JD05 - Conflict of Interest

by Scott Pratt

  Gone.

  I couldn’t imagine how something like that would feel.

  CHAPTER 6

  What follows is a partial, edited transcript of an interview with Mary Monroe that I obtained early in the discovery process. The interview was conducted at the FBI field office in Johnson City the day before I was hired.

  Interviewer: Special Agent Ross Dedrick, Federal Bureau of Investigation

  Interviewer: Special Agent Mike Norcross, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

  Interviewee: Mary Monroe

  File No.: 13357

  Dedrick: Special Agent Ross Dedrick (FBI)

  Norcross: Special Agent Mike Norcross (TBI)

  MM: Mary Monroe

  Norcross: Mrs. Monroe, we appreciate you sitting down with us. I’d first like to talk about the days and weeks – even months – prior to Lindsay’s disappearance. Has there been any time that you’ve felt uncomfortable about anything concerning Lindsay? And by that I mean have you noticed anything unusual?

  MM: Are you talking about people taking an interest in her?

  Norcross: I’m talking about anything, anything at all that would have caused you concern.

  MM: No. I can’t think of anything unusual.

  Norcross: Have there been any problems in your life that might have been caused by or involved Lindsay?

  MM: She’s a child. There are little problems that come up when you’re raising a child.

  Norcross: What kind of problems? Give me an example.

  MM: I don’t know, little disciplinary problems, like her not wanting to go to bed when she’s supposed to or talking back to me or Richard or being whiny. Medical problems like strep throat or the measles. There wasn’t anything serious, though. Just normal kid stuff.

  Norcross: Would you describe Lindsay as a good girl?

  MM: She’s a wonderful little girl.

  Norcross: No problems at school?

  MM: None. Her teachers love her. She gets along with the other kids.

  Dedrick: I have a couple of quick questions.

  Norcross: Go right ahead.

  Dedrick: Have you ever had an affair, Mrs. Monroe?

  MM: Of course not. Why would you even ask such a thing?”

  Dedrick: What about your husband? Have you ever caught him having an affair?

  MM: This is ridiculous… no. Richard has never had an affair.

  Dedrick: Have you ever suspected him of having an affair?

  MM: No.

  Dedrick: Are you happy in your marriage?

  MM: Yes, very happy. I still don’t—

  Dedrick: If you had it to do over again, would you marry Richard?

  MM: Yes. I resent this. I want that on the record.

  Dedrick: Is Richard a good father?

  MM: The best.

  Dedrick: Which one of you disciplines Lindsay?

  MM: We both do.

  Dedrick: Has Richard ever become angry with Lindsay?

  MM: Not really, well, I suppose a couple of times. What parent doesn’t become angry with a child once in awhile?

  Dedrick: So you’ve become angry with her?

  MM: Again, what parent doesn’t become angry with a child once in awhile?

  Dedrick: Have you ever struck her?

  MM: No. We don’t strike children.

  Dedrick: Not even a little pop now and then, just to straighten her out?

  MM: We don’t strike children.

  Dedrick: What about Richard?

  MM: Does the word “we” confuse you, Agent Dedrick?

  Dedrick: But you’re not with him and Lindsay all the time. Is it possible that Richard may have struck her at some time?

  MM: No.

  Dedrick: Did you kill your daughter, Mrs. Monroe?

  MM: I most certainly did not.

  Dedrick: Did you stage her kidnapping?

  MM: No!

  Dedrick: Did your husband kill your daughter?

  MM: He did not.

  Dedrick: Did he stage a kidnapping?

  MM: Are you enjoying this?

  Dedrick: Answer the question, ma’am.

  MM: Neither of us staged Lindsay’s kidnapping. Neither of us killed her.

  Norcross: Let me jump back in for a minute or two. Let’s go back to Friday, Mrs. Monroe. Walk me through your day.

  MM: We’ve been over this a dozen times.

  Norcross: I know, and I apologize. Please, one more time.

  MM: I got up at six thirty, like usual. I got dressed and went to Lindsay’s room. I woke her up and got her ready for school. We ate breakfast together and I dropped her off at Ashton Academy around seven forty-five. From there, I went to the gym and worked out from eight until ten. I went back home, took a shower, washed my hair, put some make-up on, and went back out. I went to the grocery store, to the bank, and to Wal-Mart. I went back home and dropped the groceries off, and at noon I went to lunch with my friend Ruth Killian. At one, I drove to the hospital and visited Richard’s aunt for about twenty minutes. After I left there, I went to Lindsay’s school and met with Melinda Hall. She’s the music teacher. I have a background in music and theater and I’m helping her plan a Christmas show this year. We talked until it was time for school to let out. I met Lindsay and drove her to her violin lesson. I waited in the lobby for forty-five minutes. From there, we went to the mall and I bought Lindsay an orange outfit for the ballgame we were going to on Saturday. We left the mall and went home. I fixed supper while Lindsay played in her room upstairs. We ate supper and put the dishes in the dishwasher. After that, we met another friend of mine, Brandy Stokes, and her daughter, Alexis, at the elementary school playground. The girls played for about an hour while Brandy and I talked. We left just before dark and went straight home. I helped Lindsay change clothes and got her ready for bed. I tucked her in and turned on a movie for her. I went downstairs and poured myself a glass of wine. When I went back upstairs about twenty minutes later, Lindsay was asleep. I turned off the television and went back downstairs. That was it. That was the last time I saw her.

  Norcross: Where was your husband?

  MM: He worked late on Friday since we were going to be gone all day Saturday.

  Norcross: Did you speak to him at all on Friday?

  MM: Not until he got home.

  Dedrick: What time was that?

  MM: Around nine o’clock.

  Dedrick: Is it unusual for you to go an entire day without speaking to Richard?

  MM: No. He works, Agent Dedrick. He works hard. He owns the business and he doesn’t have time to baby sit me during the day.

  Norcross: Why was he so late?

  MM: He said he had dinner with the president of some company he’s thinking about doing business with. He does that kind of thing all the time. It wasn’t unusual.

  Norcross: Did he say where they ate?

  MM: The Peerless, I believe.

  Norcross: Had you seen Richard on Friday morning before he left for work?

  MM: He kissed me goodbye.

  Norcross: What time did he leave the house?

  MM: He leaves around six every morning.

  Norcross: And he got back home around nine?

  MM: Yes.

  Norcross: Long day. What did you and Richard do between nine and bedtime?

  MM: We talked for a little while at the kitchen table, and then Richard went into his study and I watched television.

  Norcross: Did either of you check on Lindsay during that time?

  MM: I didn’t. Richard probably went in and kissed her before he went to bed. That’s always been his habit.

  Norcross: Did you and Richard go to bed at the same time?

  MM: No. I went up at eleven. Richard came some time later.

  Norcross: Do you sleep in the same bed?

  MM: Yes.

  Norcross: Were you awake when he came in to bed?

  MM: No.

  Norcross: Did you see Richard after he went into his study?

  MM: I went to the door and t
old him I was going to bed.

  Norcross: What was he doing?

  MM: Playing a video game. Richard is a hopeless gamer.

  Norcross: Did you go right to sleep?

  MM: I brushed my teeth, washed my face, put on my pajamas, said a prayer, and read a couple of chapters of a biography on Bob Fosse. Then I went to sleep.

  Norcross: Who is Bob Fosse?

  MM: He was a famous dancer and choreographer. He’s dead.

  Norcross: Did you get up at all during the night?

  MM: No. I woke up at six-thirty the next morning, just like I always do. Richard had left at six, just like he always does. He was going to check on a couple of things at the office and then he was going to come back home and pick Lindsay and me up at eight so we could drive to Knoxville and go to the ballgame. It was being televised so it started at noon.

  Norcross: What time did you discover Lindsay was gone?

  MM: Around seven, I guess. I went to her room to wake her up and she wasn’t in bed. I called her name but she didn’t answer so I went into her bathroom and she wasn’t there. When I walked back into her room, I noticed the note on the pillow.

  Norcross: Did you touch it?

  MM: Of course I touched it. I picked it up and read it and then I think maybe I screamed. I dropped it back on the pillow and that’s when I noticed the window screen was missing. I walked over and looked out and saw the screen lying on the patio. I ran downstairs and went outside. I looked at the screen and up at the window and I just… I don’t know. I lost my composure. I’m not really clear on what happened after that. I think I ran around the house outside looking for Lindsay and then I ran back inside and looked all over the inside of the house. At some point I picked up my cell phone and called Richard. He told me to call the police, so I did.

  Dedrick: Did you and your husband argue about anything Friday night?

  MM: No.

  Dedrick: Have you had any problems lately? Financial problems? Sexual problems?

  MM: We’re rich, Agent Dedrick. We don’t have financial problems. And our sex life is absolutely none of your business.

  Dedrick: Would you voluntarily surrender your cell phone so we could examine it?

  MM: You know something? I think maybe I should talk to a lawyer.

  Dedrick: Why would you need a lawyer?

  MM: Because I feel like I’m being accused of something I didn’t do.

  Norcross: We aren’t accusing you, Mrs. Monroe. Surely you understand that we have to eliminate you as a suspect.

  MM: You should have already eliminated me as a suspect. And Richard, too. You’re wasting your time talking to me like this. Lindsay’s out there somewhere, and you’re sitting here talking to me. I love that child with all my heart. I adore her. I would never do anything to harm her and I can’t believe you think I would.

  Dedrick: Have you ever heard of Susan Smith? Andrea Yates? Jeff MacDonald? It happens, Mrs. Monroe. We have to be thorough. Let me ask you this. How would you feel about taking a polygraph examination?

  MM: I’d feel as though I was being accused of something.

  Dedrick: If you pass, it would go a long way toward taking you off our list completely.

  MM: And who would give me this polygraph? An FBI agent?

  Dedrick: We have the best polygraph examiners in the world.

  MM: I don’t think I want to take a polygraph.

  Dedrick: Why? Are you hiding something?

  MM: That’s it. I’m done. I’m going to talk to a lawyer.

  CHAPTER 7

  And this is a partial, edited transcript of an interview with Richard Monroe that I also obtained early in discovery. The interview was also conducted at the FBI field office in Johnson City the day before I was hired.

  Interviewer: Special Agent Albert Gideon, Federal Bureau of Investigation

  Interviewee: Richard Monroe

  File No.: 13357

  Gideon: Special Agent Albert Gideon (FBI)

  RM: Richard Monroe

  Gideon: First off, I want you to know we’re here to help you, Mr. Monroe. Do you believe that?

  RM: I’m not so sure. Am I a suspect?

  Gideon: I’ll be honest with you. From everything I’ve seen, this appears to be a ransom kidnapping committed by a stranger. But we have to do our jobs. You were in the house when she was taken. We have to eliminate you as a suspect, and that’s what we intend to do by conducting this interview.

  RM: Fine. Let’s just get it over with so you can get back to doing what you need to be doing.

  Gideon: I’m primarily interested right now in where you were between six and nine o’clock on Friday night.

  RM: I took a colleague out to eat.

  Gideon: Who was your colleague?

  RM: He’s the president of a software company that we might do business with.

  Gideon: His name?

  RM: I don’t want to drag him into this. It was a business dinner, Agent Gideon. We were talking about business.

  Gideon: I believe you told us earlier that you ate at the Peerless, is that correct?

  RM: Yes.

  Gideon: That’s in Johnson City?

  RM: Yes.

  Gideon: You said you left work at six, got to the restaurant around six-thirty, and stayed for two hours?

  RM: Yes.

  Gideon: Did you pay for the meal or did your associate pay?

  RM: I paid.

  Gideon: Did you use a credit card?

  RM: I believe I paid in cash.

  Gideon: That surprises me a little, Mr. Monroe, because I would think you’d write something like that off as a business expense and you would use a credit card so you’d have a record of the transaction for your accountant.

  RM: Have you ever heard of a receipt?

  Gideon: Oh, so you have a receipt?

  RM: I’m sure I do.

  Gideon: Do you have it with you? In your wallet maybe?

  RM: I probably put it in a folder in my office at home.

  Gideon: Do you mind if I send one of my guys over to your house to get the folder? I’d really like to take a look at that receipt.

  RM: Why are you so interested in the meal I ate on Friday night? What could that possibly have to do with finding Lindsay?

  Gideon: I’m interested because I don’t think you were at the Peerless on Friday night between six-thirty and eight-thirty.

  RM: I don’t care what you think. I was there.

  Gideon: We try to be extremely thorough, Mr. Monroe. When you told us you ate at the Peerless, we sent people there to verify it. Nobody there remembers you coming in, so we gave you the benefit of the doubt and we checked their security tapes just to see if maybe they were so busy they didn’t notice you. They have cameras all over the place, mostly to insure their employees aren’t stealing from them. But they also have cameras in the parking lot and at the front door. Do you see where I’m going with this? You’re not on any of the tapes.

  RM: I was there.

  Gideon: I’m having trouble understanding why you would be untruthful about something that seems so insignificant.

  RM: I’m not being untruthful. I was there, at the Peerless. I ate a T-bone steak.

  Gideon: Because if you would be untruthful about something that seems so insignificant, then I have to believe you would be untruthful about other things. Do you see where I’m coming from?

  RM: I don’t know what to tell you. I was there. I ate a meal. I left and went home. End of story.

  Gideon: Okay. Maybe we missed you somehow on the tapes. I’ll go back and look at them again myself. In the meantime, it would help move things along a great deal if you’d let us go to your house and pick up that folder so I can take a look at the receipt.

  RM: I’m not positive I put it in the folder. I mean, I don’t have a – what is it you guys say call it – a specific recollection of putting it in the folder. It might not be there.

  Gideon: Why don’t we just take a look, then?

  RM: I don�
�t want you or any of your guys wandering around my house.

  Gideon: I promise we won’t wander around. Just tell us exactly where the folder is and we’ll go in and get it.

  RM: I’ll look for it when I get home. If it’s there, I’ll call you.

  Gideon: I’d really like you to take a polygraph, Mr. Monroe. Mr. Monroe? What are you doing? Are you leaving? Hold up, there. Wait! (Pause.) The subject has terminated the interview.

  CHAPTER 8

  Over the next two days, Lindsay Monroe became a national story. Her face was on television screens, computers, cell phones and billboards across the country. Chief Royston’s daily press conferences, which were now being held in the upstairs courtroom at the old courthouse to accommodate the ever-increasing number of reporters who had traveled to Jonesborough, became adversarial. Royston stubbornly refused to divulge any information beyond what everyone already knew, and the reporters peppered him with questions that were obviously intended to bait him into popping off and telling them something new.

  On Tuesday morning, someone leaked a copy of a ransom note to a tabloid reporter, who immediately put it up on a website. It said:

  “WE HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER. RANSOM IS THREE MILLION IN CASH IN SEVENTY-TWO HOURS. HUNDRED DOLLAR BILLS. NO SEQUENCE. FAILURE TO RAISE AND DELIVER RANSOM WILL RESULT IN HER DEATH. YOU WILL ONLY GET ONE CHANCE. IF WE ARE UNABLE TO COLLECT RANSOM FOR ANY REASON – INCLUDING INTERFERENCE FROM POLICE – SHE WILL BE KILLED. IF ANY OF OUR PEOPLE ARE CAUGHT BY POLICE, SHE WILL BE KILLED.”

  The tabloid had gotten a hold of Chief Royston and asked him whether the note was really from the crime scene. He refused to confirm, but he wouldn’t deny it, either, which told me the note was real.