both.”
“And?”
“And there was a killer, but I failed to mention it until now,” I said, the sarcasm in my voice harsh and angry.
“Jeez,” he said.
“Sorry,” I said. “I just… I’m sorry.”
He nodded. “I know I ask stupid questions,” he said. “But I’m lost. I don’t even know where to begin.”
I nodded my understanding without saying anything.
“So,” he said, “tell me where to begin.”
“With the parents,” I said. “Their statements. And any physical evidence gathered off them or from the scene.”
He looked as though I were speaking a language he didn’t understand. “You suspect them?” he said at last.
“Of course, “ I said. “You know the drill, it could be anyone, but statistically they’re far more likely to have done it than anyone else. Plus, they were the only ones-that we know of anyway-who were in there alone with her.”
He fell quiet for a long time.
When I let my weary eyes fall shut, I pictured Nicole sitting at the end of the table coloring with the passion of an artist, her small fingers curled around the crayon. Is she your girlfriend? Chips don’t have chocolate. You’re silly. We’ll pray for you, Chaplain JJ.
“They were treated as victims-grieving parents, not suspects,” he said. “They weren’t checked for evidence. Hell, we didn’t even make them give statements.”
Suddenly, I no longer had the strength to hold my head up, and it fell into my hands.
“Maybe I need a new job,” he said.
“Have you considered the Boulder Police Department?” I said.
A former football coach at Pottersville high school, Pete had no previous investigative experience. Like many locals, he saw the building of the prison in our area as the best job opportunity he was likely to ever have. His only qualifications for the job were a losing season and a county commissioner cousin.
“But she was like a zombie,” he said. He then shook his head and sat in silence for a long time before saying, “My case is over before it began. Is there anything I can do?”
“You can still get a statement from them,” I said.
“The governor issued them a personal apology for not protecting their daughter while they were our guests,” he said.
“Still has to be done,” I said. “But you could start with the inmates.”
“What inmates?”
“The ones who went out in the hall that night during the time Nicole was in my office,” I said. “We know only Bobby Earl and Bunny went in the door from the sanctuary, but what about the hallway door?”
“It was locked,” he said.
We were quiet a moment, then he lowered his voice and said, “We found a stack of hundred dollar bills near the body.”
“What?” I asked, the surprise obvious in my voice. Money wasn’t something you saw much of in prison.
“Yeah,” he said. “They were under your desk. It looks like they may’ve been knocked off along with a greeting card and some papers during the struggle.”
“I don’t see how,” I said. “I don’t keep hundreds on my desk.”
“You think someone was paid to kill her?” he asked.
“Then decided to do it for free and left the money?” I asked.
“Maybe they just didn’t see it. It appeared to have been in an envelope. Some of the bills still were. It was a lot of money.”
I was silent a moment, thinking about what he had said and its implications.
“We’re pretty much finished here,” he said. “If you want to go, you can.”
“Have you taken Coel’s statement?” I asked.
“It’s next,” he said. “You wanna sit in on it?”
“Yes, I do,” I said.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because,” I said, “he was the only one in the whole building who could see both of my office doors at the same time.”
CHAPTER 10
Before Fortner could begin his interview, Edward Stone barged in and began firing questions at Coel. In stark contrast to his normal immaculate appearance, he looked ragged and unkempt, on edge. His eyes were bloodshot beneath drooping lids, and his countenance was that of an old and weary man.
“How the hell could you let this happen?” he asked.
Coel spun around, eyes widening, mouth dropping open, face reddening, and started to say something, but stopped himself, shook his head and sighed heavily.
Fortner had just turned on the recording equipment and he let it continue to run.
“You were responsible for her safety,” Stone continued.
Having gathered himself, Coel sat perfectly still, his rigid composure the result of many years of military discipline. With great restraint, he seemed to be showing Stone the respect a senior officer was entitled. Swallowing hard, he didn’t say anything, just simmered in silence, but I could tell Stone’s words were fanning his smoldering anger into flames.
The wall behind Coel was filled with various plaques, all of which were engraved with the FDC logo and small employee nameplates. I saw my name on the Employee of the Year plaque and wondered how long it would be before it was on the Deceased plaque. I thought about death often. Probably because for most of my adult life I’ve been surrounded by it. You can’t conduct murder investigations and funeral services without being reminded of just how short life is, how quickly death comes.
For me, the contemplation of my mortality is not morbid, not an obsession with death, but a call to life. Living with a sense of the brevity of my existence and a heightened awareness of the fragility of life reminds me to live each day to its fullest, to learn, become, and experience all I can, to truly live before I die. As far as we know, in the carnival of life we only get to ride once. The problem is, I’ve yet to figure out how to live that way on any kind of consistent basis. As with most things, my intentions far exceed my actions.
Nicole’s ride had been far too short, and I grieved inside for the child who would never grow up, never be a boy-crazy adolescent, or a passionate young woman, a wife or a mother, never know the unspeakable joy and exquisite pain the seasons of life bring.
I became aware of Stone continuing to pour his wrath and rage all over Coel.
“Our number one priority is public safety,” Stone yelled.
Finally, Coel had had enough. Casting off restraint, he slammed his hands on the table and jumped up. “So why the hell did you let a child into the institution?” Coel shot back. “What were you thinking? I’ve got to live with this the rest of my life. But I wasn’t the one who put her at risk.”
None of us could believe what had happened, and we were all looking for someone to blame-anyone, though deep down we all knew we were each responsible in our own way.
“By not doing your job you most certainly did,” Stone said. “It wasn’t going in that got her killed. It was not being adequately protected.” Stone jerked his head around at Fortner and saw me for the first time. To Fortner, he said, “Get this over with and get him out of here.” To me, “I want to see you in my office when y’all are done.”
I nodded.
When he had stormed out of the room, Fortner looked at Coel. “You need a minute before we do this?”
