Murder Never Sleeps

by Douglas Hall

  “You were about to tell us what drove Pastor Paul to revisit history and become a partner in the money laundering scam. Of all people, you would think he knew better,” King said.

  "One would think so, but it was not Paul’s decision. I knew who orchestrated the money flow with Pastor Sammy and in desperation contacted them. Sammy Pines was financially sinking through lack of money and deeply in debt. Foreclosure was on the horizon, and it would just be a matter of time unless something wasn’t done quickly.

  “Paul had no interest in finances. He can’t even read or understand a balance sheet. All he is interested in is to have enough to feed his life style and excesses. Everything else about the running of Sammy Pines fell to me.”

  It was the first time Brockhurst referred to Proctor without the preferential ‘pastor’. It wasn’t missed by West or King. Later on, they were to mention it to Culpepper. He termed it ‘a watershed’ moment.

  Brockhurst continued on without missing a beat, "Shortly after opening Sammy Pines, it soon became an open well for money to disappear into. Paul’s indifference and uncontrolled spending didn’t help.

  “Everything had to be top-drawer, and he wouldn’t curtail his excesses in spite of my warnings. When the financial support realised from Child Waiting, Sammy Pines bookings and the giving started to fall off, he panicked and told me to do something and do it quick. Sammy Pines was on the brink of going under, and the suggestion for allowing our banking accounts to be accessed with no questions asked, in return for a monthly deposit, was the answer.”

  “Didn’t you, with your past experience, spot it as money laundering?” West asked.

  “I preferred to call it unorthodox financing. No one got hurt and everyone benefitted.”

  “Whatever, call it what you want, but it brought down both proctors.”

  “You say financial support was eroding…” King said, “what about Cindy Madison’s financial support? It was four figures and had jumped by $5,000 a month recently?”

  “Aren’t we about finished?” Brunson asked in exasperated tone.

  “I will be when the question is answered.”

  “Get on with it,” Brunson replied without enthusiasm.

  “She was a godsend, and by then, our largest supporter. Everything was working out smoothly until she rebelled, became uncontrollable and…” Brockhurst stopped in mid-sentence.

  “Go on,” ordered West.

  “You have said quite enough. Say no more!” Brunson ordered.

  “And what Miss Brockhurst?” King took over and kept up the pressure.

  “She had become a major threat to Paul and had to be silenced.” The room was electric with tension.

  “How did a Canadian young woman ever get from Canada to Alabama and become so immersed in an organisation such as Sammy Pines?”

  "She met Paul when he was conducting a crusade in a large church in her city. She came every night. You couldn’t miss her, she sat in the first or second row of pews, all by herself, and couldn’t take her eyes off him. Paul always had an eye for adoring young girls and asked me to see if she would like to meet him one night after the meeting.

  “I did and that’s when it all started. She began turning up at his crusades in neighbouring cities and they became friends.”

  “Was it just friends?” King asked.

  “Do you mean did they have a relationship?”

  “Are you asking if they had an affair, the answer to the best of my knowledge is no.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because when we were on the road, I never let him out of my sight or alone with any female.”

  “Is that when the decision to murder her was made?”

  Brockhurst stiffened and stared at West and then King, “I did not murder that girl!”

  “Somehow, I have a problem believing you,” West said with conviction. “Final question. Did you assist in the dismemberment of Cindy Madison’s body and hiding the parts in the flowerpots?”

  Brunson stood up defiantly, “Do not answer that question. This is not a request, it is a demand. Answer it and you can find yourself another lawyer.” He was later to tell her that she had just given away most of his bargaining chips which he could have used for her defence.

  “Very well and we thank you,” West replied, “but if counsel will allow, there is one more nagging question that only you can answer.”

  “What is that?” growled Brunson.

  “It has nothing to do with your client’s defence or her recorded responses. Deputy King and I would be interested in her reply to a one-word question, and the word is ‘why’?”

  Brunson was about to whisper in Brockhurst’s ear when she waved him off.

  “Because I loved him and promised his father that I would look after him. He once told me that if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew how to preach, he didn’t know how he would make a living. He once said he couldn’t even sell shoes, and I knew that to be true. He never graduated from high school. His teacher was his father, and he taught him how to con the gullible into opening their purses and wallets. He graduated at the top of his class in how to spend the money that came pouring in with no accounting. Paul had no one but me. His mother and father were completely useless when it came to raising an only child. All they did was indulge his every whim. If it wasn’t for me, he would have been a complete disaster. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done for him.”

  “Does that include murdering a young girl and disposing of her body?” West asked.

  The question took Brockhurst completely by surprise and incurred Brunson’s ire, “Don’t respond to that question. This interrogation is over!” Brunson closed his notebook and stood up, “We are done here.”

  West glared at Brunson and barked, “Not so fast, counsellor, we’ll say when we are done here.”

  “What more do you want?”

  “I’ll ask Deputy King to tell you that after he turns the recorder back on,” West nudged King’s foot.

  “For the record, Miss Brockhurst, did you murder Cindy Madison and assist Pastor Paul Proctor in the dismembering and hiding of the remains in the ceramic flower pots ringing Sammy Pines’ administration veranda?”

  “NO! I did not.”

  Twenty-Three

  THE INTERVIEW with Pastor Paul Proctor began with Brunson cautioning West and King that they were forbidden to interject what transpired during the Brockhurst interview in order to stimulate rebuttal or enhance a response. He didn’t have to be told that these two would be past masters in the art of pitting one person against the other in order to sow discord and obtain information which would never come forth if they were united.

  The tone was adversarial from the beginning as Proctor answered the opening questions with one-word answers usually ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

  King had taken the early lead and let Proctor have his way until his features hardened and he slammed his file shut and snapped, “Pastor Proctor, I have no intention wasting my time with your defensive attitude and asinine responses. Unless you show some common sense, this interview is over!”

  “I am just following the advice of my lawyer.”

  Fixing Brunson with a dagger-like stare King replied, “Well, I suggest that your lawyer rethink his advice, and you start cooperating.”

  Brunson leaned close to Proctor’s ear.

  Taking a deep breath Proctor said, “I am only answerable to God, not man; however, I will do my best to reply to your questions as best I can.”

  “Let’s start with why you were charged and are currently residing in a cell. Did you murder Cindy Madison and dismember her body?”

  Brunson expected the question but not this early in the interview.

  With a resounding response Proctor said, “As God is my witness, no! I did not murder her.”

  “Prior to her death, did you rape her?”

  Again, with rising anger, Proctor fixed King with a withering stare. “No!” he thundered, “I do not rape women.
I never had to.”

  “Did you dismember Cindy Madison’s body in the boathouse?”

  “How long do I have to endure this inquisition and groundless questions, Gaylord?”

  “I’ll answer that question,” King said, “for as long as I and Deputy West wish to ask them. I’ll put the question to you once more. Did you dismember Cindy Madison’s body in the boathouse?”

  Brunson shook his head.

  “I take the 5th on that one.”

  King smiled, “I expected that. What took you so long? Now, I will let Deputy West take over. I believe he has some questions about the money laundering scam that took your father down which you resurrected for Sammy Pines.”

  “When we examined the Sammy Pines’ hard drives that we seized, including those on your and Miss Brockhurst’s laptops, there were no financial files to be found. Everything was wiped clean. Care to explain?”

  “I never have had any access to the office computers. I assume they held Sammy Pines files but,” Proctor shrugged his shoulders, “I can’t tell you something I don’t know. I am a novice on the computer. I can barely write and save my sermons.”

  “What about the directory files we found on your laptop?”

  “What about them?”

  “There were no financial files, not even your personal files. I find that curious.”

  “Why?”

  “I keep all my financial records computerised and check them against deposits, withdrawals, monthly bank statements and daily stock market reports. I want to know at all times what my balances are. Don’t you?” It was an exaggeration, but it sounded good and made a point.

  Proctor pursed his lips and shook his head, “As long as I have a positive balance and money to spend, I am happy. I have more things to take up my interest than mundane financial matters.”

  “I leave that all to Brock. She is a whiz at financial matters. I just turn over my statements and receipts and tell her how much I need next time she goes to the bank.”

  “What about the financial picture for Sammy Pines?”

  “What about it?”

  “Do you know if it is in the red or black or by how much?”

  Brunson whispered.

  “I take the 5th on that question.”

  West scowled. Turning to Brunson he sternly asked, “Is your client going to fall back on that old chestnut?”

  “He knows his rights.”

  “I cannot imagine that the files we are interested in were not backed up on external hard drives prior to being wiped. Where are those files?”

  “You tell me,” Proctor growled.

  West leaned into Proctor’s face, “You tell me, Pastor Paul. I am getting weary of playing games with you.”

  “I take the 5th,” a smile played over Proctor’s face.

  West and King had experienced more than their fair share of difficult individuals. Proctor was nearing the top of their list.

  Deciding to throw him off West used his wild card.

  Swinging his gaze to Brunson West asked, “Did you tell your client that Miss Brockhurst was forthcoming?”

  Proctor turned awkwardly and pulled at his shackled hand to look at Brunson, “What’s he saying?”

  “I’ll answer that for you,” West quickly cut in before Brunson could respond, “she soon realised the wisdom of being honest and answering all our questions.” As an addendum he threw in, “The district attorney will be impressed when we tell him.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday when you came to see me and tell me what to expect?”

  “I decided to wait until I heard what these two had up their sleeves.”

  “Did you now,” replied Proctor as the deep purple carotid next artery engorged and pulsated. Swinging back to look at West he demanded, “And just how satisfactory did Brock cooperate?”

  “I’ll let your lawyer tell you that.”

  Proctor rattled the restraining handcuff, “Well, Gaylord?”

  “Very well. In return for becoming a witness for the prosecution she accepted a deal.”

  Proctor’s face turned crimson, “She rolled on me!”

  “She was panic stricken when I told her that Alabama ranked third in the nation for having convicted felons on death row. She is charged with being an accessory after the fact doesn’t want to be one of them if you are convicted,” Brunson said in a low voice.

  “She rolled on me,” wailed Proctor, “the bitch rolled on me.”

  “Now is your chance to have the death penalty taken off the table,” West said. “Tell us what we want to know, and we’ll see what we can do for you with the district attorney.”

  Proctor’s expression became one of defiance, “Go to hell! You only have her word, and she is a bloody liar. If anybody is guilty of anything, it is her. The money washing was her idea, and she ran everything just like she has run me for all these years. I know nothing about a murder or cover-up. Ask her if you want to know!”

  “We have and she told us everything we asked her with one exception,” West said.

  “And just what was that?” Brunson asked.

  “We wanted to know where the money came from that was deposited into Sammy Pines general account, withdrawn within 24 hours and another deposit was made into your client’s account.”

  “If my client knows, I don’t believe he is willing to give up that information at this point in time,” Brunson offered on behalf of Proctor.

  Proctor looked quizzically at Brunson, “Answer me. Did Brock tell them anything about the money?”

  “I will fill you in on just what Brock had to say later when we can talk in private.”

  “We know the card you are playing, so don’t try to bluff us,” King said.

  “And just what is that card, deputy?”

  “It’s your high card, and you don’t want to give it up. If you do, you’ll have nothing to bargain with when crunch time comes.”

  Brunson shrugged, “We shall see.”

  King was more than comfortable with West’s line of questioning and the responses it elicited. Classic interrogation was mother’s milk to him, and he was witnessing the best.

  “You know what I think?” West asked.

  “Frankly, I am not interested in what you think. I only deal in absolutes,” Brunson retorted.

  “Let me tell you what both of us think,” West continued without commenting on Brunson’s pedantic offering, “your client, and his lady in waiting, panicked, and one of them had the foresight to realise that sooner or later, the next thing on our agenda would be to seize the computers. So the sensible thing to do would be to delete all financial files. And there was not a damn financial file that we could find.”

  “I could have told you that and saved you all that effort,” Proctor offered with a smug superior smile. “You have nothing to connect me or Sammy Pines to any money laundering.”

  “Why don’t you tell him, counsellor?”

  Brunson cleared his throat, “They have hard copy of everything that was on those files.”

  Proctor’s jaw dropped, “What do you mean they have everything? How could they?”

  “They had a mole in your office, and she copied all the financial files going back over the last number of years and especially the bank statements and general ledger. They also have copies of your personal banking files with the deposits and withdrawals.”

  “How could they access them?”

  “Everything was done by the book. Sheriff Culpepper received search warrants for us,” West calmly offered.

  Brunson looked at Proctor and received a blank stare in return.

  “Pastor Proctor, you are what they call a man of God, and you can’t lie. Am I correct?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Then please tell me where the USB flash drives are. I am assuming there are more than one. We would like them just to make sure we have everything.”

  Ignoring West’s comment and request, he addressed Brunson, “Does Brock know all this
?”

  “Yes, she knows everything and so do they.”

  “Who was the mole?”

  “The new girl Brock recruited to help out in the office…Bethany Walker.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Let me fill in the blanks,” West offered. “She works for me, and her real name is Mandy Perkins. As I told Miss Brockhurst, she was following my orders with the full approval of Sheriff Culpepper.”

  Proctor exhaled all the air that was in his lungs.

  “Say no more,” Brunson cautioned.

  King looked at West, “I just have one more question from Pastor Proctor.”

  West knew what it was since they had pre-planned it to be the last question.

  “Ask it because I am finished,” said King.

  West was ready with, “Who received your permission to make use of your banking accounts both personal and business, set up the money transfers from the Liechtenstein bank into Sammy Pines general account and your personal account and make unidentified withdrawals?”

  “I take the 5th and refuse to answer.”

  “You will have to answer that question sooner or later, so why not now? It could save you a lot of trouble later on.”

  Calling out to the guard at the rear of the room, West said, “You can return Pastor Proctor to his cell. We have nothing further to ask him – at this time.”

  While he waited for his handcuff to be removed, Proctor looked upward into West’s face and said, “You are very hard man and so is your partner.”

  “We are just doing our job,” West replied.

  Twenty-Four

  FROM DAY ONE, Culpepper had given West and King priority over all others. He welcomed their reports which were professional and complete and was also impressed with their interviewing skills as he listened to the recordings. There were only two left for him to hear. Hopefully, they would allow him to stamp ‘closed’ on the Cindy Madison murder and money laundering files.

  As soon as West and King arrived in his office, he instructed Bain that under no circumstances was he to be interrupted as he listened to the Brockhurst and Proctor’s interviews. While King set up his recorder, Culpepper settled back comfortably in his chair to listen and take notes. Typically, he didn’t interrupt with comments or questions. The only body movements were the twirling of thumbs and bridging of fingers.