“We’ll go contact your attorney. You sit here and wait.”
Masters and Tippen leave the room. Tippen watches Cooper in the interview room from the monitor in the media room while Masters calls Inglesby. Masters returns in a few minutes and tells Tippen the attorney is on his way.
After waiting twenty minutes, Inglesby arrives and briefly meets with Tippen and Masters. They advise Inglesby of the new evidence and the charge for first-degree murder. They tell Inglesby they would like to ask Cooper some more questions.
“It depends on what you ask as to whether I will let him answer,” warns Inglesby.
“We understand,” replies Tippen.
All three enter the interview room. Inglesby tells Cooper they will listen to the questions, but he only wants Cooper to answer when he tells him it is okay to answer. Cooper agrees.
“Ryan,” starts Masters, “why did you have your gun with you last Wednesday night.”
“He’s not going to answer that,” says Inglesby. “I can tell you he has no memory of handling any gun that night.”
“Then why can’t he say that himself?”
“I’m not going to let him answer any accusatory questions,” explains Inglesby.
“We found his fingerprints all over the gun.”
“Of course you did,” answered Inglesby, “it was his gun.”
“What questions will you let him answer then?” asks Masters.
“Ask him about his partner Justin King being there that night. His memory is much clearer now.”
“I’ll bet it is. Okay, Ryan, what do you now remember about Justin King?”
“I’m sure he was there that night,” answers Cooper. “He came over to discuss business and we had a couple of drinks of rum and coke. At some point, I passed out and that is all I remember.”
“He denies being there at all,” challenges Masters. “He says he was there Tuesday night, not Wednesday. We have no evidence or witnesses that put him at your house that night. How do you explain that?”
Inglesby nods indicating it is okay for Cooper to answer.
“No one else was there except me and Justin. I know it was Wednesday night because it was the night Naomi had book club. That’s why we were the only two in the house.”
“Why would he lie about being there?”
“I have no idea, other than maybe he’s scared he will be blamed for Naomi’s death.”
“Did he have reason to kill Naomi?”
“No, not that I know of.”
Masters presses harder, “So if he was there and had no reason to kill Naomi, that leaves you and you certainly had a reason.”
“Okay,” interrupts Inglesby, “that’s enough. You need to find out why Mr. King is lying about not being there. There are things about this case that are not adding up. I need copies of your reports and lab findings.”
“You will get copies once the DA has all of them,” Masters tells him. “And just so you know, we also have gunshot residue from Ryan’s hands and his prints on the glass and rum bottle. We have not found any circumstantial or forensic evidence that Mr. King was there.”
Masters and Tippen conclude the interview. Tippen escorts Cooper out of the interview room to a waiting patrol car that will take him to the Douglas County Jail. Masters escorts Inglesby out of the police station. Before parting, Masters assures Inglesby they will confront King again about his whereabouts last Wednesday. Inglesby thanks him.
At the jail, Cooper is taken to an intake room where he is again fingerprinted, and swabs of his DNA are taken. This is a routine procedure for homicide arrestees. After the intake paperwork is completed, Cooper is taken to another smaller concrete block room with a cement floor. There is one bench seat along the back wall. Cooper is made to take off all his clothing, including underwear. Cooper is stressed and the room feels chilly, causing Cooper to shiver. A corrections officer then conducts a strip search of Cooper’s body.
This is humiliating. Why is this happening to me? thinks Cooper.
After the strip search, Cooper is given an orange jumpsuit to wear. Once he is redressed in the jumpsuit, he is escorted by two corrections officers through a large steel door that clangs shut behind them. He is walked down a long hall past numerous jail cells containing prisoners. Some of the prisoners get up to the bars of their cells to see who the new resident is.
Cooper is taken to a vacant eight by ten-foot block walled cell and placed inside. As the officers leave, they close the heavy steel barred door behind them. It makes a large clanging sound as it is closed, sending a shiver down Cooper’s back. A week after Naomi’s death, Cooper is now sitting in jail for her murder. Cooper's eyes well up with tears as he thinks, how am I going to prove my innocence? I know I didn’t kill Naomi. Why can’t I remember what happened?
Two Days Later
On Thursday, Tippen and Masters have called King back to the police station for another interview. He arrives at approximately 10:30 am.
“Justin,” starts Tippen, “we have a few more questions to ask you.”
“Sure,” says King, “anything I can do to help.”
“Ryan’s memory has cleared up since last week, and he is now sure you were at his home on the night of the murder,” advises Tippen.
“Well, simply not true. I was there on Tuesday night, not Wednesday night.”
“He’s pretty clear it was Wednesday night Justin. He knows because that was the night Naomi was gone for book club. You were the only two there.”
“I don’t know what he’s saying, but I wasn’t there.”
“Then where were you that night?”
“I had worked a long day and was home. Had a beer to relax, then went to bed at about nine o’clock.”
“Did you call anyone that night?”
“No, at least I don’t remember calling anyone.”
Masters interrupts, “Justin, we found your fingerprints at the scene, we know you were there.”
“Where did you find them?”
“What does it matter? Why would your prints be there if you say you weren’t there?”
“I have no idea, unless they were there from the night before. Where
