He shakes his head. “He’s a contract killer; the best there is. But he’s not a serial killer.”
“I’m not speculating, Pete. I’m positive.”
“So take the proof that makes you so positive, show it to the judge, and get your case dismissed.”
“I have nothing to show the judge. But there’s no doubt in my mind.”
“Tell me how you know,” he says.
“We got one of the prisoners at County to talk. He said Lassiter arranged Randy Clemens’s murder.”
“You got someone to turn on Lassiter?” he asks, not concealing his incredulity.
I nod. “Marcus was persuasive with someone.”
He knows Marcus, so no further explanation is necessary. “So what are you asking me?”
“To help me catch him.”
Pete laughs, not the reaction I was hoping for. “Okay,” he says, “park over there and wait, and I’ll chase him toward you.”
“I’m serious, Pete. This guy keeps killing people; now might be a good time to get him off the streets.”
He’s now controlled himself to just a few chuckles. “Is he currently in the area?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I’ve got a feeling he might be. I know he was here the nights those people died.”
“Andy, you don’t know if he’s within a thousand miles of here. You have no evidence that he killed those people. What the hell do you want me to do, close the state borders?”
“Isn’t Lassiter already wanted for murder?” I ask.
“Of course. He was born wanted for murder.”
“So I’m a credible source telling you that I have information that he was recently in this area. Isn’t that enough for you to put out an APB or whatever the hell you guys put out?”
“You want me to go to my captain with this?”
I nod. “And tell him that somebody you trust, a goddamned officer of the court, came to you with this. Get him to send his picture out to every cop in the state. And get me a copy of his picture as well.”
“Come on, Andy . . .”
“What’s the downside, Pete? That he’s gone and we don’t find him?”
He nods. “Okay.”
Satisfied with this concession, I bail out of the trip to Charlie’s and drop him off at his house. When I get to my house, it’s almost midnight and Laurie is already in bed.
“Hi,” she says sleepily. “How did it go?”
“He said he’ll do the best he can.”
She smiles. “Good. Come to bed.”
I start to get undressed. “I forgot to tell you. Cindy’s getting married.”
“That’s nice,” she says, though I think she’s more intent on falling back to sleep than hearing what I’m saying.
“She says that when you know, you know.”
“Mmmm” is all she can muster, now almost completely out of it.
“I think she’s right about that. Don’t you?”
“Mmmm.”
I’ll take that as a yes.
• • • • •
CAPTAIN TERRY MILLEN is Tucker’s final witness and the one that ties his case up quite nicely. Millen was in charge of the murder investigation from the early point in which the state police were called in, and he had the most connection to Daniel of anyone in law enforcement.
The physical evidence has already been powerfully introduced, so Tucker will undoubtedly let Millen’s testimony focus on Daniel’s unique knowledge of the murders. His contention is that Daniel knew these things only because he was the killer, while our defense is that the killer was simply communicating the information to Daniel.
Before Millen takes the stand, I lose a heated argument during which I again oppose the introduction of testimony concerning the three other victims and especially photographs of them. This defeat makes it official: We have received no benefit at all from Tucker’s decision to limit the charges to the Padilla murder.
Tucker starts off Millen’s testimony by showing all of those photographs and letting the full impact of their gruesomeness inflame the jury. Daniel tries to obey my instructions to remain as impassive as possible, but I can tell from the look on his face that he is having an emotional reaction to them. I’m sure part of that reaction must be that he is aware the world thinks he is responsible for this carnage.
During a break, Daniel leans over to me. “Can I have copies of your files on the other victims besides Padilla?”
Until now, Daniel has been studying up on the Padilla murder but hasn’t come up with any helpful insights. He hasn’t looked at the other files because he hasn’t been charged with those murders. “Why?” I ask.
“I don’t know, maybe it will jog something in my mind. Some way to prove I couldn’t have been at one of the murders.” He shakes his head. “It’s not like I’ve got a lot of other things to do, you know?”
I agree to get him the copies, though I have little hope he’ll come up with anything at this late date.
The break ends, and Tucker again starts to question Millen. “When did you become involved in this case, Captain?”
“After the second murder, Mrs. Simonson. We were called in to consult. It was after the third murder-all we have for her name is Rosalie-that we took over, and I was officially placed in charge.”
“What did the defendant tell you about that murder?”
“He told us that she was murdered in her own apartment, that her hands were cut off, and that her body was left behind a particular Dumpster,” Millen says.
“Did the defendant say how he knew all of this?”
Millen nods. “Yes, he said that the killer phoned him and bragged about it.”