slave dialect, before gliding smoothly back into his regular condescending tone. “We knew he was guilty. We didn’t care. We were glad he got away with it. Killing a white woman and a white man-even a cop-can’t come close to the multitudes of young black men y’all’ve killed.”
Albright smiled.
I shook my head. “Are you for real?”
“An eye for an eye, brother,” he said.
“Leaves everybody blind,” I said.
“It’s very good that you know the quote, though the quote itself is naive,” he said, “but do you know who said it?”
“Dr. King. Will that be on the final?”
“Well, if you all really believed it, I guess you wouldn’t have shot him down like a dog, would you?”
“Actually,” I said, “I had nothing to do with it.”
Malcolm stood, walked over, and stopped the music. When he turned to face me again, Albright put his hand on his shoulder. “I don’t have time for this,” he said. “I’m really busy. If you need something, you better ask now.”
“Have you been back to the chapel or my office since the night Nicole died?”
“No, why?”
“I found something in my office that wasn’t there before,” I said.
“Well, I haven’t been back,” he said. “Is someone saying I have?”
Ignoring his question, I said, “On the night Nicole was killed, why’d you stop by the chapel? I mean beside to check the program for racism.”
“I was there to see Bunny,” he said.
“What?”
“We worked together at Lake Butler,” he said. “We’re just friends.”
“Did you see her?” I asked.
He shook his head. “She was on the stage singing, so I left.”
“Did you see Officer Coel standing at the sanctuary door?”
He shook his head.
“Did you see anyone in my office?” I asked.
“Just Nicole,” he said. “And she was fine when I left. If you suspect me of her murder, you’re wasting valuable time you could be using to find the real killer.”
“You sound like OJ,” I said.
“Look-” he began angrily, but I cut him off.
“What’re you trying to hide?” I asked.
“I have nothing to hide.”
“Why was I attacked right after I talked to you last time?” I asked. “And why were you the only suspect they told me to stay away from?”
Before he realized what he was doing, he glanced at Albright.
“I thought I recognized your voice,” I said to Albright.
He didn’t say anything, just glared.
“I’ll be in the chapel if you want to give it another go,” I said.
“We know where to find you,” Albright said.
“And vice versa,” I said.
When I got back to my office, I called Chaplain Rouse at Lake Butler again.
“Chaplain Rouse,” he said after the second ring.
“Where’s your secretary?” I asked.
“I’m in between secretaries at the moment,” he said.
“You have two?” I asked.
“Huh?”
I wasn’t sure if he didn’t get it or didn’t approve of the humor, so rather than taking the risk of being sued for sexual harassment, I let it go.
“They’ve been promising me one for about a year now,” I said. “A staff chaplain, too.”
“Can’t imagine where the state gets the reputation of being mired down in bureaucracy,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“Tell me what you can about Theo Malcolm,” I said.
“Don’t know him.”
“Says he knows Bunny from working with her there,” I said. “He’s a teacher.”
“Well, he hasn’t taught here,” he said.
“Angry young black man,” I said. “You’re sure?”
“Positive,” he said.
“Maybe he had a different job,” I said.
“What’s he look like?”
I told him.
“Nope,” he said. “Never worked here.”
“Okay,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Wonder why he’d make that up?” he asked.
“Why indeed?” I said, then sat there and thought about it for a long time after he had hung up.
I could come up with only one reason-to hide his real purpose for being there that night, and if he wasn’t there to see an old coworker, what was he doing?
CHAPTER 41
“Couldn’t Malcolm know Bunny from somewhere else and just say it was Lake Butler?” Anna asked.
It was late afternoon, the inmates had returned to the compound and the chapel was empty. Anna and I were alone in my office.
“It’s possible, I guess,” I said, “but why?”
She shrugged.
“Abdul Muhammin also said he knew Bobby Earl from Lake Butler,” I said.
“But he did,” she said.
“Uh huh,” I said.
“Uh huh what?” she asked, puzzlement on her face.
“Muhammin would know that Bunny worked there,” I said, “and could have told Malcolm.”
“For a cover story,” she said. “Which shows a connection between them and that they have something to cover up.”
“Unless Malcolm heard it somewhere else,” I said, frowning and letting out a long sigh. “It’s thin. Maybe they’re not connected.”
I shook my head.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I didn’t say anything.
Eyes narrowed in concern, she stared at me for a long moment.
“I’m worried about you,” she said. “I got some information about the Stone Cold Killer case off the Internet. You should’ve told me there were children involved.”
“Probably,” I said. “But I never thought it was him. Still don’t. The crimes were too different. And how many serial killers do you know kill adults
“But you worked a case in which children were killed?”
I nodded.
