Youve all seen the memo. The major point is this: We have too many unusual deaths. First, her parents. She benefited directly from the death of her mothera fifteenthousand-dollar life insurance policy that her sister apparently didnt share in. She probably got insurance fromthe death of her fatherher mother was weak, and Audrey seemed to be running things, even then, as a kid. We also have four obvious and unquestioned murders: George Arris, shot in the back of the head in St. Paul; Daniel Kresge, who you all know was shot while deer hunting last week; Wilson McDonald, who she admits shooting to death; and Susan ODell, who was shot to death in her apartment. Audrey McDonald was the last person known to have been with ODell.
Id think that would almost be exculpatory, from what I get from your memo, Kirk said. She could prove that she was out of the building before the killing happened.
Things have changed in the last hour, since I wrote the memo, Lucas said. Detective Sloan and I have worked out a way she might have done it. There might even be the possibility of some physical evidence
…
How…
He explained quickly about the duct tape, then said, Let me finish this other thought. In addition to her parents and the four outright murders, we also have four mysterious deaths: Andy Ingall disappeared and has never been found after a supposed boating accident; eleven-year-old Tom McKinney was killed while riding his bicycle; and Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon Baird were burned to death in their cabin. We also have two aggravated assaults in the past two weeks. One was on my former fianceeґ, Weather Karkinnen; her house was firebombed, youve probably read about it. Normally, I wouldnt suggest that there was a tie, but I would here. You can read the full reasoning in the memo Audrey has a history of attacking people to distract, as well as to eliminate, and I believe thats what she did here. We even have some evidence for this.
And it is…
When Mr. and Mrs. Baird were burned to death, investigators found the remnants of a glass jug in their front room, and the glass had been scored to make sure the bottle broke on impact, Lucas said. That feels like a pro job but it happens that when my finaceґe was firebombed, remnantsof the bottle used in that bombing showed the same kind of scoring.
Jesus Christ, Towson said.
Then, last week, another friend of mine was attacked, Sister Mary Joseph, from St. Annes College. As it happens, Audrey McDonald knew her. And presumably knew where she lived, and attacked her for the same reason she attacked Weather. To get me off her back.
And you can show that she benefited from all of these, Dunn said.
She benefited financially from the killings of her father and motherin addition to the money, she may have killed her father because he was sexually and probably physically abusing her, and she got rid of him. All the other deaths were done to push her husbands career: when you put them down in outline form, youll find that he benefited from each of the other deaths… Look at page three of the memo, theres a chart.
What about her husband?
I think her husband was killed because we were getting too close, and he was a rather notorious coward. If he knew about the killings, he might have ratted her out, if there was pressure. Also, she inherits, if shes found not guilty of murdering him. Running through his files after he was killed, we figured he could be worth about seven, eight million.
I see one problem, Towsons deputy said, snapping the paper with his finger. If I remember right, you guys had elected Wilson McDonald for the Kresge killing.
Looking at this, I ask myself, couldnt McDonald have done all of these? We know he was a brutal asshole. Look what he did to his own wife.
Its worse than that, Lester said. St. Pauls got a partial print, probably made by McDonald, on a shell from the gun that killed Arris.
Not good, said Towson.
Nobut all that proves is that McDonald loaded the gun. Ill also say it seems that when ODell was shot in thehead, the bullet might have come from the same gun. We cant prove the gun-slug connection, because the slug, a hollowpoint, came apart in her head, and there was nothing left but fragments. But a spectroscopic analysis of the metal from the slug in ODells head and from the traces of a slug in the Arris killing suggests both came from the same batch of lead. We also have the guntaken out of a car owned by McDonald but not driven by him since Septemberand the clip was full. But all the shells had his prints on them but the last two. The lead from those two came from a different batch, but the lead from the shells in the lower part of the magazine came from the same batchprobablythe same batchas the slugs that killed Arris and ODell.
Youd drive a jury nuts with this stuff, said the criminal division guy.
Theres another point here. I think I can demonstrate by the recorded times of some cell phone calls that Wilson McDonald couldnt have killed ODell. And if he couldnt have killed her, then somebody else who knew where the gun was must have. Audrey McDonald. And like I said, I think we can show how it was done.
But you cant definitively prove that was the gun that killed ODell.
No.
Thats a problem, Towson said.
They all sat in silence for a minute; then Kirk said, Pattern.
Everybody nodded. Dunn said, Pattern, plenty of motive, we knock down any sympathy she might get with the killing of her mother…
Which is more than balanced off by the fact that her mother apparently stood by while her father was fucking her, Kirk said. The defense puts a weeping woman on the stand who denies doing anything, but points out that if she didwhich she didntit certainly would have been justified, a fourteen-year-old girl getting the ol pork trombone from her own father. Matter of fact, if I was the defenseattorney, Id make the mother an accomplice. If Audreys as smart as this stuff makes her, she wouldnt need too much of a hint to come up with something pretty lurid.
Which, if we could drive a wedge between Audrey and her sister, we might get the sister to refute… Is the sister as wacko as Audrey?
No. But there was a complaint filed with Child Protection a couple of days ago that she beat her daughter and gave her dope, Lucas said.
Aw, Jesus.
But not justified, Lucas said. In fact, I think Audrey filed it.
Goddamn this woman.
Im sure he will, Lester said dryly. But itd be nice if we could get a few whacks in first.
Towson leaned over his desk, looking at his deputy and the head of his criminal division: Ill tell you what, boys. Were faced here with the usual sloppy police work that virtually ties us hand and foot, even as we have to take our cases before drooling liberal judges who dont wish for anything finer than putting criminals back on the street where they can rape our Cub Scouts. However…
I wish Id said that, Lester said.
Part of a speech Im writing, Towson said. Seriously, Lucas, do you think shes gonna kill anyone else in the next few days?
I dont know whod it be, Lucas said. Me maybe but Im careful.
Youbecareful, Towson said. She apparently likes guns… Now listen. Im looking through this memo, and Im convinced. A trial is something else. Give me another few days work on this thing. Nail down that stuff about ODell. Give me something harder. Work out a really tight timetable, and find a way we can put her there to pull the trigger. And anything else. Even people willing to suggest that she did it. We need more hard evidence: anything would help.
Whatre you going to do?
Im thinking that we might charge her with everything, Towson said. All the murder counts, all the ag assaults. Put all the evidence together, argue the pattern. Then, probably, well lose most of them. But well have a chance of getting her for killing her husband, if we can make it part of the pattern. Because shes admitted it. The jury might let her go on the other ones, for lack of specific evidence, but we might get her on at least second degree, and maybe first, on her husband.
She was pretty beat up, Lucas said. They took pictures.
We can handle that, if we can make the other things clear enough. If we get her on just second degree on her
