn't let her go when she wanted
me to. The woman went berserk. Fought like a tiger and nearly crushed my instep
by stomping on it with the heel of her shoe."
"Did
you ask her about that?"
"She
just said she couldn't stand being grabbed from behind and not being able to get
away. Claustrophobia or something, I guess."
"Did
she ever behave that way again?"
"Nope.
And I never grabbed her and held her like that again, either. Sometimes, I'd
try to walk up behind her and get a little grab, you know. She hated it."
"You
continued to do it knowing she didn't like it?"
"She's
my wife. I've got a right to do some grabbing if I want."
"Do
you regard your wife as property?"
"A
wife should be willing to have sex with her husband, don't you think?"
"If
she wants it, I suppose so."
"You
one of them feminist bra burners, Ms. Markham?"
"No,"
she smiled. "Were there
"Has
your marriage changed over the last eight years?"
"We
got two kids, so yeah, it's changed."
"Sharon's
very concerned about her children, Mr. Taggart. You might want to consider
letting them see her."
"I'm
not taking them down there and letting them see their mother in jail. No
way."
"I
can arrange for her to see them in another part of the building if you'd
like."
"I'll
think about it."
"Sharon
said the Browning the police confiscated belongs to you. Is that correct?"
"Yeah,
it was a Christmas present a couple of years ago."
"From
Sharon."
"Yeah."
"Has
she ever fired it?"
"I
took her out a couple of times. She doesn't like to hunt, so I took her to a
firing range."
"Is
she a good shot?"
"A
regular Annie Oakley."
"Can
she hit moving as well as stationary targets?"
"You
shoot?"
"Afraid
not."
"Well,
they got these little round things about the size of a half dollar and painted
orange. They swing them back and forth at different speeds and out of
synch."
"And
she could hit those?"
"Didn't
miss a one."
"About
how far was she from these moving targets?"
"Oh,
forty or fifty yards. Maybe a little more."
"Were
you impressed with her shooting ability?"
"I
guess so. Didn't think much of it."
"Sharon
told me she was at home with you on January eighteenth when the last shooting
took place. Can you verify that?"
"Yeah,
we were home. We all ate dinner, watched a little TV. Sharon usually gets the
kids in the sack around eight or eight-thirty."
"Then
what?"
Frank
smiled and shrugged, "Then I tried to hustle her into bed. You know, enjoy
a little rec time."
"So
you and Sharon made love that evening," Harriett said.
"I
said I tried, but she said she was too tired. One thing led to another, and we
had a spat about it. I finally gave up and went to bed alone."
"When
did Sharon come to bed?"
"Couldn't
tell you. She was there when I woke up the next morning."
"Does
she stay up late by herself often?"
"All
the time. She reads, works on the computer. Does just about anything she can to
avoid going to bed with me."
"Do
you think she's avoiding being physically intimate with you?"
"Sharon's
what you'd call frigid. Been that way since Laurel was born. I thought she'd
get over it, but so far she hasn't."
"Are
you involved with any other women outside of your home, Mr. Taggart?"
"You
want to know if I'm cheating on my wife?"
"Yes."
"I've
done a little dippin' over the last couple of years. In fact, it was Sharon who
recommended it. She told me once when we had a fight that if I wasn't getting
what I needed from her, maybe I should look around and find someone else. She
just didn't want to know about it if I did."
"So
you took her suggestion."
"Yeah.
But I never told Sharon about it."
"Do
you think she knew anyway?"
"I
don't think so, but I doubt she'd care. She's changed, especially recently.
Distant. Argumentative. That kind of thing."
"I
see," Harriett said, making a notation on her pad.
"I
mean once we were horsing around and I grabbed her from behind, just playing
around. At first she was laughing. Then I wouldn't let her go when she wanted
me to. The woman went berserk. Fought like a tiger and nearly crushed my instep
by stomping on it with the heel of her shoe."
"Did
you ask her about that?"
"She
just said she couldn't stand being grabbed from behind and not being able to get
away. Claustrophobia or something, I guess."
"Did
she ever behave that way again?"
"Nope.
And I never grabbed her and held her like that again, either. Sometimes, I'd
try to walk up behind her and get a little grab, you know. She hated it."
"You
continued to do it knowing she didn't like it?"
"She's
my wife. I've got a right to do some grabbing if I want."
"Do
you regard your wife as property?"
"A
wife should be willing to have sex with her husband, don't you think?"
"If
she wants it, I suppose so."
"You
one of them feminist bra burners, Ms. Markham?"
"No,"
she smiled. "Were there
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