Chapter 6

"I didn't," he began.

I cut him off before he could lie again. "Russ don't worry, Skip will figure out something."

"That asshole, I told everybody he was a jerk. To tell you the truth Mr. Barnes."

"EJ, Russ, call me EJ." I said.

"To tell you the truth, EJ," he said. "I could never figure out why Skip told me to lie. I don't know what difference it makes when the old bat called. If it was three or five, who cares. Sally was in the kitchen drinking coffee. Me I was asleep so what the hell difference does it make to us." Mike said.

"About a quarter of a million dollars Russ." I answered.

"Huh?" was his only reply.

"Follow me Russ, Great Northern has to pay somebody. Our only concern is that we don't pay the killer. If Mama Lester did Poppa Lester she can't collect. My guess is that Sally and her sister would collect the money."

"You mean Skip is trying to make sure I don't get none of the money?" he asked.

"I don't know Russ, but if Moma has the money and Sally Anne takes a hike you get zilch. If Sally Anne has the money and she divorces you. I would think that community property laws would apply. In other words half of her share would be yours." A hundred and twenty five grand is a pretty good incentive to keep moma out of jail."

"Sally Anne wouldn't do that." he stated without much conviction.

"I guess, I'll tell you one thing. If my choices were a conspiracy charge or a hundred grand plus, I wouldn't have any problem choosing. Well Russ, I got to be going. The chief is going to take a crack at Mama in a few minutes." I turned to leave.

"Wait a minute, EJ. Do you think I should tell the chief what I know?" he asked.

"Yeah, but Russ, don't make anything up. This is all going to come out after John Jr. takes that polygraph on Monday. The absolute truth is your best bet." I lied.

"Can I walk with you. I think I need to talk to the chief." he said.

"Sure, I'll wait till you are finished here." I did wait. It took him about twenty minutes to finish. I was afraid he might have a heart attack he worked so fast.

Back at the station, Russ corrected his statement. He told the chief that the time had been closer to three than five. He also told her that Skip had instructed Sally Anne to have him change the time. Chief Sims was a happy camper. She had good old Skip for suborning perjury in a murder case. His balls were in her pocket.

The widow Lester arrived around four. Skip arrived about four thirty. Mrs Lester was scrupulously ignored till Skip arrived. He came in full of bluster and hot air. Sims let him rant and rave till he was over it. How she resisted dropping the bomb on him I have no idea. In the end she got Mrs. Lester inside the room. She started out by stating that John Jr. would be on the polygraph Monday morning. She offered her a chance to take one at the same time. Mama refused, as expected. She gave the excuse that Skip advised against it. I expected the bomb to fall at that point, No bomb.

"Mrs. Lester the reason I called you in again wasn't for the polygraph. It was to inform you that I have evidence that the call you placed to your daughter the night of you husbands death, was made close to three. That puts it two hours before you claim you discovered his body. That is going to need some explaining."

She waited for the woman to answer. "We need some time to discuss this." Skip said. "I am going to suggest that my client not answer any more questions today."

"Right Skip, you are going to need to go back to your little office, so that you can tell her what lie she needs to tell next." the chief almost shouted.

"I am going to file a suit against you for liable. I have never told a client to lie. That would be not only unethical but criminal." he shouted.

The chief, god bless her, tossed a written copy of Russ's statement on the table. I knew that his statements about Skip were highlighted. "If you still want to take me to court Skip, I look forward to it." She walked out of the room. She entered the observation room.

Skip didn't say a word, he simply led the widow out of the room. The chief looked at me then said, "So what do you think happened between three and five?"

"I have no earthly idea. The two hour window the coroner gave could be filled by either a three or five killing. If he was dead at three what did they do till five. If he was alive at three, why would Mama call Sally Anne?" I asked.

"Let's go out to dinner. We can try to figure it out then." the chief suggested.

"How about your kids?" I asked.

"They are spending the week with daddy. You aren't afraid of me are you EJ?" she asked with a woman's smile.

"Oh course I am. You are a woman aren't you?" I said.

"Yes, but I sometimes forget. Come on we can drive out to the highway. There is actually a fairly nice restaurant there."

"No way, I want to eat at Lester's. You know kind of help him with his financial problems." I said with a smile.

"We probably shouldn't. I don't know why, it just doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Sure it does. We will just have a nice meal, and if John comes over we will tell him he is doing the right thing. Of course we won't go into great detail about the case. I might ask him what time his mama called him but nothing else."

"Be carefull EJ. Skip can make a pretty good case that you are acting as an agent of the police."

"Are you kidding, Skip is going to be too busy covering up his own tracks to worry about any of them." I said.

We were seated in the restaurant before she asked the giant question. "Okay you aren't going to explain, so I am just going to ask. How did you get Russ to tell the truth?"

"Greed, pure and simple. If he knew more, he would have told us that too. He wants to make sure Sally Anne doesn't screw him out of his cut of the insurance."

"Sally Anne doesn't get a cut." she said.

"Sure she does. If Mama goes down for the killing then Sally Ann and her sister get the money. By the way, how close is Sally Anne to her mother?" I asked.

"Too close to try to use the money as a wedge. If you split those two, it will be with something a lot stronger than money."

"How about murder. Do you think Sally Anne would cover for her mother, if she thought Moma killed Poppa?" I asked.

"Hard to say," the chief answered. "I expect so."

"Me too, especially if she thought the old man needed it." I said.

"EJ, do you think John Senior was doing his daughter?"

"I sure as hell wish I knew." I said.

"Maybe there is a way to find out. Why don't I petition the court to have her examined by a shrink."

"Wouldn't you have to have her in custody. I mean we can't even prove there has been a crime." I said skeptically.

"I could, if she were declared a ward of the state." the chief said.

"And exactly how would you go about it."

"How about an anonymous tip. You know that she is being abused."

"Wouldn't work. She is no longer being abused. If she ever was." I said.

"What if we lied. I mean the caller lied." she suggested.

"It wouldn't work, but it might scare the hell out of someone. Do you have the number for social services." I asked.

"It is going to take too long that way. How about a call to the local police on the 911. We say the girl is in danger. She needs help right now."

"No way, 911 is recorded. A voice match will put me in jail. I think I am not all that interested in shaking up the mama." I admitted.

"Just a thought." the chief smiled.

"Just keep on thinking." I suggested.

The food arrived on a tray carried by 'Millie the slut'. The food was very good, but the service was slow. Millie it seemed didn't want to spend much time at our table. "You know chief, we really need to talk to Millie. She is acting like we both have Aids."

"I noticed that too. Do you think we should run her over used ass in." She smiled.

"No, I think we can do it right here." I suggested.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. She is going to say what John wants her to, at least if she is here. I will have her picked up at home tomorrow." She didn't speak for a long while then said, "I have to admit. Things have really picked up since you got to town."

"Thank you," I said.

"That wasn't a compliment." she said smiling.

"Didn't think it was." I smiled back at her.

The chief was able to resist my charm so I returned to the motel alone. It was after ten when I picked up my messages. I had only two. Edna reminded me that I had just two more days before the company would reevaluate the case. I might well be pulled at that time.

The other message was from Skip. He gave me his home phone number to call anytime. I turned the message over in my mind a couple of times. I considered tossing it away but finally made the call.

"Mr. Barnes, I know the chief is listening to you. I would like for you to inform her that Russ can't be believed. He has a monitary interest in the outcome of the case. He is trying to frame his mother in law. Sally Anne asked him why he was lying and he told her."

"Skip, that is between you and the chief. I have nothing to do with it. Just between you and me, Russ will be taking the poly with John on Monday." Lying to a lawyer is easy for me. "If he passes, I think the chief is going to the grand jury about you. If I were you, I would try a better approach than the one you just took with me. They probably can't try you, but Great Northern is going to push for disbarment."

"Why would they do that?" he asked in a panic.

"You are involved in an insurance fraud. We want to throw the insurance commissoner a bone. Something he can use for publicity. There are elections soon you know." If he did, he knew more than me. I had no idea what I was saying. I was just hoping to scare hell out of him. It must have worked.

"Okay Barnes, I did suggest that it would be better for his wife if the time were five instead of three. I didn't tell him to lie."

"Sure you did Skip. The only question is did you know that Mrs. Lester had already killed her husband?" I asked.

"She swears to me that she didn't kill him?" he said.

"Then who did she say knifed him?" I asked.

"I didn't ask, because I didn't want to know. Even if she had told me it would be privileged."

"So it would counselor. Skip, I can't help you. If you pointed me in the right direction, I might put in a good word for you. Not tell me anything, just suggest where I might want to look."

"Try the men he owed money to." he suggested.

"Won't wash Skip. That dog would have eaten them up. It was Mama or the daughter. If not one of them, then they know who did it. The dog either knew the killer or was restrained by one of the women in the house."

"I can't give you a client," he said.

"Skip you are going to need to do something. If you know who did it you can't hide behind that client, attorney shit. You are going to have to plead them out. This thing is beginning to unravel. Let me give you one piece of advice." I said.

"What advice?" he asked hopefully.

"It is harder to plead self defence, if the cops come get you. It is a damned sight easier, if you go to the cops with your story first. Now I have to go." I said.

I expected Skip to start pressuring someone to come up with a self defense plea. The pressure would begin either right this very minute, or first thing tomorrow. I gave him five minutes then called his number again. I got a busy signal. I went to bed smiling.

I half expected to find one of the women copping a plea, when I arrive at the police station. No such luck, I did find 'Millie the slut'. "You're late," the chief said. I was about to start without you. This time you get to sit in the room." @@@

"I had no idea you needed a chaperone with girls. No wonder I couldn't convince you to come home with me last night."

"You didn't ask me." she said with a smile.

"Millie," she said to the teenager. "Come this way."

Millie and I followed the chief into the small room. "You do know why you are here don't you?" the chief asked.

"It's about old man Lester I guess." she said. I noticed right away that she wasn't imtimidated. If anything she was excited about the chance to tell her story.

"That's right Millie. I want to know if you were seeing him?" the chief asked.

"Sure, I went out with him. He was old, but he spent a lot of money on me." she said without any regret in her voice. There was also no idication that she was crushed by the Lester killing.

"How long had you been seeing him?" the chief asked.

"Ever since I went to work there. It was about six months ago." she said.

"How come it took John Jr. so long to find out?" I asked.

"You don't see nothing you don't want to see." she answered.

"If he didn't want to see it how did he find out?" the chief asked.

"I told him." Millie said.

"Now why would you do that?" I asked.

"John Jr. was giving me the shit jobs all the time. I told him that I would tell his daddy." she admitted.

"So what happened when you did that?" the chief asked.

"Nothing, I had to spell it out for the goof ball. After that he and his father had a fight. Then the old man got killed. I think John Jr. killed him."

"Because of you?" I asked.

"Sure, John Jr. has never said anything, but I think he wanted me for himself." she said smugly.

"What do you know about Lester's daughter?" I asked.

"Sally Anne, she wasn't exactly a daddy's girl. John hated that they didn't get along all that well. We never really talked much about it. We never really talked all that much about anything." she admitted.

"I actually had the younger daughter in mind." I said.

"Oh her, I heard there is a rumor that the old man was screwing her. Well don't believe it. My old man did me when I was a kid. Before my mama tossed his sorry ass out. Old man Lester wasn't nothing like my old man. He wouldn't have been messin with that kid of his. Besides he had me. He didn't need her."

After she left the chief asked, "So what do you think."

"I think that was a waste of out time. If you learned anything you got me beat." I said.

"Do you think Lester was sleeping with his daughter?" she asked.

"In the room for sure. As for the other, who knows?" I asked.

"The girl and her mother." the chief said.

"And getting it from them will never happen." I said.

"Well something is going to happen. There are too many things going on at the same time for nothing to shake loose."

"If it doesn't happen today or tomorrow I may miss it." I said. I found that my voice had a little regret in it.

"Why?" the chief asked.

"Great Northern will probably pull the plug. I mean your investigation is picking up. They would just as soon save the money while you do the work." I said.

"That would be a shame. You have really been a great help."

The day was spent doing not much of anything. We talked to a few more people but nothing happened. I was frustrated at five when the chief called it a week. I knew that nothing was going to happen to solve this case before tomorrow.

I had yet another message to call Skip. I called.

"EJ, can you meet me in my office around eight. I have someone I want you to talk to." he said.

"Skip, I really don't have time for this crap. I am leaving tomorrow and I want to spend a little time thinking tonight. I want to try to make some sense of this all for my report."

"What you learn at my office should make your report easier." he said.

The time passed slowly until eight. I drove to Skips small storefront office. When I entered there were four of them waiting for me. Skip, of course, surrounded my Mama Lester and her two daughters."

I raised an eye at skip. "You wanted to interview them so I am giving you the chance. You wanted to know it all so ask away."

"Why are you doing this now?" I asked.

"That's simple, the family wants Great Northern to settle the claim immediately. I convinced them that telling you the truth would do it. Just listen to it all before you start asking questions that piss people off." he whispered to me.

We all moved into the conference room. "Ask your questions EJ."

I knew there was a catch to it but what the hell. I had absolutely nothing to lose. "Mrs Lester," I began with the mother. "What time did you call your daughter at her home?"

"Around three," the older woman said.

"Was your husband dead at the time." I noticed her look to Skip who nodded to her.

"No he was alive but pretty drunk." she said.

"There was no mention of any blood alcohol test in the autopsy," I said to Skip.

"They didn't do one." He saw my look. "Don't ask me why. I have no idea."

"Why did you call your daughter?" I asked the older woman.

"She could usually handle her father. They fought like cats and dogs but she could talk sense to him."

"Did she?" I ask.

"She tried, but he wouldn't listen." I waited but she didn't elaborate.

"Mrs. Lester, what was your husband doing that caused you to kill him."

"He came at me with the knife. He was so drunk that I took it away from him. I didn't mean to stab him. He ran into the knife. He bled all over the place. He stumbled into the kitchen then died."

"I called Johnny who came over. He made me call the police." she said.

"I have to admit Skip it is a nice try. I think she is going to need a little more coaching. It wouldn't hurt to get her a better story." I said.

"What do you mean," Skip asked. He wasn't indignant. He spoke to me more like a co-conspiritor."

"For one thing, that ran into the knife story isn't going to make it. Lester was stabbed in a downward angle. If he ran into it. the stab would have been streight in. It would also have been in the abdomine rather than the heart. Your client is too short to have stabbed him accidentally in the heart. There was also enough force used to bruise the tissue around the wound. Which ever one of you did it, it was no accident." I waited for the expected outrage. It never came. They seemed to be listening to me as though I were a college professor.

"Look, If you don't want to tell me the truth then at least dream up better lies." I stood to leave.

"Wait a minute, EJ." Skip begged. "We need your help. First I have to get your promise that this won't get back to the chief."

"Sure it will Skip. I am not working for her but Great Northern is going to send her a copy of my report. You know that. You want my report to follow your bullshit." He was about to object. "Skip, I don't care. I just want a story that will fly. You guys aren't giving me one that my company can buy, let alone the cops. The chief may be a woman, but she knows the ring of truth."

"Okay EJ, what is it going to take?" Skip asked.

"Everybody tell me the truth. Let me finish it for you. You have to have the truth as a start."

"Okay ask your questions. I think I can help the family with the answers." He just admitted that he was going to suggest purjury. I ignored it. Like I said I didn't care.

"Okay," I turned to the younger Miss Lester. "Miss Lester, did your father molest you?"

She hung her head, then mumbled, "Yes." I had no idea, if she were telling the truth or not.

"Mrs. Russ did your father molest you as a girl." She glared at me for a long time. Everybody held their breaths.

"Yes, unitl I was seventeen. I married my husband just to get away from him."

"Mrs. Lester, why did you allow that to happen?" I asked.

"I didn't know. If I had I would have stopped him." she said indignantly.

"You almost had me convinced till then. You couldn't have not known. Maybe not Sally Anne, but you knew about your younger daughter. Hell your husband moved into her room." I decided to give her a break.

"Mrs. Lester did your husband beat you?" she jumped on the chance.

"Yes, he beat me that's why I couldn't stop it. John had a violent temper when he drank."

"But he wasn't drinking that night was he?" I asked.

"No," she said. She was search for help from one of us.

"Did you wake up around three and hear him molesting your younger daughter." I asked.

"Yes that's it. I woke up to go to the bathroom. I heard Mary crying. I opened the door a crack and saw him."

"Why didn't you stop him?" I asked.

"I don't know." she said. I looked at Skip. I couldn't keep feeding her the answers.

"Were you afraid, Mrs. Lester?" Skip finally asked. "Were you afraid he would beat you again."

"I must have been," she said hopefully.

"Is that the reason you called your daughter on the phone?" I asked.

"Yes, that's why I called." she said.

It was all crap so far. I had gotten to the point where I wanted to be. "Sally Anne what did you do after your mother called."