'Melody Stephanopoulos?'
He nodded.
'How about the name of the person you buried her with?'
'Last name was Hernandez, I remember that. Skinny guy. Tongue cancer. Most of his jaw was gone. I put them both in the same coffin, planted them in Greenview Cemetery. It was a beautiful ceremony. Lots of flowers.'
I took out a pad and scribbled all of this down.
'How many others were there?'
'Kantner's Funeral Home in Urbana didn't have a crematorium. When I got a job in Chicago, it was much safer. I would still do an occasional two-for-one special, though, if I could get away with it. Cremation is such a waste. You might not believe this, but I think death is sacred. A funeral is a sacred ritual. I think everyone should have a wake, even if it isn't your family kneeling at the casket.'
'How many, Derrick?'
'There were about eighteen women, total, over the last fifteen years. I buried nine of them.'
'You have names?'
He smiled shyly.
'Of course. I remember them all. Each and every one of them.'
'What if you didn't have to testify? What if you just made a statement?'
That flipped the switch in Rushlo. 'I won't testify! You can't make me testify!'
'Easy, Derrick. Calm down.'
'I won't do it!'
'But you wouldn't have to go to court. You could just . . .'
'I love him.'
Pludenza chose that moment to return with the coffee. He handed me a cup and saucer, a wince etched into his face.
'Derrick' -- I tried to sound soothing -- 'Barry wants to kill you.'
'I can't betray him like that. He understands me. He's the only one that understands me. But I don't need to make a statement. You can prove Barry killed those women.'
'How?'
'He likes to bite. All of the girls I buried had bite marks on them.'
'You're sure?'
'I'm positive.'
That would be enough. If we exhumed Hernandez and found Stephanopoulos in the casket, with Fuller's teeth marks on the corpse, he'd have to stand trial in Carbondale. And since this was years ago, he wouldn't be able to use the tumor insanity defense.
I set down the coffee without taking a sip, and dug out my cell. Derrick grabbed my pants leg.
'You have to help me.'
'I'll send some guards over to watch the house.'
'How about the witness program? Where they give people new names?'
I punched in Libby's number. 'If Fuller gets out, that's a possibility.'
'Can they set me up at another funeral home?'
'We dropped charges against you, Derrick, but I really don't think the FTC, IDPR, or OSHA is going to let you practice again.'
He began to cry. I thanked Pludenza and left Libby a voice mail on the way to my car. Then I called Herb.
'What?'
'Look, Herb, we can deal with our squabble later. I'm driving down to Carbondale and I need you to run interference for me.'
'Tell me.'
I filled him in, and he agreed to set the wheels in motion.
Southern Illinois University was a five-hour drive.
I hopped back on the expressway, my car pointed south.
Chapter 42
I was sixty miles away from Carbondale when Libby called.
'The jury's out.'
'How was your closing?'
'Not as good as Garcia's.' I could picture Libby frowning. 'If I were on that jury, I'd vote not guilty.'
