Smith did change his confession to take responsibility for all the murders at the Clutter home, giving as his motivation that he thought Hickock’s mother was “a sweet woman” and he did it to make her feel better. Hickock agreed to the change. Not a single person, including Capote, ever pressed Smith on why he really took the blame for killing all four people.
For further reading, I recommend Truman Capote and the Legacy of “In Cold Blood,” by Ralph F. Voss (2011), In Colder Blood, by J. T. Hunter (2016), Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee: From Scout to Go Set a Watchman, by Charles J. Shields (2016), and of course the book that started it all, In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Aftermath, by Truman Capote (1965).
The Kansas Historical Society Archives offer well over a thousand documents from, to, and about Hickock and Smith.
The internet also shows an extensive filmography on the topic, with a true crime series aired as late as 2018.
During the writing of this novel a newly discovered manuscript written by Richard Hickock while in prison was discovered, and is expected to be published at some time in the future. Another story surfaces in it, wherein Hickock says that a third person paid Smith and him to kill the Clutters. Why would he say this? Surely if it were true, he would have named the third person and used that information to make a deal for a life sentence. Apparently, in the newly found manuscript, Hickock paints himself as an evil thug, continuing the characterization that Capote created. When Smith shoots Clutter in the head, Hickock says he thought coldly, “he’d like to see the embalmer try to fill that hole.” Why would he write such purple prose about himself? To convince us of his guilt? For what purpose?
Sixty years after the Clutter murders were committed, and after the confessed killers were executed, mysteries still abound.
Acknowledgments
As the dedication to this book suggests, We Were Killers Once would not have been written without the generous sharing of an idea by my agent, Helen Heller. That day on the phone when she said, “I’ve always thought, what if there were a third man at the Clutter house that night?” And I stopped pacing and said, “Wow.” (I’m more articulate on paper.)
Then came not one but three editors who together provided greater depth for the characters, faster pacing, and more believable plotting: In an effort helmed by Kelley Raglund at St. Martin’s Press, with Lara Hinchberger at Penguin/Random House, and Kirsty Dunseath at Orion, all three made this a better book. I’m still humbled and amazed that I didn’t see what they saw. Wow.
Also thanks to Helen Smith, the Marsh Agency, and all those who are stepping in now to guide its publication and champion its distribution throughout the world.
India Cooper, best copy editor ever.
Hope Dellon. You worked with me for nearly ten years and, while you may not have edited this book, everything I write is the better for having been influenced by you.
I’m grateful for an all too brief but exciting phone conversation with Michael Nations, the son of journalist Starling Mack Nations, who interviewed Richard Eugene Hickock two years before Truman Capote got involved. That’s a whole other story that mine doesn’t touch.
Thanks to my brilliant readers, many of whom are authors in their own right: William Bell, Jeannie Johnson, Mickey Getty, Pat McCord, and Rich O’Hanley.
Thank you to Tricia Clapp, a graphologist who helped me to analyze Dick Hickock’s handwritten letters from prison and provided suggestions for his character.
Thank you to Fred Segal, who informed me about the history of the Pompano Park racetrack. I know you told me they had flat racing at one time, but I lied. It’s what we do.
Finally, thank you, my beloved Fred, for those evenings at The Keg. You might not be magic but you’re the closest thing to it.
Also by Becky Masterman
A Twist of the Knife
Fear the Darkness
Rage Against the Dying
About the Author
BECKY MASTERMAN, who worked as an acquisitions editor for textbooks on forensics and law enforcement, received her M.A. in creative writing from Florida Atlantic University. Her debut thriller, Rage Against the Dying, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, the Crime Writers’ Association Goldsboro Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel, and the ITV Thriller Award, as well as the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony awards. Becky lives in Tuscon, Arizona, with her husband. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty–one
Twenty–two
Twenty–three
Twenty–four
Twenty–five
Twenty–six
Twenty–seven
Twenty–eight
Twenty–nine
Thirty
Thirty–one
Thirty–two
Thirty–three
Thirty–four
Thirty–five
Thirty–six
Thirty–seven
Thirty–eight
Thirty–nine
Forty
Forty–one
Forty–two
Forty–three
Forty–four
Forty–five
Forty–six
Forty–seven
Forty–eight
Forty–nine
Fifty
Fifty–one
Fifty–two
Fifty–three
Fifty–four
Fifty–five
Fifty–six
Fifty–seven
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Also by Becky Masterman
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
WE WERE KILLERS ONCE. Copyright © 2019 by Becky Masterman. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photograph by Rodney Harvey
The Library of Congress has Cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Masterman, Becky, author.
Title: We were killers once: a thriller / Becky Masterman.
Description: First Edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2019.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019002289 | ISBN 9781250074522 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781466886230 (ebook)
Subjects: | GSAFD: Suspense fiction. | Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3613.A81965 W4 2019 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019002289
eISBN 9781466886230
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: June 2019
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We Were Killers Once Page 31