“If it was an accident!” Larry thundered.
Hissops said, “We’ll tell you the details once we’re sure about what we have.”
“Do you think it wasn’t an accident?” Jamie asked.
“I can’t say without knowing more,” Decker said. “Dana told us one thing. I want to see what Snowe has to say. He’s being picked up right now by one of my colleagues. I’m going down to interview him.” If he hasn’t bolted.
“What should we do?” Berinson asked.
“Stay right where you are and keep taking care of your daughter. She’s doing better than anyone thought because you two are around her, giving her support and love.”
Larry said, “You’d better keep me up to date. I want to know everything.”
Hissops said, “Of course, sir. We understand.”
Jamie took out a tissue and dabbed her eyes. She said, “We’d better be getting back, Larry. I don’t want her waking up and not finding us there.”
“You go. I’ll be there in a minute.” After his wife left, Larry said, “If this guy left her to die, I want him strung up by his balls.”
“We will take care of it, sir,” Decker said. “Just take care of your daughter.”
“I’m just telling you what will happen.”
“I get it. If he’s guilty, he’ll pay.”
“I’ll remember you said that.”
“No problem.” After Larry left, Decker looked at the kid. “Your throat okay?”
“I’m coming back with you, boss. Don’t even try to talk me out of it.”
Hissops said, “I’ll stick around until we get a rotation for a cop on Dana. Besides, maybe she’ll be up again. And I want to make sure that Larry Berinson stays put. Last thing we need is a vigilante.”
“He’s just venting,” Decker said. “I’d feel the same way. But it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on him. If Dana does tell you something new, let me know. I’ll bring you up to speed on Snowe after we’re done with the interview. It may take some time.”
“I know how that goes. Just make sure he doesn’t give you a snow job.”
Hissops smiled at his pun while Decker and McAdams groaned. But it broke the tension and for that Decker was very grateful.
Chapter 36
The ride back to Greenbury was silent and tense. Finally, Decker couldn’t take it. “Call up the station house. Find out why it’s taking so long to pick up Snowe.”
McAdams took out his cell. “No reception.”
“You’re kidding me.” Decker put pedal to the metal.
“Slow down,” McAdams said. “When is Scott Oliver due into town?”
“Sometime tomorrow. I haven’t told Rina yet. She’ll think I’m silly.”
“No, she won’t. It’s the right thing to do. Who’s watching Rina now?”
“She’s with people until I get back.” Decker took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You know, you’re doing a lousy job of calming me down. Now I’m thinking about Snowe and Rina.”
“I didn’t know I was your Zen master.”
“Okay. So I’m taking it out on you. Deal.”
“No prob, boss.”
Decker’s cell rang through the Bluetooth. He depressed the button. The call came through the speaker. “Kevin?”
“We got him,” Kevin said.
McAdams gave his hands a single clap. “We’re about a half hour out of town.”
“Is that you, kid?”
“Yeah, just can’t get rid of me, Butterfield.”
“Just as long as you’re not my responsibility,” Kevin said. “Do you want me to charge Snowe with something? Otherwise, we can’t hold him.”
“Right now all we’re asking for is his cooperation.”
“He’s not in a cooperative mood. He’s already asked for a lawyer. He insists that he’s already told us everything he knows about Delilah Occum.”
“He thinks it’s about Delilah, then?”
“Yes, and I haven’t told him differently.”
“Obviously he doesn’t know that Dana is talking. So let him think it’s about Occum. Don’t tell him about Dana.”
“Decker, with regards to Occum we have nothing to hold him. What if the lawyer demands we charge him or let him go?”
“Okay. If it comes to that and you have to play our hand, yes, hold him on the car crash. And if you have to charge him, go full force: failure to report a near lethal accident, leaving the scene of a car crash, possession of controlled substances. Let him know he’s not going anywhere soon.”
“You can’t talk to him without his legal eagle.”
“We can’t question him without his legal eagle. But I can talk to McAdams with Snowe in the room. And if he’s the least bit interested, he can listen to what we’re saying.”
As Decker walked into the station house, Kevin Butterfield said, “Snowe’s lawyer is with him now. She just arrived about five minutes ago.” He turned to McAdams. “Good to have a resident lawyer on our side.”
“Do you mean him or me?”
“God forbid he means me,” Decker said.
“You, at least, graduated.”
Butterfield said, “The woman’s from Hamilton County. I doubt she went to Harvard Law School.”
“Hate to break it to you, Butterfield, but sometimes those second-tier guys can run rings around the academics. Those guys and gals are on the battlefields.” Decker was heading toward the interview room. McAdams took a couple of big strides to keep up with him. “Should I exaggerate my limp to make her feel sorry for me?”
“You don’t limp.”
“I do when it suits me.”
Decker smiled and opened the door to the room. A gorgeous woman in her early thirties looked up—long brown hair, brown eyes, and a face perfectly made up to enhance her naturally good looks. She wore a black pants suit, white shirt, and heels. “Excuse me, we’re not done.”
“Sorry.” Decker held up his hands. “Just letting you know I’m here—”
“Can you close the door behind you?” she said.
“And you are . . .”
“Felicia Estrella.” Anglicized as the L sound instead of the Y sound. “Please leave.”
“Sure.” Decker closed the door. Softly he said, “I’m thinking she has some issues with the police.”
“What better time to use the limp?”
Decker laughed. He went to his desk. “It might be a while, Harvard.”
“Then now’s the time to show you my party pictures including the two pervs.”
“Yeah, right. That reminds me. I want to check up on Rina and see what Carter and Diaz have been up to.” Decker sat at his desk and phoned his wife. “Hey, how are you?”
“Wading in pots of chicken soup.”
“Where are you?”
“At Hillel. I’m cooking it here because everything is industrial size.”
“Tell me you’re not alone.”
“I have anywhere from three to six people with me at all times except for bathroom breaks. I’m fine, Peter. Stop worrying.”
“No sign of you know who?”
At that moment, Kevin came over. “They’re waiting for you.”
Decker stood up. “Honey, I have to go. I’ll call when I’m free again. Don’t you dare go anywhere without a posse.” He hung up. “C’mon, Mr. Gimp. Let’s get going.”
“Just call me Chester.”
“You’re way too young to remember Gunsmoke.”
“There are these things called classic TV channels. I used to love westerns.”
“You? Westerns?”
“I loved anything that was diametrically opposed to my childhood: no brains and all brawn. Everything I wasn’t, pard. I used to dream of being a real hero. Why do you think I became a cop?”
“I thought it was to spite your dad.”
“That, too.”
Snowe was dressed in jeans and a yellow T-shirt. A gray hoodie rested on the back of his chair. His facial bruises had faded. Decker
took a quick glance at his hands. There was nothing to suggest that he had been in a pitched battle with another person. His manner seemed subdued compared to the last interview.
After he and McAdams introduced themselves, Felicia Estrella did the staredown. Her voice was still hard. “Mr. Snowe’s days of cooperation are waning, Detective McAdams. The first time you talked to Mr. Snowe about the disappearance of Delilah Occum, he was very forthcoming. Now it’s beginning to look like harassment. So either charge him or we’re leaving.”
“Decker.” He pointed to the kid. “He’s McAdams. New developments, Ms. Estrella. We need to ask your client a couple of questions.”
Felicia was unfazed by her identification error. “What developments?”
“We’ll talk about Delilah Occum, but not just yet.” Decker sat down and zeroed in on Cameron Snowe. He kept his voice even and neutral. “Cameron, I want to talk to you about a near-fatal car accident involving a young woman who was almost killed. She came out of her coma last night.” Decker waited. “Is this ringing any bells?”
The kid looked stunned.
To Estrella, Decker said, “Her name is Dana Berinson and she had something very interesting to say to us about your client.”
Felicia looked at Cameron. “Do you know what they’re talking about?”
Snowe had paled, but he managed to find his voice. “No idea.”
Decker’s voice was conversational. “Cameron, it’s stupid to lie because this is what we’re going to do.” He looked at Felicia. “You might want to take notes.” When she didn’t answer, he said, “Cameron, we’re going to subpoena your phone records to find out where you were and who you called for help Saturday night. We’re also going over every single inch of Dana’s Honda. We are in the process of finding a boatload of evidence that puts you at the scene of that accident.”
Snowe stumbled over his words. “I heard the car exploded when it crashed.”
“No, it did not explode,” Decker explained. “It was set on fire and whoever did it did a lousy job. There is still plenty of evidence left inside the car, including controlled substances. So at the moment, you are facing a multitude of charges, including arson.” Decker sighed. “You’re not leaving here, Cameron. You’re going to be arrested on charges ranging from reckless driving to attempted murder—”
“What are you talking about!” The kid was sitting up in his chair. “It was a fucking accident—”
Felicia blurted out, “I’d like a moment with my—”
Decker broke in. “You probably don’t know about attempted murder—”
“You’re crazy! The bitch took off her seat belt and that’s my fault?”
Felicia said, “Cameron, stop talking!”
“I told her to keep it on! She did it to herself. Give me a fucking break!”
“I’d like a moment with my client.”
“No way you’re gonna pin murder on me!”
Decker said, “Cameron, you are under the misguided delusion that just because Dana did something stupid that it’s not your fault. You were driving.”
“You don’t know that. It’s her fucking word against mine.”
“Cameron, the steering wheel was intact. Whose prints are we going to find?”
“It just meant I touched . . .” He paused, his eyes darting everywhere. “I drove on the way up, not on the way back. That’s why you’ll find my prints . . . if you do find them.”
Decker leaned over and made his voice deliberately soft. “Cameron, you went past tollbooths. We have CCTV that shows you behind the wheel on the way back to the colleges. It would help your case if you just started telling me the truth.”
“I am telling you the truth!”
“No, you’re not. And that makes me think that you were far more involved than you claim. It makes me think that you pushed the car over the embankment—”
“I didn’t push anything over anything!” His eyes started to water. “That is totally untrue.”
“Okay. I can believe that.” Decker nodded. “Because you probably weren’t working alone. But someone pushed it over the embankment, attempting to make it look like an accident. And someone tried to burn the car up after it fell over. And just because you weren’t there doesn’t mean you won’t be charged for attempted murder.”
Snowe wiped tears from his eyes. “Fuck you!”
“That’s your answer to all this?” McAdams said. “‘Fuck you’? You’re in deep shit, Cameron. Maybe you should listen to Detective Decker. He’s your best option right now.”
Felicia was scribbling as she spoke. “I need to talk to my client alone, please.”
When the men started to rise, Cameron said, “Wait.”
Decker sat back down. So did McAdams.
“Just listen a moment. I admit I was in the car, okay? And I admit I was behind the wheel part of the time. But I wasn’t at the wheel when it happened. We switched places because I was getting tired.”
“You switched positions so that she was behind the wheel when the accident happened.”
“Yes.”
“And she was driving without her seat belt?”
“Yeah, exactly. She got in the accident. Not me.”
“And you want to go to a grand jury with that one, Cameron?”
“It’s the truth and you can’t prove otherwise unless you have CCTV of that moment.”
“You know, Cameron, we wouldn’t just take Dana’s word for it. That’s why we sent the wheel to forensics—”
“Of course my prints are going to be on it. I was driving.”
“Look in the mirror, son. You have bruises on your forehead. And a little cut. If you go with that story, it better be the truth, because if there is an atom of your blood on the steering wheel, we shall find it. And then you’ll be shown to be a liar, and then no one will believe anything you say even if it’s the truth.”
Snowe stuttered unintelligible words.
“I need to talk to him right now.” Felicia sighed. “Can you please leave?”
Decker turned to Cameron. “Stay or go?”
“I swear to God, I didn’t push any car over any embankment!”
“Cameron, listen to me.” Decker’s voice was soft. “We’re going to find out who you called. And if the person you called pushed the car off the road, you’ll be charged with attempted murder. If the person you called decided to call someone else to do it, it still doesn’t matter. You will still be charged with attempted murder—”
“I didn’t kill the bitch!”
“It doesn’t matter if—”
“I didn’t kill her!”
McAdams said to Estrella, “Perhaps you want to clue him in on the finer points of law?”
“I would if you two would leave so I can speak to him in confidence!”
“This is a setup,” Cameron said. “A total frame!”
“Cameron, just shut up now!” Estrella stood up, trying to face off to Decker’s six foot four inches of height. Her neck was craned upward. “I need to speak to my client alone! Now!”
“Take your time,” Decker said mildly. “He’s not going anywhere.”
Chapter 37
Radar walked into the station house. “What’s going on with Snowe?”
Decker and McAdams were sorting through photos with magnifying glasses. Decker said, “He’s still conferring with his lawyer.”
“Have you charged him yet?”
“Not yet.” Decker looked up from the desk. “I want him to labor under the delusion that if he tells us something, we might let him go.”
“What are you doing now?”
McAdams said, “Looking at photos from the party where Delilah Occum disappeared.”
“How’d you get those, McAdams?” Radar said.
“I asked for them.”
“Direct and effective. Anything interesting?”
“Hank Carter and Michael Pallek were there. No photos of the wives. Pretty weird, huh?”
“I’ll say. Any
pictures of either of those guys talking to Delilah Occum?”
McAdams held up his magnifying glass. “That’s what we’re searching for, Captain.”
Radar pulled up an empty chair. He plopped a folder on Decker’s desktop. “Forensics on Erin Young’s necklace.”
“That was fast,” Decker said.
“I rushed the report.”
As Decker read, McAdams peered over his shoulder. “You nailed it.”
“Good start, but not quite,” Decker said. “Diaz’s DNA and Erin’s DNA on the same necklace. But without her testimony, he can always claim it was a gift and he helped her put it on. They were an item for some time. What the blood on the necklace does is buttress Erin’s testimony that he yanked it off her neck and tried to choke her.”
Radar said, “What can we do to secure her cooperation?”
“I’ve got my former partner, Marge Dunn, working on her. I’ll call her up and let her know that there’s evidence to back up Erin’s claim.”
“Think that’ll do it?”
“I don’t know, Mike. Erin was pretty adamant about not testifying. I’m thinking that if we can find who she whacked with a shovel and put him behind bars, it might make her feel safe enough to go against Diaz.”
Radar said, “Whoever tried to bury Erin had buried the others?”
“It’s the only conclusion that makes sense.”
Radar said, “How is Snowe looking for our gravedigger?”
“As far as I know, he wasn’t around when Yvette Jones and Lawrence Pettigrew went missing. I don’t think he’s the digger. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved in Occum’s death. We have Snowe over a barrel, peering down Niagara Falls. Let’s see what happens as we nudge him closer to the precipice.”
When Decker and McAdams came back to the interview room, Felicia Estrella was looking downward at the tabletop, stacking her notes until the edges were all lined up. Cameron’s face was slack. His eyes were red and tired. After officially arresting him, Decker listed the charges. The sheer amount of allegations leveled against him would have been enough to make even the most hardened felon wince. Cameron looked stunned.
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