possible.
“I set him UP LUTHER, DRESSED IN AN ORANGE JAIL SUIT, SAT IN THE SAME
cinder block interrogation room that Wanda Broome had occupied. Seth
Frank sat across from him watching him closely. Luther stared directly
ahead. He wasn’t zoned out.
The guy was thinking about something.
Two other men came in. One carried a recorder that he placed in the
middle of the table. He turned it on.
“You smoke?” Frank extended a cigarette. Luther accepted it and both men
exhaled tiny clouds.
For the record, Frank repeated, verbatim, Luther’s Miranda warning.
There would be no procedural miscues on this one.
“So you understand your rights?”
Luther vaguely waved his cigarette in the air.
The guy was not what Frank had been expecting. His record was certainly
a felonious one. Three priors, but the last twenty years were clean.
That didn’t mean much. But no assaults, no violent acts. That also
didn’t mean much, but there was something about the guy.
“I need a yes or no to that question.”
19
“Yes.
“Okay. You understand that you’ve been arrested in connection with the
murder of Christine Sullivan?”
it Yes.”
“And you’re sure you want to waive your right to have counsel present on
your behalf? We can get a lawyer for you, or you can call your own.”
661, m sure.”
“And you understand you do not have to make any statement to the police?
That any statement you make now can be used in evidence against you?”
“I understand.”
Years of experience had taught Frank that confessions early on in the
game could spell disaster for the prosecution.
Even a confession given voluntarily could be shredded by the defense
with the result often being that all evidence obtained through that
confession was thrown out as tainted.
The perp could have led you right to the goddamned body and the next day
he walks free with his attorney smiling at you and hoping to God his
client never shows up in his neighborhood. But Frank had his case.
Whatever Whitney added to it was just gravy.
He focused intently on the prisoner. “Then I’d like to ask you some
questions. Okay?”
“Fine.”
Frank stated the month, day and year and time of day for the record and
then asked Luther to state his full name. that was as far as they got.
The door opened. A uniform leaned in.
“We got his lawyer outside.”
Frank looked at Luther, turned off the recorder.
“What lawyer?”
Before Luther could answer, Jack burst past the officer and entered the
room ;
“Jack Graham, I m the accused’s attorney. Get that recorder out of here.
I want to talk to my client alone, right now, gentlemen.”
Luther stared at him. “Jack—2′ he began sharply.
“Shut up, Luther.” Jack looked at the men. “Right now!”
The men began to clear the room. Frank and Jack did an eye-to-eye and
then the door was closed. Jack put his briefcase down on the table but
didn’t sit.
“You want to tell me what the hell’s going on?”
“Jack, you gotta keep out of this. I mean it.”
“You came to me. You made me promise I’d be there for you. Well
goddammit here I am.”
“Great, you did your part, now you can go.”
“Okay, I go, then what the hell do you do?”
“That doesn’t concern you.”
Jack leaned into his face. “What are you going to do?”
Luther’s voice rose for the first time. “I’m pleading guilty!
I did it.”
“You killed her?”
Luther looked away.
“Did you kill Christine Sullivan?” Luther didn’t answer.
Jack grabbed him by the shoulder.
“Did you kill her?”
“Yes. 99 Jack scrutinized the face. Then grabbed his briefcase.
“I’m your lawyer whether you want me anymore or not.
And until I figure out why you’re lying to me don’t even think about
talking to the cops. If you do I’ll have you declared insane.”
“Jack, I appreciate what you’re doing, but—?”
“Look, Luther, Kate told me what happened, what she did and why she did
it. But let me tell it to you straight. If you go down for this, your
little girl is never going to recover. You hear me?”