right mind thought I was a suspect. And as for this court of public opinion, nobody sees me nothin’ more than a washed-up druggie who never lived up to his potential. Way I see it, I got nowhere to go but up.”
“So you’re sticking to your story that Senator Kingsbury was the unidentified juvenile in the car that night?”
“For the last time-Kingsbury wasn’t listed in the police report! They kept him out of it. Brad was dead, so they used the juvie kid to testify against me. It was my word against his.”
“I am not that easily fooled, Mr. Thompson. GNZ has secured the police report you speak of, and the unidentified person in the car was referred to as ‘Weasel Suit’ to protect his identity. I know that the Secret Service gives code names to presidents, and candidates for the office. For example, Ronald Reagan was codenamed Rawhide, while Bill Clinton was Eagle. So the fact that the unidentified passenger was being protected by a similar code leads me to believe it was indeed Senator Kingsbury.”
Lamar shook his head, exasperated. “He wasn’t a candidate twenty years ago. Weasel Suit was just a stupid nickname we used for the kid-Brad Lynch was a big wrestling fan, so he gave us all names based on his favorite wrestlers. Brad was the Mouth of the South because he never shut up, and I was Andre the Giant, since I was so tall.”
“If that’s the case, what was Weasel Suit’s real name?”
“The lawyers told me I couldn’t bring up his name or they’d sue my ass. I don’t got much, but I don’t wanna lose what I got.”
“That’s very convenient, Mr. Thompson.”
“Believe whatever you want, lady … I need to get back to work!”
Lauren then used her savvy interview skills to segue to the next topic. “As reported first by GNZ, sources tell us the murder of Senator Kingsbury may have been motivated by a homosexual love triangle that included the accused, Ron Culver. Would you still vote for Senator Kingsbury if he was found to be gay?”
Lamar looked around like he was trying to see if he was on
Lauren regained her look of superiority. “I hate to disagree, Mr. Thompson, but our latest GNZ Internet poll contradicts you. 72 % of those polled said they would still vote for Senator Kingsbury even if he were gay.”
Lamar ripped his microphone off and stormed off camera. I really liked this guy. The camera panned back to Lauren who didn’t seem affected by the early departure.
Joe shook his head. “She sure ain’t the brightest bulb in the bunch. I’m sure there’s a guy out there somewhere she’s making miserable.”
“If you are just joining us…” Lauren flashed her most serious look into the camera. “There has been a thrilling conclusion this morning in the murder of former North Carolina Senator, Craig Kingsbury. His alleged lover, Ron Culver, admitted to the crime in a guilt-filled suicide note. Sources within the state police have confirmed that Culver was in charge of an undercover security escort for the Kingsburys that night. The case has taken many twist and turns, but has remained unsolved since it occurred on July 4 of this year.”
For once I was focused on something Lauren said.
Chapter 75
I had to get to Lamar Thompson.
The northward evacuation traffic was as bad as the weather and it took over two hours to get to Kitty Hawk, which according to Joe, was normally a twenty-minute drive.
Kitty Hawk looked much like the other Outer Banks villages I’d passed. Endless rental homes, clapboard cottages and fishing boats. The museum stood on the grounds of the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Lamar was dressed in a beige park-ranger-type uniform and he was hunched over with bad posture that made him appear shorter than he was. His head was shaved bald and he walked with a limp. Besides myself, the only other folks taking the tour were a senior citizen couple who must not have had access to a weather report.
Lamar appeared a little nervous, and spoke mechanically on the tour. But the charisma I remembered from years ago would occasionally appear. And as a bonus, I learned more about the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, and their first flight than I ever thought possible.
Following the tour, I introduced myself to Lamar, and informed him that I had a few questions for him. He didn’t look happy to see me.
“I’m done with all you reporters. That crazy blonde lady told me she’d pay me five hundred bucks to come on, and how much of that do you think I’ve seen? It was supposed to be one time, then it was until they solve the case … I’m sure it’ll be something else now!” He limped away as fast as he could.
It didn’t surprise me that Lauren would offer money for interviews-a definite no-no. Or at least it used to be.
When I caught up to him, I pleaded, “Lamar, I don’t work for GNZ anymore. I don’t want to do a story with you, I just have a few questions.”
“I don’t got time for this, man. I gotta get home to see if I still got one.”
“I’ll buy you dinner,” I desperately offered.
Thompson stopped. When you spend your teenage years being the most highly recruited high school basketball player in the country you get used to free stuff. He looked nostalgic … and hungry. I could tell he was up for a free dinner; I guessed it had been a while.
We didn’t go to a fancy restaurant, rather, the coffee shop in the museum. Thompson splurged with an order of roasted chicken and a cheeseburger on the side. He ate like he hadn’t eaten in a month.
“So how’s the new job going?” I asked.
“You saw me out there, what you think?” he replied, and flashed the smile that was once splashed on the cover of
“I thought you were good,” I answered as I bit into my greasy Salisbury steak sandwich. I was pretty hungry myself. “I learned a lot about the Wright Brothers.”
He laughed. “Yeah, an airplane is the only way a couple of white boys like Orville and Wilba could get off the ground.”
I laughed back, finding his straightforwardness refreshing. We had a lot in common-two limping guys who wanted the truth … and to avoid Lauren Bowden at all costs.
“Lamar, you mentioned that the Kingsbury family lied during your trial. I also believe that a deal was cut with the judge in the case.”
He looked relieved that someone finally believed him. “The not-so-Honorable Raymond Buford. I’ll never forget that sumbitch as long as I live.”
The thing was, Buford and the others who knew about the cover-up didn’t live that long. And I was convinced that this was because Benson got to the judge, and got him to spill the beans, probably while he was begging for his life on that hook.
“I need to know the name of the kid you called Weasel Suit. The one who got paid by the Kingsburys to lie on the stand. It’s very important, Lamar.” I was sure I knew who it was, but needed confirmation.
“Like I told the blonde lady, the lawyers…”
“It’s okay, Lamar-this will just be between us.”
I was sure he’d heard that one before. He thought for a moment, but I could sense when a source felt a trust between us. He just needed to be nudged across the finish line. “The Kingsburys are dead, Lamar. The nightmare is almost over. If you give me this name, I can put an end to it.”
Thompson thought for a moment. “Things are better for me now. Not what I thought life would be, but better than yesterday. I don’t want to go back there.”
I wasn’t sure if he was referring to prison or the night of the accident, perhaps both. “It’s important,
