One life for another, p.20
One Life for Another, page 20
Steve pushed the intercom button and said they were there to say hi to an old friend, Ms. Florabelle Martin. The door buzzed, and they walked in. They were now in an entryway with a second set of double doors in front of them. It reminded Steve of the twodoor system at the state prison. Except, rather than gray metal bars, these doors were designed like the front of a French country estate. When the door behind them closed, a second buzzer went off, and they passed through into the foyer. They signed the guest registry and asked where they could find Martin.
“How do you know Miss Flora?” asked the nurse on-duty at the front desk.
“We used to go to church together at First Baptist,” Steve said easily. “I always loved getting her bake sale items every month.
She was one hell of a cook.”
“Yes. I remember she made the best apple pie I have ever tasted,” the nurse said with a smile. “She is sitting on the couch in the TV room over there, wearing the red sweat pants and the gray shirt.” Steve looked around the room, his eyes first went to Martin and then to the other patients sitting and staring at the television in silence. One was mistakenly looking at a wall, but he seemed to be enjoying his show just as much as the others enjoyed theirs.
Steve and Booger walked over to Martin. She was in her late eighties, with several strands of gray hair upon her balding head. Her face was thin and pale. She looked like she was wasting away one day at a time.
“Hello, Miss Flora. How are you today?” Steve asked.
She gave him a giant smile. “Hello, Peter. How are you? You sweet young thing.” She reached up and softly touched his cheeks as she said, “You are such a handsome young man.”
“Thank you. I’m good. I’ve just been thinking about all the bake sales you used to do for the church. Do you remember those days?”
“Oh, yes. I loved baking. I wish they would let me bake something in here every once in a while.”
“Me, too. Your apple pie is still the best I have ever eaten.” Steve played along, hoping this would help him get the information he needed. Besides, she seemed happy to have “Peter” visiting her; he saw no reason to take this little bit of joy away from such a kind, fragile woman.
“Do you remember that young woman who used to help with the bake sales? I can’t remember her name,” Steve gently prompted.
“Heather Walters. Never forgot that girl. She was such a treat to be around. Young, athletic, smart, and she had the most beautiful blonde hair.”
“Yeah. That’s her. Do you—”
Martin interrupted Steve as she stared blankly to her left. As if she were reading a teleprompter, she continued, “One thing about her I will never forget. She was the most organized person I ever met. Always had everything in its place. In all the years I worked with her, she was never once late to any sale, any meeting, or any service of any kind. I wish I was as organized as her.”
Steve glanced at Booger upon hearing this information. Booger nodded back.
Martin then seemed to gather her wits for a second. “I’m sorry. You were about to ask me something?”
“Never mind. It wasn’t important. We need to go now. It was good seeing you.”
“Good seeing you, too, Peter. Please tell your mother I said hello.”
As they got up from the couch, Booger whispered to Steve, “Ask her if she remembers the day Ashley was murdered.”
“Miss Flora, one last thing. Do you remember the day Heather’s friend Ashley Pinkerton was killed?”
“Of course, I do. What an awful, awful thing that was. That shook the nerve of everyone in town down to their core. To think, something like that could happen right here in Rogers County. I remember Heather was especially upset when she found out. As best I can recall, she had brought banana cream cupcakes to the bake sale that morning. I was eating one of the cupcakes when she got the phone call. She immediately broke down into tears. It was just plain horrible. Only word to describe it. Horrible.” She shook her head slowly as she spoke. It was the first time her spirits seemed low since they had arrived.
“Was Heather on time that day?” Booger asked.
“Yes, like I said. She was always on time, everywhere. She always arrived at 9:50 for the bake sales. Always ten minutes early to everything. I’m sure she was there at 9:50 that day as well.” Her mood improved as her mind shifted from Ashley’s murder back to the bake sale.
“It was good seeing you again, Miss Flora,” Steve said. “We have to go now. Have a good day.”
Martin put her arms out to hug him goodbye. Steve bent down and gave her a hug. She kissed him on the forehead and said, “Would you like to buy a cupcake, young man? We have banana
cream and red velvet this month.”
Steve smiled back at her. “No, thank you.”
After they walked out of the building, Steve said, “Well, she certainly didn’t seem to know who I was, but she seemed pretty clear about Walters and her timeliness.”
“Yeah,” Booger replied. “I have been around a few Alzheimer’s patients over the years; it runs in my family. They tend to have some lucid moments, at least in the middle stages. She is clearly still in the middle stages because toward the end they usually can’t even form a sentence. Don’t even use real words half the time they try to speak, just say a lot of gibberish. Some doctors call it ‘word soup.’”
“She was very clear in her speech and seemed certain of her memory,” Steve said.
Booger nodded. “Right. Now, let’s get to the sheriff’s office and look at that file.”
CHAPTER 33
When they arrived at the sheriff’s department, Steve and Booger checked in with the receptionist in the lobby. A few minutes later, Deputy Blackburn came out and directed them to a large conference room near the back of the building. There were several boxes on the table and a copy machine in the corner. A young deputy was sitting at the table, not actually paying attention to anything except his cell phone. When he noticed they had already walked in, he stood up quickly. In a rushed attempt to put his phone away, he dropped it onto the tile floor. His face reddened as the sound rattled through the room.
“We moved this machine in here this morning to make things easier on you,” Deputy Blackburn said, “and to make sure you aren’t leaving this room with anything except your copies. Like I said before, I don’t trust you damn defense attorneys, and I don’t want you taking anything with you or planting something in my files. This here is Deputy Parker. He drew the short straw this morning. So, he will be sitting outside the door watching every move you make until you are finished.”
The officers searched Steve and Booger. “Every time you come or go, Deputy Parker is going to search you,” Deputy Blackburn said. “Like I said, I don’t want you taking something and then claiming we lost it or hid it from you. Good day.” With that, Deputy Blackburn turned and walked out the door with Parker following just behind him. Parker sat in a chair in the hallway. He could see them through the plate glass door and windows, although he seemed more interested in his phone than watching them.
Steve and Booger stared at each other and then at all the boxes
stacked on the table.
“I’ll start at this end. You start down there,” Steve said.
“Okay. I think we should copy everything that looks remotely interesting. Never know what might matter once we dig into this stuff further,” Booger said.
Steve walked to the far end of the table and opened a box; at the same time, the door to the hallway opened again. Deputy Blackburn stuck his head in.
“One more thing,” Deputy Blackburn said. “I spoke to Whitmore about your threats. He confessed he was the one who sent them. He said to tell you he is very sorry and that you guys coming around just brought back tons of emotions he hadn’t felt in years about his sister’s death. He got freaked out and thought you might stop if he threatened you. He wants the whole thing to be over.” Deputy Blackburn continued after shooting a look at Steve, “He needs closure, and the final piece for him will be when your client is executed. I explained to him that his threatening you probably made you search more. He promised me he would stop. I honestly believe he will. I think he just still misses his sister.”
“Bullshit,” Steve replied. “The reason he threatened us is because he is the real killer. You need to go arrest him immediately.”
“He ain’t the killer. That scumbag you represent is. How many times do I have to tell you to get it through your thick skull?” Deputy Blackburn scowled. “Look in those files, and you will see there is no way he killed his sister. He was over at his parents’ house that morning. So, unless his parents are in on your grand conspiracy too, it wasn’t him.”
Steve and Booger looked at each other in astonishment. Neither had said it yet, but both had secretly determined Whitmore was their man. “Sorry to burst your bubble, gentlemen, but you represent the asshole who killed Ashley Pinkerton. No matter how hard you look for someone else, it is always going to keep coming back to him. Regarding Whitmore, it is my duty as an officer of the law to arrest him on those threats if you want me to do it. Say the word and I will go get him right now, but I would rather let him be. The man did lose his sister.”
“Don’t arrest him yet,” Steve said. “I want to see all of this evidence first.”
“Okay,” Deputy Blackburn said. He pulled his head back out of the door and left.
After about an hour, Steve found a file labeled “Eloise Blackburn.” Inside was one sheet of legal paper containing some handwritten notes. Based on all of the other documents he had looked at that day, Steve could tell the writing was Deputy Blackburn’s. The notes stated Blackburn’s grandmother had called him to let him know that he shouldn’t waste time looking into Heather Walters as a suspect. Heather was with her at the church bake sale when the murder occurred. On the top of the page, Deputy Blackburn had written: August 11, 2008, 8:17 a.m.
“Looks like both of Walters’ alibi witnesses have the same story,” Steve said, handing the file folder over to Booger so he could see the statement for himself.
“Yep. Cross her off the list.”
Steve made a copy of the file, and they both continued their search. A little while later, Steve received an email from the federal court clerk’s office. It stated that Emily was approved to assist as an additional investigator on the case. The court did not approve funding but did approve her helping in a pro bono capacity.
Steve called her to let her know the good news. “I just received an email from the federal court. You have been approved to work with us as long as you are willing to do it free of charge.”
“That’s great,” Emily said. “Of course, I will. I am hooked on this case and can’t wait to find out all the details.”
“When can you get started?”
“I can start now. Everything I’m working on here can wait until next week. Do you want me to come to Claremore and help you guys there?” Emily already knew they were in Claremore today as she and Steve had been spending quite a bit of time together in the evenings lately.
Steve looked at the yet-untouched boxes crowding the table. “Sure, there is a ton of stuff to go through here, and we only have today to accomplish the task. Also, if it’s not too demeaning, would you mind bringing us lunch? That would save us some valuable time.”
“As long as I get to do some real work, I don’t mind being your lunch girl, just this once,” Emily said teasingly. “Text me your orders, and I will go get sandwiches. I need to tie up a few loose ends here before I bail for a couple of days, but I’ll be there as quick as I can. I can’t wait to see you. Bye.”
Emily arrived a little over an hour later. They all greeted each other, and she handed out the deli-style sandwiches Steve and Booger had asked her to bring. The trio sat down at the table to eat. “Have you discovered anything interesting yet?” Emily asked.
“Only one thing,” Steve said. “It looks like Walters has a clear alibi. Two different witnesses place her at the Claremore Baptist
Church helping with a bake sale at the time of the murder.”
“That’s good news, right? One less person on the list.”
“Good and bad,” Steve said. “If we cross too many people off of the list, all we will be left with is Scottie.”
As everyone finished with their lunch, Emily said, “Time to get cracking, boys. Didn’t you say we have to be out of here by five? That gives us a little over four hours to finish up. My gut tells me we will find something in all these boxes that will help us. We just have to work for our reward.”
“I sure hope so,” Steve said with a new-found energy as he moved toward the box he was digging through before their lunch break began.
“What can I do to help?” Emily asked.
“Just pick a box on this end of the table. When we got here, we moved everything to this side. As we finish a box, we move it to the far end, so we know it has been examined.”
“Got it. Good plan. I guess you boys aren’t as dumb as you look,” Emily said, grinning.
Soon, they were all going through the boxes of information one page at a time. Each person would pull a sheet out, read its entirety for even the smallest clue, then place that sheet down and retrieve the next one from the box. If they found something they thought was even remotely helpful, they made a copy and labeled the document with a post-it note for easy future reference. The cycle continued for what seemed like days until, finally, Emily exclaimed, “I found something!”
Steve looked up to see she was holding a file in her hand.
“It is the sworn statement of Brent Whitmore. He says he was at his parents’ house the morning of the murder,” Emily explained. “It further states that he and his parents were on the back porch when they saw the police lights pull into Ashley and Scottie’s driveway.
He says he had ridden his four-wheeler up to visit them, so when he saw the lights, he immediately drove across the acreage to see what was going on at Ashley’s house.”
“That would explain why he showed up so quickly,” Steve said, “and it would explain why Deputy Blackburn is so sure he isn’t the one who killed Ashley.”
“It is at least a good story,” Booger said. “Is there a statement from either of his parents backing up his alibi?” “Not that I saw,” Emily said.
“We need to keep looking. That story seems almost too convenient for me,” Booger said. “If we don’t find a confirming statement from at least one of the parents, then I am still not sold. If Whitmore was the murderer, he would be smart enough to make up an alibi that explains why he showed up so quickly but also puts him far enough away at the time of the murder that it exonerates him.”
As 3:00 p.m. neared, the contents of nearly all of the boxes had been examined. Yet, they still hadn’t found anything else that looked material to their task.
“Emily, since it looks like we have plenty of time to finish here, why don’t you go to my house and start looking through my file,” Steve said. “You have a lot to catch up on to be up to speed with us on this case. The file is spread out in my dining room. On a yellow pad is an outline I prepared of the trial testimony. I would suggest you start there.”
Emily held out her hand. “Okay. Can I have your key?”
“I don’t carry a key to my house. I know it’s kind of weird, but I saw this movie once called Sex, Lies, and Videotape. James Spader played the main character in it. He had a theory that the more keys you carry around with you, the more baggage you have in your life. I thought that kind of made sense on some eccentric, karmic level, so I try to have as few keys as possible on my key ring. I get into my house using the garage door opener and I leave the door inside from there unlocked.” Noticing the look he was getting from the other two, Steve quickly said, “I do keep a key outside for situations like this, I leave it under a small Oklahoma Sooners yard gnome in a flower bed in my backyard. The gate to the right of the garage is unlocked. The gnome is to the left of the back door. Go through the gate, find the key, and then use it to get in the house. Once you get in, please put the key back in its place.”
“There are several layers to you, Mr. Hanson,” Emily said. “I can’t wait to unravel them all. Too bad we are coworkers now. You know I have a rule against dating coworkers. Right?” She winked at him and left.
It took Steve and Booger a couple more hours to finish going through the remaining boxes. After Emily had left, they found one more item of interest, which Steve carefully took a picture of. He looked forward to showing it to her when they met up at his house later.
CHAPTER 34
When Steve and Booger pulled up to Steve’s house, Emily was waiting on the front porch, smoking. She remained seated and put out her cigarette when she saw them pull up.
“How are my new partners doing?” Emily asked.
“Worn out,” Steve replied. “Hard to imagine how exhausting it can be sitting in one place, reading through pages and pages of investigation material. It’s not like we ran a marathon or something.”
“Yeah, too bad you didn’t have an outline to assist you. I was able to expedite the process here by using your notes and only looking at the information that was germane to our mission. I feel like I’m caught up with everything you know. All I need is for you to tell me exactly what Scottie has told you, and I will be completely in the circle. Did you guys find anything else of interest in the investigative file?”
“Kind of,” Steve said. “We found a piece of notebook paper where Deputy Blackburn noted the inconsistency of the door being intact and the 911 call claiming Scottie broke it.”
“So, he didn’t lie when he told you guys, he already considered that information?”
“I’m not sure if I would go that far just yet,” Steve said. “The paper the note was on seemed new compared to all the other handwritten notes in the files. I took a picture of it since we could only leave with copies. Let’s go inside, and I’ll show you what I mean.”
