mother, Jesse’s daughter, was killed as well. “What about him?”
“Well, keep in mind that we did not attempt to put too much information about the victims in our report. We just couldn’t do so from the remains alone, and the rest would be more of an investigative effort, which is not really what we’re geared to do. We basically just listed each victim that we knew about by name, sex, and age.”
“Roger Briggs was on the list,” I say.
She nods. “Yes, but there was a mistake, and information was not transcribed correctly. It said Roger Briggs, male, eight. The fact that he was eight months old was not clear; it appeared from the list that he was eight years old.”
“So?”
“So nothing about the remains listed in the report corresponded to the size of a victim of that age. Kyle was asking me about that.”
“What did you tell him?” I ask.
“Well, I spent some time studying the report, and my backup notes from the examinations. It confirmed what I thought; there was nothing intact that corresponded to an eight-month-old. Of course, that isn’t necessarily conclusive; those remains could have been burned too badly.”
Pete speaks for the first time since Nancy started relating the story. “So bottom line, what do you think?”
Nancy pauses for a moment, seeming to weigh her words. “I don’t think there was a baby in that fire.”
It seemed significant when Nancy said it, but the possibility that there might not have been a baby in the fire is not exactly a case solver. First of all, we can’t be sure it’s true. Second of all, if it were true, we don’t know where the baby is, or what he or she has to do with anything.
What is important is the knowledge that Kyle Holmes was working the case, and that he thought he was on to something. What might be more important is that someone else thought he was on to something, and killed him for it. Then, if my theory is correct, the frame of Noah that was kept in reserve was finally unveiled, to stop anyone else from following up on what Kyle was learning.
At this point, the threat to Becky, which was clearly a way to stop the trial, might even be logical. The perpetrators might have been banking on the case being so strong that Noah would have pled it out, and not gone to trial.
Once I convinced him to do so, and the trial date came so quickly, the entire matter would automatically be subject to intense scrutiny, which the bad guys clearly would not want.
So now, in addition to having no idea who the significant adults are in this case, we have added a baby to be in the dark about. But at least it’s starting to make a little sense, and at this pace we should have the whole thing nailed by Noah’s thirtieth parole hearing.
I ask Laurie to focus as much time as possible on learning whatever she can about Natasha and Roger Briggs. Roger was the only baby listed among the victims of the fire, and they lived on the third floor, which I have always considered worthy of special investigation. The fire would have consumed the entire house from the first floor up, yet special attention was given to spreading the mixture on the third floor.
Today is going to be another depressing day in court, watching Dylan parade his witnesses in front of the jury, questioning them in excruciating detail. It’s like getting a legal colonoscopy.
Before I leave I take Tara and Bailey for our daily morning walk, during which I get my monthly idea. With Bailey with us the walks are much slower; I think she would prefer that we push her in an enormous stroller.
Along the way we run into a neighbor walking her beautiful golden, Callaway. She’s one of Tara’s favorite dogs to interact with, they can spend all day sniffing and chatting. This time is a little different, as Callaway can’t take her eyes off Bailey. It’s like she wants to pull Tara aside and ask, “What the hell is that?”
When I get home I call Sam and ask him if he can recruit at least five people, with significant computer skills, who can work on the case under his direction.
“What about my computer class?” he asks.
“You take a computer class?”
“I teach one. A night course. I’m sure some of my students would love to do it.”
“Can you bring them to my house tonight?” I ask. “Around eight?”
“That’s pretty late,” he says. “How about six? Does that work?”
“Sure,” I say. “I’ll move some stuff around.”
I wish I could move the trial around, like around to August, but that’s not going to happen. Dylan surprises me by telling the court he wants to call FBI Special Agent Neil Mulcahy. I knew Mulcahy would eventually testify, I just thought Dylan might hold him off until later.
Mulcahy is not going to have much to say, at least not on his own. He was the agent to whom Danny Butler spoke when he claimed that Noah had confessed setting the fire, and he will basically be reading the transcript of that interview.
I let Hike argue on our behalf that the testimony should not be admitted, since Butler is not here to be cross- examined. De Luca overrules our objection, as we knew he would. I consider it a bad law, but it’s not De Luca’s job to make those judgments. He has to implement the law as it is, not as he thinks it should be.
Dylan asks very few questions, just a handful to set the scene. He’s correct in that approach; Butler’s words, even when spoken by Mulcahy, are powerful and speak for themselves.
In fact, the words are much more powerful than if Butler were here. Mulcahy is an impressive guy, and as an FBI agent he commands the kind of respect that a slimeball like Butler never could. The words have more credibility coming out of Mulcahy’s mouth than they would dripping out of Butler’s.
The original version of the interview took about two hours and fifteen minutes, and that’s how long the reenactment takes. Dylan actually plays the part of Mulcahy in asking the questions, and Mulcahy plays Butler.
I watch the jury as they watch the performance, and they are paying rapt attention. I’m surprised they haven’t asked for a playbill.
We take a break before my cross begins, and I call Cindy Spodek on my cell phone. Cindy is an FBI agent, recently promoted to assistant bureau chief in Boston. She is a very good friend to Laurie and me, which I constantly take advantage of to get information when I need it.
“What do you need now?” she asks, when she gets on the line, which is not exactly warm “friend” talk.
“What I need is to find out how my friend Cindy is doing, to find out what is going on in her life, because I care deeply about her. That is my whole reason for calling. It is my whole reason for being.”
“You’re full of shit,” she says.
“What tipped you off?”
“You only call when you’re on a case. This is about Galloway.”
“Actually, now that I have you…”
I go on to request the same missing persons information that I asked Pete for, since Cindy would have much better access. It takes some cajoling, but she basically likes to be helpful, and she’s not the type to let down a friend. Those are the kind of people I can take advantage of.
“This will take a while,” she says.
“I don’t have a while; the trial is almost over.”
“Good-bye, Andy.”
I head back to court for the Mulcahy cross-examination. I have little ammunition with which to challenge him, since he really was not the witness against Noah; he was only channeling Butler. But I have to give it a shot.
“Agent Mulcahy, did Danny Butler have a criminal record?”
“He did.”
“Did he have three convictions for drug possession, and two for breaking and entering?”
“Yes.”
“Was he arrested but not convicted on three other occasions?”
“Yes.”
“Was he himself addicted to drugs?” I ask. “Enough so that he was in rehab on four separate occasions?”
“Yes.”
“Did you believe his story?”
“I did.”
“Because of his status as an upstanding citizen?”
“We take information and judge it no matter where it comes from. It’s not always upstanding citizens that have
