“When I was done there, I went by Ashley’s house to see how she was doing. She had confided in me the day before that she thought Scottie was cheating on her. I went by to see what she knew and console her if she had found any real proof. When I got there, she told me it was just a hunch based on the way he had been acting. She didn’t have any concrete proof. She was going to confront him when he got home from his golf game. I left and wished her good luck. About an hour or so later, I got a phone call from her brother, Brent; he told me the news.”
“Is there anything else you think we should know?” asked Steve.
“No,” Walters said with a shake of her blonde head. “That is pretty much all I know.”
As he began to stand up, Steve thanked Walters and her husband for their time. Booger stood as well, and they all exchanged pleasantries. Just as they reached the doorway, Booger turned and said, “We were just out at the Whitmore Ranch visiting Whitmore. Deputy Blackburn pulled in while we were leaving. It looked like he was there on his day off. Are the two of them friends?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say they are friends. Of course, we have all known each other for years and went to high school together, but Andy was probably out there to visit Gabriel. Ever since the day Ashley was killed, Andy has kind of been like a big brother to him. Andy says he feels some responsibility to take care of Gabriel since he is the one who carried him out of the house that day. He goes out there almost every Saturday, I think, and takes Gabriel places. I think Brent and Julie honestly appreciate the break with one less child in the house.”
“Do you know what they do?” Booger asked.
“I think they just go to the park at the lake most days, or just whatever. I’m honestly not sure about all the details.”
“Okay,” Booger said. “Thanks.”
After the two men got into the car and began to pull away, Steve looked over at Booger. “What do you think?”
“Well, she was definitely hiding something. I could tell that clear as day. The only question is, was she just hiding her affair, or did she kill her hero to take her place on the mantel? I’ve seen it several times over the years. You have two best friends, one with a strong personality and the other a follower. Over time, the idolization turns to something else, and the follower wants not only to start having a say in the relationship but to also take over the other person’s life. It definitely explains why she started sleeping with Scottie, but I’m not sure if it makes her a murderer.” Booger turned and smiled at Steve, “One thing I do know; this sure is going to be an interesting journey, my friend. I’m glad you got me involved. Let’s go to that park.”
Steve turned right on Blue Starr Drive and drove toward the park. As they neared the parking lot adjacent to the playground, they saw the sheriff’s patrol car. Steve pulled his car up next to it. Both men got out. Booger took a few pictures of Deputy Blackburn pushing Gabriel on the swing before they approached.
As they got within earshot, Deputy Blackburn left his position behind the swing and headed toward them. By the time they met up, all three men were a considerable distance from Gabriel.
Deputy Blackburn calmly said, “Hello, gentlemen. I know why you are here. Brent told me who you are and what you are up to. I would be happy to meet with you sometime when the little man is not around.” He turned and gave a nod toward Gabriel still on the swing. “I don’t like to talk shop around him, especially not this case. I’m sure you understand.”
Steve spoke first, “Yes, of course, there’s no reason for him to hear about it. Is there a time next week you’d be available?”
“My on-duty hours are Monday through Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every week, but I would be happy to meet with you anytime that Gabe is not around. Brent told me about your theory, and I would love to find out what you have uncovered. As a lawman and the first officer on the scene, I would hate it if we got the wrong person. However, I must tell you that I find it highly unlikely we made a mistake. Considering all the evidence that pointed to your guy, there is no doubt in my mind the right man is in prison. That said, I’m extremely curious to see what you
think my department missed in the investigation.”
Steve looked at Booger and said, “I have a court hearing on Monday. Can you do Tuesday?”
Booger nodded. “I’m fairly open at the body shop this week and I got a text earlier the Javelin I expected on Monday won’t be coming in. I can be wherever whenever, young man.”
Steve turned back to Deputy Whitmore. “How about Tuesday morning around nine thirty?”
“Can you do 4:00 p.m.? That way, I don’t have to worry about being called away if something comes up, since I will be officially off-duty.”
“Four sounds perfect. We will see you then,” Steve said.
CHAPTER 20
When they arrived back in Tulsa, it was a little after 1:00 p.m. Steve turned to Booger. “All that lying and evading we heard today has got me real hungry. Do you like traditional English food?”
“What do you consider traditional English food? Internal organs and French fries?” Booger frowned. “Probably not.”
“You’ll love this place. The White Lion Pub near 71st and Yale. I love the ‘Lancashire Feast’—a steak and mushroom pie. No intestines. I promise.”
“Okay, I’m game. I’m sure I can find something to eat.”
At the pub, a waitress brought Steve a Guinness and Booger a Bud Light. Booger took a swig from his bottle and asked, “How can you drink that stuff? It looks like tar.”
“Well, I’ll admit it is a bit of an acquired taste,” Steve said with a shrug. “But once you get used to it, there is not another beer in the world that can compare to its complexity. I actually started drinking these in law school at Georgetown in DC. The law school campus is downtown, not out in Georgetown proper where the main university is situated. There were two Irish bars/restaurants within walking distance of the campus.”
“The Dubliner was located on the ground floor of a posh hotel. It had leather chairs and cloth napkins, and they served a nice pint of Guinness. A lot of businesspeople, as well as students who had a few bucks, ate and drank there. Right next to The Dubliner was The Irish Times. It was more of your hole-in-the-wall type of Irish pub. There was always the smell of stale beer stuck on the floor with the occasional whiff of puke on the wrong nights. The rest of us went there. The Irish Times served the best Guinness I
have ever had in the States, and that is pretty much what everyone who went there ordered. Grew to love this stuff in that place, and I hope one day to visit the brewery. I think I would be in heaven if I ever got to have a pint there.”
“Georgetown, huh?” Booger said. “That is a top-shelf law school. You must be some kind of intellectual. Not that I’ve picked up on that thus far.” He said jabbingly.
After lunch, they drove home without much conversation, each man quietly pondering their morning’s activities. As Steve pulled up to the body shop, Booger said, “Spend the next couple of days thinking about what all happened this morning. Not just what was said, but also what wasn’t said, and how everyone reacted to our presence. Plus, we need to go see Scottie again. Something has been eating at my gut ever since our meeting with him. There is still something he isn’t being completely honest about. I know it, and we need to get it out of him.” “Okay,” said Steve.
“Lastly, I remember you told Deputy Blackburn you have something Monday. Can we meet at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday and go over our thoughts before we go back to Claremore to meet him?”
“Yes,” Steve said with a nod. “Can you meet me at my office? If you have the time, we can even plan on meeting about noon and have lunch first. If that works for you?”
“Sounds good. By the way, just out of curiosity, what type of case do you have Monday?” Booger asked.
“Oh, it’s not the juiciest of cases, but it was the most important case in my filing cabinet before I got this one. I represent a guy accused of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from his company. The preliminary hearing is set Monday afternoon, but
CHAPTER 20
after all the evidence I’ve seen, I think our best bet is to take a plea. I am meeting with him Monday morning to discuss all of our options.”
CHAPTER 21
Monday came all too quickly for Steve. He had spent so much time thinking about Scottie’s case that he had neglected the Hamilton matter. He started early that morning by going back over the entire file. He wanted to be completely prepared for his meeting with Hamilton at 11:00 a.m, so he spent most of the time reviewing the information contained in the zip drive that Emily had provided him. It contained all of the data she had extracted from Hamilton’s hard drive. Some of that time Steve spent thinking about Emily herself, but he did his best to focus on the zip drive information.
