“Did you lock the stern locker after removing the dinghy?”
“No, there was no padlock for it. The old one had corroded and was no longer workable, and I had not yet replaced it.”
“What else was in the locker besides the rubber dinghy?”
“Just fenders and lines for the boat, and a second anchor. Miscellaneous boat stuff, nothing else.”
“And you did not lock the stern locker before you departed?”
“No, I had no lock for that purpose.”
“You didn’t have a combination padlock?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“While you were anchored at Fort Jefferson, did another boat approach yours?”
“No, we didn’t see another boat for the whole time we were there, which was, I guess, around eighteen hours. We did see an airplane once, shortly after sunrise, flying low—sightseeing, I suppose.”
“What kind of airplane?”
“A small Piper, I think, something like the Warrior.”
“A seaplane?”
“No, I didn’t see any fl oats. It circled the area a couple of times, then flew away in the direction of Key West.”
“Did you see anyone at Fort Jefferson when you went ashore?”
“Not a soul. The circling airplane was the only sign of life we saw out there, until the seaplane arrived for us.”
“What happened to your rubber raft?”
“It’s still at the Key West Airport, I suppose. I haven’t had time to retrieve it.”
Stone was impressed with Evan’s composure and the clarity of his responses. “Agent Corelli, Evan is willing to take a polygraph test, if it would be helpful to you.”
Corelli glanced at Myers, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. “Thank you, that won’t be necessary at this time,” Correlli said.
“Maybe later.”
“Is there anything else, gentlemen?” Stone asked.
“Yes,” said Myers, speaking for the first time. “I have some questions about Evan’s relationship with Charles Boggs and the death of Mr. Boggs.”
Stone didn’t like this a bit. “How is that relevant?” he asked. “I haven’t had time to consult with my client about that situation.”
“Its relevance will become apparent,” Myers said. Evan spoke up. “It’s all right, Stone,” he said. “I’m willing to answer their questions about Charley.”
Stone still didn’t like it. “All right, gentlemen, but I reserve the right to stop the questioning and consult with my client, if I think it’s necessary.”
“Certainly,” Myers said, then he turned to Evan. “What is your full, legal name?” he asked.
Stone held his breath.
47
EVAN KEATING REGARDED Assistant U.S. Attorney John Myers calmly. “My name, since birth, is Evan Harold Keating. I was named for my great-grandfather, Evan, and my father’s brother, Harry.”
“Why did you approach the Key West police and the county attorney and tell them your real name was Charles Boggs?”
“I believed that my father, Warren Keating, had poisoned my Uncle Harry, and that he might want to kill me as well.”
Stone interrupted. “I should tell you that the FBI lab has confi rmed that Harry Keating died of thallium poisoning, a source of which was found in Warren Keating’s garden shed, and that prior to Evan’s visit to the police, he received a gunshot wound from a sniper, so he had good reason to fear for his life.”
“I thought that if my father heard that I had been killed, as Charley had been, he would stop trying to kill me,” Evan said.
“How did you come to be acquainted with Charles Boggs?”
Myers asked.
“We attended prep school together and were close friends until after we left college. After that, we lost track of each other, until I came to Key West and ran into him.”
“Where did you run into him?”
“At a bar on Duval Street. I didn’t recognize him at fi rst, because he had grown a beard.”
“Did you go into the drug business with Charley Boggs?”
“No, I did not. I realized early on that Charley was using cocaine, because he offered me some, which I declined, but I didn’t suspect he was dealing until I saw him hiding something on his boat that appeared to be packets of drugs.”
“How did you come to kill Charley Boggs?”
Stone interrupted. “Are you aware that Evan has received a guarantee of immunity from the county attorney which covers that incident?”
“I am,” Myers replied.
“Will you guarantee that you will not prosecute Evan for anything associated with the death of Charley Boggs?”
“Yes, since he has already told me that he was not dealing drugs. If he tells me anything to contradict that, I may reconsider.”
Stone nodded to Evan.
“Gigi and I, perhaps foolishly, removed drugs hidden on Charley’s houseboat and on his motorcycle and disposed of them in the sea off Key West. I had hoped to reason with him, to stop him from dealing. As you might imagine, Charley was upset with us, and an argument ensued. He seemed convinced that Gigi had persuaded me to get rid of the drugs, which wasn’t so, and he produced a gun and pointed it at her. He racked the slide, and I could see that the safety was off.
“I picked up another gun of Charley’s that was lying on a kitchen counter and pointed it at him. He fired a shot at Gigi, which missed, and I shot him before he could fire again. We disposed of both guns in the sea, off Key West.”
“And you never, at any time, bought or sold any drugs?”
“We did not, at any time.”
“Evan,” Stone said, “did Charley Boggs earlier infl ict a knife wound on you?”
“Yes, he did,” Evan replied, patting his ribs on his left side. “I’ll show you the wound, if you like.”
Stone interrupted. “So you see, Evan had good reason to fear violence from Charley Boggs.”
“Charley wasn’t really a violent guy,” Evan said. “It was the drugs. He was using a
“Evan,” Myers said, “do you have any idea why anyone would put drugs on your boat?”
“No, I do not.”
Stone spoke up. “I have already posited to Agent Corelli that someone might have wished to use a boat familiar to the Key West authorities to move drugs into the harbor.”
“Yes, I know,” Myers said.
“Is there anything else, gentlemen?” Stone asked. Myers looked at Corelli, who shook his head. “Not at this time,” Myers said.
“Will you release Evan’s boat?” Stone asked. “He lives aboard it, and he’s being put to the expense of staying
