'Yes.'
'And isn't it also true that you have evidence that Ms. Easter-brook
had sexual relations with someone other than her husband?'
'If one considers rape sexual relations, then one could draw that
inference, yes.'
'I'm sorry, Detective Johnson, are you saying that you are certain
beyond doubt that Ms. Easterbrook was raped?'
'No, but that is one possibility, and I was uncomfortable describing
that possibility as one involving what you called sexual relations.'
'Let's talk a little bit about what that evidence is,' Slip said. 'In
the autopsy of Ms. Easterbrook, the medical examiner found an anti
spermicide gel within her vaginal canal. Correct?'
'That's correct.'
'A gel that's often associated with condoms?'
'Yes.'
'And, according to Ms. Easterbrook's husband, the two of them did not
use condoms or any such gel in the course of their own marital
relations, is that right?'
The question clearly called for hearsay. Under the rules, if Slip
wanted to introduce something Townsend said as true, he had to get it
from Townsend. But I'd been hoping to spare him from testifying. I
let it slide without objection, and Johnson conceded the point.
'Is it fair to say, Detective Johnson, that you at least wondered
whether Ms. Easterbrook and Mr. Caffrey were engaged in an
extramarital affair?'
'I considered it a possibility.'
'In light of what was at least the possible connection between Mr.
Caffrey and the victim, did you ever question him to determine whether
he had relevant evidence?'
'No, I did not,' Johnson said.
'Did you try to?' Slip asked.
'Yes.'
'How so?'
'I left a message on Tuesday afternoon with his scheduling
assistant.'
I hadn't realized that Johnson had gotten around to making that call.
He must have seen to it right after the MCT meeting, before he learned
that Jackson worked in Glenville.
'Did you tell the assistant that you were calling about Ms.
Easterbrook?' Slip asked.
'No, I did not.'
'Did you tell the assistant anything about the nature of the call?'
'I believe I told him that I was calling about a pending criminal
investigation.'
'A murder investigation?'
'No, I would not have said that. Just a criminal investigation.'
'Is that a fairly standard message that you leave when you're trying to
reach a potential witness?'
'Yes.'
'And is there a reason why you say the call relates to a pending
criminal investigation, rather than just leave your name and number?'
'Sure. Lets them know I'm not just fund-raising for the PBA. Makes it
more likely I get a prompt callback.'
'And, in this case, did you get your prompt callback?'
'I have not spoken with Mr. Caffrey.'
So the respectable T. J. Caffrey was a total slime. What does it say
about a man's character when he'd hide from his lover's murder
investigation just to cover his own ass? It did not, however, make him
a murderer.
'So if I understand you correctly,' Slip said, 'a man who may have been
having a special relationship with the victim on a murder case did not
call you back, even though he knew you were trying to contact him about
a pending criminal investigation. Is that right?'
'That's correct. But I have no way of knowing he got the message.'
