matches, I was on one of the practice courts when he showed up. He watched me hit for a few minutes, then asked if I would mind hitting with him. I couldn’t believe it. Pancho Gonzalez asking to hit with me. I’m thinking, okay, this has to be a dream. But it wasn’t… it was real. I hit with him for about an hour. One of the great moments in my life.”
“Did you win the tournament?”
“Runner-up. Lost seven-five in the third set. Skinny little left-hander named McEnroe beat me.”
“Bummer.”
“Did Rachel tell you why I wanted to speak with you?” Dantzler asked.
“Something to do with my father, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I believe he is innocent and I’m trying to uncover the truth.”
“Good luck.”
“Do you think he’s guilty?”
Tommy shrugged. “No, I don’t. But a ton of evidence says he is.”
“True,” Dantzler said, “But after looking into it-”
“Would you excuse me for a second?” Tommy said, standing. “I’m in desperate need of a drink of water.”
“Sure. I’m in no hurry.”
Tommy was gone less than two minutes before returning to his chair. He popped another Certs into his mouth, leaned back, and hands clasped behind his head. “What were you saying, Detective Dantzler?”
“When did you start drinking again?” Dantzler said.
“What makes you think I’m drinking? Didn’t Rachel tell you? I haven’t touched a drop in almost six months.”
“Cut the denial act, Tommy. You had a drink. I know you did.”
“I had water.”
“You had booze.”
“Okay, so I had a drink. So what? It’s not the end of the world. Anyway, I’ve got it under control now. I know when to stop.”
“You’re an alcoholic, Tommy. You should never start.”
“When did you become my AA counselor?”
“I’m not.”
“Then put the brakes on your stop drinking lecture and get back to being a detective. You want to know about Eli, ask about Eli.”
“All right. Let’s talk about the night of the murders. Where were you when they happened?”
“At home, in my room, watching TV.”
“How did you find out about it?”
“When the phone call came, I heard a lot of noise coming from downstairs. I went down to see what was going on. Mom told me something terrible had happened at the barn on Eli’s property. She said Eli was on his way to the scene. I didn’t find out about the two guys being killed until the next morning. I think Isaac came by the house and told me.”
“Did you know either of the two victims?”
“Never met either one.”
“Do you think Isaac knew them?”
“You’d have to ask him. But I rather doubt it.”
“Why do you say that?”
Tommy laughed. “Because Isaac only associated with the upper crust of society, if you get my drift. Those two guys were a few levels below his standard.”
“What’s your relationship with Isaac?”
“We have the same DNA.”
“You’re not close?”
“No, Detective Dantzler, we aren’t close.”
“Did you know Greg Spurlock or Angie Iler? They were the ones who discovered the bodies.”
“No. I didn’t know them.”
“What was your initial reaction when you heard your father was being charged with the crime?”
“I thought the cops were crazy.”
“Why did you think the cops were crazy?”
“There is no way Eli Whitehouse would tie up two total strangers, put a twenty-two caliber pistol to the back of each one’s head and systematically blow them away. That’s more than preposterous; it’s insane. And all that crap about drugs? Eli hated taking any type of medication, including prescription drugs. The notion he was involved in some kind of drug deal gone sour is off-the-charts preposterous. Nothing about that entire scenario added up. Nothing.”
“You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought,” Dantzler said. “Give me your version of a scenario that does make sense.”
“Someone murdered those two guys and then set my father up to take the fall.”
“I agree with you. But that leaves me with two obvious questions. First, who is that someone, and second, why did Eli take the fall without putting up a fight?”
“Hey, I’m just a drunk, remember? You’re the cop. You find the answers.”
“You knew the combination to the safe, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, we all did. So did Abe Basham, Eli’s attorney. And there may have been one or two others who knew, but I couldn’t swear to that.”
“Eli kept the gun in the safe, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“On the night of the murders, Eli swore the gun was in the safe. It wasn’t. How do you think it came to be missing?”
“Well, obviously, someone opened the safe and took it.”
“Who, other than family members and Abe Basham, could have taken the gun?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me about your relationship with Eli,” Dantzler said.
“He was a preacher. I was a cocky, headstrong fifteen-year-old kid. You do the math. We got along, but there were definitely moments when we clashed.”
“Sounds normal.” Dantzler noticed a lone photograph on the table next to Tommy’s chair. “Is that you and Eli?”
Tommy picked up the photo and stared at it for almost a minute. His eyes clouded over with tears. Finally, he placed the photo back on the table.
“Me and the old man,” he said. “Back in the day.”
“Rachel tells me you’ve not been to the prison once since Eli was incarcerated. Twenty-nine years without seeing your father. That’s a harsh sentence for both of you.”
“I don’t want to see my father behind prison bars. I’d prefer to remember him like this.” Tommy pointed to the photo of him and his father. “And for him to remember me like this. Before the nightmare began.”
“You do know he has terminal cancer?”
“Rachel told me.”
“I’m sure he would love to see you.”
“Then clear up this case before he dies, because that’s the only way I’ll see him. Free, not in a cold prison cell or a prison hospital.”
“Can you think of anyone who would want to do this to Eli?”
“No.”
“No enemies you can think of?”
“Eli didn’t have enemies, only followers.”
“I hate to tell you this, Tommy, but he had at least one enemy. This situation didn’t happen in a vacuum.
