by Gayle Tiller
"I don't know Jazz. But I know that you'll find out."
"Okay, I'll do my best." I hung up the phone.
46
Why was Keith defending Kristal, when he had told me that she was bad news? Was it out of friendship? Perhaps, he knew something that I didn't.
The phone rang. It was Kristal and she was crying.
"Jasmine, they have me downtown and they're trying to say that I killed them. I loved Ralph and there absolutely is no way that I would ever kill him. He was my life. And the Chief and I were friends. I never even met Dan Fulton. They issued a search warrant for my home. Believe me, I am innocent."
"Kristal, I believe you. But I haven't found any evidence pointing to anyone else. Is there anyone who you can think of who had a motive to kill them?"
"I can't think of anyone. Jasmine, I need your help."
"You need to hire a good criminal defense attorney as soon as possible."
"I have some people working on that. They're trying to raise funds to hire James Colby."
"The James Colby?" James Colby was the best criminal defense attorney in Santa Clara County. He had gotten off the white firefighter who had been charged with killing the vice president of the African-American Coalition and won an acquittal for a San Jose State professor who was charged with killing his wife. He also had been involved with other high profile cases. If anyone could save Kristal, it was James Colby. Of course, he had his enemies. The African-American Coalition had called him a traitor to his race when he represented the white firefighter. Many African-American organizations had picketed his office and called for his resignation as a member of the Black Lawyers Association.
"Yes, that's him."
"Kristal, I'll see what I can do to find out who the real murderer is."
"Thanks, Jasmine."
I hung up the phone and called Sheila.
"Sheila, what's going on downtown?"
"You probably heard that they are trying to nail Kristal. More appro-priately, I should say your father is trying to nail her."
"Yeah, I heard the news."
"People in the community think that she is being framed and the real culprit is within the fire department. No one is even investigating that possibility."
"I'm investigating it. Who do you think killed them?"
"I don't know. But I know it wasn't Kristal."
47
"How do you know that?"
"It's a gut feeling."
"Is it because Kristal is African-American and a community leader?"
"Come on Jazz, you know me better than that. I'm not coming to Kristal's defense simply because she's black."
"Sorry, Sheila. I just don't have any leads. I'm hitting a blank wall. If you find out anything, let me know."
"Sure thing. Anyway, I need to get back to work."
"I'll talk to you later."
Both Keith and Sheila had defended Kristal. Kristal also had proclaimed her innocence, but that didn't mean anything. What motivation did she have to kill the three victims? Unless the search warrant came up with evidence, I sincerely doubted that Kristal had killed them.
But this case was becoming a waste of my time. I wasn't going anywhere. Every time, I tried to find out information from someone with answers that person was killed.
I never told anyone that I was going to interview the Chief. That's not true. His secretary had answered the phone and I had identified myself.
After I spoke with him, he probably told her about his meeting with me.
God knows how many people she told.
Also, prior to going to Dan Fulton's home, I asked firefighter Dan Robinson for his address. But I had gotten to Fulton's home within 45
minutes. Even if Robinson had leaked the information, it's unlikely that anyone could have acted on it in such a short period of time.
Wait a second, I also asked George Stone about Dan Fulton. He had given me information about where Dan worked. Perhaps, he leaked the information. That would have bought the killer at least an hour and half to act.
Besides the three victims being firefighters, I didn't see any link. There had to be something else. Was it Kristal? I didn't think so. What did firefighters do together besides saving lives and putting out fires? There had to be a deeper connection.
* * *
When I got to Chief Carpenter's office, I greeted the secretary. "Hi, we met the last time I was here."
She looked down at her name plate Lydia Ramirez and mumbled,
"Yeah, I remember we met on the day of the Chief's death."
"Lydia, I am really sorry."
"His death really hurts a lot. I have known the Chief for a long time. It has been hard on everyone."
48
A long time. He just started working in Oakland. She must have known him from San Jose.
I paused and slowly asked, "So you used to work with the Chief in San Jose."
"Yeah, I was his executive secretary in San Jose for eight years. When he got the job here, he asked me to follow him. He was such a wonderful boss. So of course, I followed him."
I looked into Lydia eyes and said, "Do you remember when I called a few days ago and I identified myself as being a private investigator."
"Yes, I forwarded your call to the Chief."
"Lydia, I need to know whether you told anyone that I had called him."
Her eyes looked down at her name plate. Lydia then flashed her eyes at me and said, "No, all of his calls are confidential."
"I need to know the truth. Who did you tell that I called?"
"I told you no one. Don't you understand trust? Why are you asking these questions?"
"Look, within forty-eight hours of my call, the Chief was murdered. I believe that the murderer wanted to kill the Chief before I had a chance to see him."
"Ms. Myers, I told you that I didn't tell anyone. And besides, I understand that the suspected murderer Kristal Woods is currently being questioned by the police. I don't understand why you are interrogating me."
"Lydia, do you think Kristal Woods killed the Chief, her husband, and Dan Fulton?"
"I have no idea. But hell, anyone is capable of murder."
"Why would she kill them?"
"I have no idea."
"Was Kristal involved with the Chief?"
"Absolutely not."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I know."
"Don't give me some b.s. answer that you know."
"I have known the Chief for eight years and it is impossible for him to have been involved with Kristal."
"Why? She's a very attractive woman. And you're not with the Chief twenty-four hours a day. Hell, you never know what goes on behind closed doors."
49
"Ms. Myers, I am not only the Chief's secretary, but I am also his confidant and friend. Very few people knew the Chief. I can say unequivoc-ally that he was not involved with Kristal."
My eyes narrowed and looked at her directly in the face.
I said, "Tell me, how do you know?"
"Ms. Myers, I know, because quite frankly the Chief was gay."
"I take it that he was in the closet."
"Yes, the Chief was discreet about his sexual orientation. He was very careful never to be seen in public with his male companions. In fact, when asked about who he was dating, he would fabricate some woman's name. At one time, there was even a rumor that he and I were dating."
"I don't understand why he would hide his sexual orientation. This is the bay area not Orange County."
"Come on, Ms. Myers you can't be that naïve. The Chief was not in San Francisco. He was in San Jose. Don't you remember the campaign against the Domestic Partners Registry? You know that it was voted down by a landslide. And you must know how homophobic the African-American community is. So the Chief wasn't about to come out here in Oakland."
"Okay, I see your point. So do you know anyone who had a motive to kill the Chief?"
"I told you before, that I have no
idea."
"What about an ex-lover?"
"The Chief's companion of five years just died of AIDS a few months ago. He was devastated by his loss."
"Did the Chief have AIDS?"
Lydia's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what that has do with anything, but no he was HIV negative."
"Did people know about his companion?"
"Only a handful people knew about him."
"Thank you for your time."
"Sure. I would like you to keep this information in confidence out of respect for the Chief."
"Yes, I will."
The Chief was gay. Did this fact have anything to do with the case?
What was his connection to Kristal besides her being Ralph's wife? Why would anyone want to murder him? Kristal couldn't have murdered him. She had no motive unless there was something else.
50
8
Chapter
New Chapter
There was a message on my answering machine from my father. He said,
"We just booked Kristal. If you have any questions, call me."
I dialed his number and said, "Dad, I got your message."
"Your client has some explaining to do. We found a bottle of penicillin in her desk at her house and it's identical to the penicillin that killed Ralph."
"Dad, that doesn't mean anything. Did you ask Kristal what the penicillin was used for?"
"She said she had a bladder infection a few months ago."
"Sounds reasonable to me."
"Jasmine, you are not hearing me. I said we found the penicillin in her desk. Why would she keep it in her desk? People keep medicine in the medicine cabinet."
"Dad, that is such flimsy evidence. Do you have any other evidence?"
"We also found bleach and ammonia in her kitchen cabinet. We're in the process of testing it to see if it's the same kind that killed Dan Fulton."
"Dad, I can't believe you. Probably everyone in San Jose has bleach and ammonia."
"Jazz, I don't know about that. Anyway, the clincher is that she had ordered the same pizza from Real Pizza so she could switch pizzas with the Chief and lace it with Death Cap mushrooms."
"Dad, how would Kristal gain access to the Chief's house?"
"Look, we are currently combing the Chief's house for evidence. Who knows how she got in, but I believe she did it."
"Anything else?"
"Jazz, I forgot to tell you one very important fact. When we went into her bedroom, we found a book that was checked out from the San Jose library two weeks prior to the Chief's death."
"So she checked out a book. What does that have to do with anything?"
51
"Darling daughter, the title of this book is The Art of Picking Mushrooms."
Jesus Christ! What the hell was Kristal doing with this book? I knew that I needed to talk to her now to find out what was going on.
I swallowed hard and said, "So what. Dad, what is the motive? It doesn't make sense that Kristal would go to the police if she were the murderer."
"Jazz, you know that Ralph was a city employee."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"There's the city's life insurance policy."
"Dad, so what if there's life insurance. Again, why would Kristal go to the police? All she would have to do is file a claim with the city."
"Jazz, I guess you haven't been following the news."
"On what?"
"Less than a month ago, there was a new life insurance policy negoti-ated for all of the city's public safety officers."
"I don't see how that is relevant."
"Jazz, let me finish. Under the new life insurance policy, the beneficiary of a public safety officer who is killed on the job gets $250,000. This is five times the amount that a beneficiary would normally receive."
"Dad, I still don't think that Kristal would kill for money."
"Oh yes you would, when you're in as much credit card debt as Kristal is."
"Dad, Kristal and Ralph just bought a house so her debt can't be that bad."
"Jazz, you should have checked with the County Recorder's office. The house is only in Ralph's name. Kristal's credit is so bad that she can't even get a loan for a pair of sneakers."
"How much debt is she in?"
"At least 35 grand."
Shit, the check she gave me better not bounce.
"If Kristal were in so much debt, she could just file for bankruptcy."
"No, she couldn't do that."
"Why? Has she filed before?"
"No, nothing like that. Kristal is really into public image. She would be too embarrassed that someone might find out."
"So she would kill her husband for money. Sure being labeled a murderer will do her public image a lot of good."
"She didn't expect to be caught."
52
"If Kristal killed her husband for money, why did she kill the Chief and Dan Fulton?"
"As a part of her plot to mislead the police."
"How?"
"Daughter, I can't believe you can't see it. Kristal killed her husband to collect the insurance money. She then murdered the Chief and Dan Fulton to make it look like there was a killer who was out to kill firefighters. Her plan was that the murders would remain unsolved and she would collect the life insurance money."
"Dad, I still don't believe she did it."
"Jazz, stop being naïve. I suggest that you start preparing your client."
"For what?"
"The death penalty."
Dad's words struck me like he had punched me in the stomach. I was too dumbfounded to say anything for a few seconds. I mumbled goodby and hung up the phone.
I felt sick to my stomach and what I needed to calm my nerves was a shot of whiskey. This case was full of so many holes and it would soothe my pain. But the last thing, I needed was to go on a drinking binge. No, as much as I wanted a drink, I just couldn't go off and lose everything. I needed to focus on the case and instead of a one night stand of drinking.
Sure at first glance, the life insurance policy looked like it could be a motive. But Ralph must have married Kristal knowing her credit problems. Hell, they had been married for over three years and suddenly Kristal is going to kill him so she could be debt free. I don't think so.
Of course, there was the possibility that Ralph was planning to leave Kristal for another woman. In that case, Kristal would have a motive to kill him. But that scenario didn't make sense with the new baby and the house.
No, nothing was adding up.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, I was at Elmwood Women's Jail in a closet sized interview room. The guard brought out Kristal who was dressed in a shapeless orange jumpsuit. Her eyes were bloodshot and her breath smelled of stale vomit. Her hair was thrown haphazardly in a loose ponytail. "Jasmine, they took me in a couple hours ago. I have a bad case of morning sickness and I can't stop crying. Why is your father doing this to me?"
53
"Kristal, you know that they found the penicillin, the ammonia and bleach and the book on picking mushrooms. They feel they have a solid case."
"That's not evidence. It's bullshit. They don't have anything. Penicillin that I took for a bladder infection. Ammonia and bleach, come on that does not make me a murderer."
"What about the book Kristal?"
"So I have an interest in picking mushrooms. I have been picking mushrooms for years."
"Goddamn Kristal that is not going to help your case."
"Look, it's just a coincidence that the Chief died from Death Cap mushrooms."
"Right and it is just a coincidence that you know the difference between Death Cap mushrooms and the non-lethal similar type of mushroom?"
"I did not kill him."
"Why did you order the same pizza as the Chief on the night of his death?"
"For the past five years, I have ordered mushroom, bell pepper, and pepperoni pizza from Real Pizza on a regular basis. I can't help it that the
Chief and I have the same tastes."
"Did you have a relationship with the Chief?"
"Absolutely not."
"Are you sure?"
"The Chief was gay."
"How do you know that?"
"Because he confided in me and Ralph. Besides us and his secretary, no one else knows. The Chief was really discreet, because he was afraid of the backlash. You know how gays aren't tolerated in the department."
"What about you and Dan Fulton?"
"Please, gimme a break. That racist punk. You have to be kidding."
I felt a sigh of relief. At least, Kristal's statement was consistent with George Stone's assessment of Dan Fulton.
"Kristal, do you have credit problems?"
"Who doesn't?"
"I'm not talking about being a few thousand dollars in debt. You're over $35,000 in debt."
"I'm making payments."
"Isn't it true that your credit is bad?"
54
"Jasmine, I don't know why you are asking me these questions. It's not like my credit history is a secret."
"Kristal, didn't you kill your husband to get out of credit card debt?"
"That is absolutely ludicrous!"
"With $250,000, you'd be debt free with over $200,000 in your pocket."
"Look, I have done a lot of things that I am not proud of. But I would never kill my husband. Not over money and not for any other reason."
"What about over another woman?"
"No way. I would leave him first. Killing him would be stupid and barbaric."
"Isn't it true, that Ralph was going to leave you?"
"Absolutely not."
"And if he was, what would you do?"
"Beg for him to come back."
"And if he didn't, you would kill him. Right?"
"Absolutely not. I am not a murderer. I did not kill my husband or anyone else."
"Isn't it true, that you killed the Chief and Dan Fulton to cover up your murder of Ralph?"
"Absolutely not. Jasmine, I don't know what your problem is. I hired you to find Ralph's murderer and now you're turning on me."
"Kristal, if you didn't kill them, who did?"
"Jasmine, if I knew my ass wouldn't be sitting here in jail. God knows, being eight weeks pregnant, jail is the last place that I want to be."