Marge rested her chin in her palm. 'Want to hear my personal theory of what happened... for what it's worth?'
'Shoot.'
'Last Tuesday, around midnight, Tandy goes to visit Marie at Sun Valley Pres.'
'Why?'
'That's anyone's guess. Girl's nuts. Maybe a voice told her to kill Marie. So she goes to Marie's assigned nursery - Nursery J - and Marie isn't there. As a matter of fact, no one is there—'
'Budget cuts,' Decker interrupted. 'Or so they claim. What a crock of shit!'
'Can we go on?'
'Go on.'
Marge said, 'So no one's there. Tandy takes one look at those babies and loses it. Her head starts playing tricks on her. She thinks about the baby she was forced to abort. She thinks about the pregnancy that wasn't real. Voices start telling her to do things. The impulses take over. She grabs a baby.'
Decker said, 'Then to Tandy's surprise, Lily Booker walks in and confronts her.'
'Exactly. Say a fight breaks out. Or maybe Tandy just lashes out. Who knows what was going through that girl's head.'
'She seemed so damn... tormented, Marge.'
'Rabbi, that doesn't mean she can't do damage.'
A good point. Lots of crime is done under delusion. Decker said, 'Go on with your theory.'
Marge took another breath. 'So Lily confronts Tandy. Now Tandy's a strong girl, an iron-pumper. She smashes
Lily on the head and kills her. Wasn't there a big indentation in her forehead?'
'Yep,' Decker said. 'Hennon thought it was done with a hammer.'
'And the frontal bones had been smashed, remember?'
Decker nodded. 'Keep going.'
'Okay,' Marge said. 'Then Marie walks in and sees what happened. Quickly, Marie thinks up a plan—'
'Wait, wait, wait a sec' Decker held up the palm of his hand. 'Marie walks in and finds out that Tandy has just murdered Lily and is in the process of swiping a baby. Suddenly, you've got Marie abetting Tandy in murder and kidnapping? Why would she do that?'
'Marie loved Tandy. Or maybe she just felt plain guilty over what went on between her and Professor Geoff. Marie was a martyr type.'
'Don't buy it, kiddo. Maybe if Marie had been Tandy's biological mother... but she wasn't. I don't see Marie risking her neck to help a friend.'
'Maybe Tandy was in the midst of a breakdown,' Marge suggested. 'Look how sorry you felt for her.'
'But I wasn't looking at a fresh dead body.'
'And you're positive that Marie isn't Tandy's mother?'
'According to Lita Bellson, it would have been impossible.'
'And you think Lita's reliable enough to notice everything that went on in her daughter's life.'
'I think she'd notice if her kid was pregnant.'
'Marie's a tall girl. She could hide a pregnancy.'
'You're selling, Marge. But I'm not buying.'
'All right,' Marge said. 'I don't know why Marie would help Tandy, but let's assume she did. Maybe Marie just panicked and didn't think rationally.'
Decker hit his shirt pocket. The bottle was still there, ihank you, God. He took it out and popped a couple of
Advils into his mouth. Swallowed them dry.
'Marie helps Tandy,' Decker said. 'We've got two things going on. One, the baby. Two, the disposal of Lily's body. Even if Marie agreed to help Tandy dispose of the body, why would she let Tandy take the baby? If Tandy indeed took the baby?'
'Say Tandy was nuts. Maybe she wouldn't leave without the baby. Marie didn't want either one of them to get into trouble. She panicked and just wanted to shut Tandy up. So she let her keep the baby.'
'Marge—'
'Let me just go on with the story, as fucked up as it is, okay?'
Decker nodded.
'So.' Marge cleared her throat. 'So Tandy takes the baby over to her parents' house and Marie drives her car with Lily's body up to Angeles Crest. Marie pushes the car over the cliff and Tandy picks her up later on. Marie splits town for good, tells Tandy she'll take the heat—'
'Why would she do that, Marge?'
'Because she thought she was Jesus Christ and was dying for Tandy's sins. I don't know!'
'But that's a big blank.'
'Maybe she was atoning for the affair. Remember how Paula said she liked the parable of the prodigal son?'
'Okay. So even assuming Marie agreed to take the heat, we've got a few problems. Starting with the baby. It was Marie who took the baby over to Tandy's parents.'
'According to Hetty, who'd be more than willing to let Marie take the blame.'
Decker said, 'Marie could be dead for all we know.'
Marge didn't speak for a moment. Then she said, 'Well, I like my theory.'
'Yeah, it sounds okay.' Decker paused a moment. 'You know what bothers me?'
'What?'
'Can you picture Marie and Tandy leaving the hospital - with both the baby and Lily Booker's body -unnoticed?'
'Everyone we interviewed said the place was short-staffed that night. You yourself said the hospital was a tomb.'
'But it's the physical element. Even if Tandy is a big strong gal and Marie is a nurse who knew the ropes, how did they leave the hospital carrying a dead body - a bloody dead body - and a squalling baby. Or even a sleeping baby for that matter. That's a lot of weight.'
Marge thought for a moment. 'You're right. Lily was a big woman. Maybe they got help.'
Decker suddenly grinned. 'Who'd help them, Margie?'
'Can't be Daddy Geoff. He's practically an invalid. How about Mom? She's a toughie, to put it mildly.'
Decker said, 'Could have been Mom, but think about her physically. Hetty's a broomstick. We need someone strong, Marge. Someone who's used to toting dead-weight bodies. And maybe someone who owes Tandy some favors.'
Marge hit her forehead. 'Leek Mckay. I told you that guy was a scumbag! If he's gone because you played nice guy—'
'Don't say it, don't say it!' Decker ran his hands through his hair. 'I've been doing nothing but fucking up lately!'
'Maybe it's sleep deprivation.'
'It's bad work.' Decker shook his head. 'Marie's missing. I've got no idea where she is. Tandy's with Donna at the moment. She not going anywhere. I've got nothing on tap. Might as well go find me some evidence.'
Decker closed the door to the interview room and leaned
against the wall next to Deputy DA Kurt Pomerantz. A moment later, a uniformed officer joined them both. Decker smiled at her. Nervously, she smiled back, her eyes focusing on a spot across the squadroom. The blue was barely out of her teens, probably a rookie. Decker thought of Cindy. He hoped she'd gotten police work out of her system.
Pomerantz brushed his palm over his balding forehead and unbuttoned his jacket, exposing a sizeable gut that came with beer-drinking and middle age. The deputy DA rocked on his feet as he talked. 'I can tell you this much. Beltran's going to ask for all charges to be dropped in exchange for McKay's cooperation.'
'McKay was an accessory.'
'A phone call from the hospital to McKay does not a case make, Pete.'
'It was made right around the kidnapping, Kurt. Fits beautifully into our time frame.'
'It's a lousy phone call, Pete. McKay's a nurse. Maybe someone at the hospital wanted to consult with him.'
'He's never worked for Sun Valley Pres. And who the hell would be calling him at midnight to consult?'
'Trace it to the nursery, your case'll look better.'
'We're trying. It takes time.' Decker paused. 'We've also got bags of ash from Marie's burnt Honda. If McKay put the body into the car, maybe he left some evidence transfer. At least now I know what to look for.'
'Some evidence would be nice.'
Decker said, 'I think McKay'll bite. I think he'd love to get Tandy off his back. The girl has been blackmailing him for years to use his license. The girl is also psychotic - maybe even homicidal. I think he's afraid of her. I think he'd love to see her locked up and out of his hair.'
&
nbsp; Pomerantz said, 'He's not going to screw himself just to get her locked up.'
'It depends,' Decker said. 'Maybe having her loose would be worse for him than doing a little community work.'
Pomerantz waited a beat. 'True. I'll do what I can to put the squeeze on Oscar, but he's no dunce. You want a cup of coffee?'
Decker said, 'I'll get it. What do you take?'
'Cream no sugar.'
Decker turned to the uniform. 'Officer?'
'No thank you, sir.'
Decker stifled a smile and brought back two cups of coffee. A moment later, McKay's counsel emerged from the room. Oscar Beltran was Hispanic, in his early thirties, and had been with the Public Defender's Office for the last five years. Decker nodded to the rookie and the kid turned to go back inside the interview quarters.
'Position yourself near the exit,' Decker said.
The kid nodded and shut the door behind her.
Eyes upon the young patrol officer, Beltran said, 'They keep making them younger.'
Decker said, 'What are you complaning about? You're not exactly an old fart.'
'I feel like an old fart,' Beltran said. 'Must be the job.'
'It's defending all those psychos, Oscar,' Pomerantz said.
Beltran laughed. 'Everybody's entitled to representation, Counselor.'
'Ain't that lucky for old Leek McKay,' Pomerantz said.
'Kurt, you're after the wrong person,' Beltran said. 'McKay's small time - a petty criminal.'
'Ain't no petty criminals, Counselor,' Decker said. 'Just petty crimes.'
'Are we going to dance or are we going to talk?' Beltran said. 'Without McKay, you don't have anyone for the
Booker murder. We all know that, so let's not putz around.'
'Putz?' Decker smiled. 'I like your Spanish.'
'In deference to you, Sergeant,' Beltran said.
Pomerantz said, 'We've got a phone call from the hospital to McKay, Oscar. It doesn't look good for your man.'
'Kurt,' Beltran said, 'you don't have a case with a phone call!'
'Au contraire,' Pomerantz said. 'I think we can make a good one.'
'Fine,' Beltran said. 'Make your case and I'll see you in court.'
Decker said, 'Oscar, we know that I can get the Golden Valley Home for the Aged to press a multitude of embezzlement and fraud charges against your client. And they'd stick like glue. Either way, McKay's going to get charged.'
'Big difference between embezzlement and accessory to murder,' Beltran said.. Pomerantz said, 'Murder and kidnapping—'
'Murder only. He doesn't know shit about the kidnap.'
'So you say,' Pomerantz broke in.
Beltran said, 'You want to play poker, I'll call your bluff. Take what you've got to court.'
'Fine, I'll call Golden Valley.' Decker looked at Pomerantz. 'Let's go for time, Kurt. I think we can get one to three—'
Beltran said, 'Who's pleading this, Kurt? You or him?'
'The man used to be a lawyer,' Pomerantz said. 'Old habits are hard to break.'
'C'mon,' Beltran said. 'You want to let loose a nutcase like Tandy Roberts, boys? I don't think so. You want her running around doing mischief when she should be in treatment? I don't think so. And without my boy McKay
you don't have anything on her!'
Pomerantz said, 'Bottom line: what will you buy?'
'Everything dropped in exchange for cooperation. And I mean everything. No embezzlement, no accessory, no payback, no community service—'
'Suspended proceedings with probation,' said Pomerantz. 'First year served in county jail if beyond a doubt McKay is only an accessory. Because if it's murder, all bets are off.'
'All charges dropped, Kurt.'
'Why should we drop all charges?' Decker said. 'At the very least, he'd get probation with embezzlement, Oscar.'
'So charge him with embezzlement. You want his cooperation, Pete, all charges dropped.'
'Suspended proceedings with five probation,' Pomerantz said. 'No jail time.'
'No dice,' Beltran said.
'Oscar, be flexible!'
'All charges dropped.'
Decker remained stoic. He wanted to charge Leek McKay - the nurse deserved to do time - but he wanted Lily Booker's killer - or killers - even more. Maybe it was Marie. Maybe it was Tandy. Without McKay, he'd never know. If McKay had to go free in the bargain, he could live with that. None of the men spoke for a few moments.
Finally, Pomerantz said, 'Suspended proceedings with one-year probation. No jail time. With embezzlement, we could tie him up with at least two, maybe three years' probation, not to mention countless hours of community service and possible payback to the home. Go back to your client and ask him if what we offer is satisfactory.'
Beltran tapped his foot, then nodded. 'I think he'll go for it.'
'Where's the camera?' Leek McKay looked around the interview room. 'I don't see any camera.'
'Behind the one-way mirror,' Marge explained.
'Why am I being videotaped?'
Decker said, 'The proceedings are being videotaped, Mr McKay, not just you. It's for everyone's protection.'
'I look lousy.'
And he did. There was something especially pathetic about a big man withering in defeat. He reminded Decker of a bull mastiff he once saw in the vet's office, the muscled animal lying submissively on the floor, quaking at the anticipation of a shot. Leek had on a white shirt, tan jacket and a pair of faded Levis. His face was pale, his hair, though washed, was messy and his hands were clenched - knuckle-white.
'I need a shave myself,' Decker said. 'Don't worry about it.'
McKay said, 'Tell the guy behind the camera to try to pick up the left part of my face. It's my good side.'
Decker didn't answer, not knowing if Leek was serious. He continued reciting preliminary interview information into the tape recorder, ending by stating the name of each person in the room and his official titles. Six people in a space inadequately ventilated for two. Everyone had circles under their armpits. He turned to Leek. 'Do you want anything to eat or drink before we start?'
'Glass of water would be nice.'
Marge filled a paper cup with water and set it in front of the body builder. McKay drank from it without pausing for air, then gave Marge a weak smile along with a hound-dog look. She knew he was trying to find an ally in her. Maybe he thought a woman would be more sympathetic. Little did he know what a hard ass she could be.
Decker said, 'Mr McKay, we have your phone record from PacBell.' He stated the time and date of the call. 'Do you remember receiving that call?'
'Yes.'
'It lasted for five minutes and fourteen seconds.'
'Sounds right.'
'Who called you, Leek?'
'Tandy Roberts.'
'And that's the same person as Sondra Roberts?'
'Yes. Tandy's her nickname.' McKay focused on his hands. 'She used to lisp as a kid. Sandy came out Tandy.' He played with his water cup. 'At least that's what she told me.'
Decker said, 'The caller identified herself as Tandy Roberts?'
'Just Tandy. She didn't even have to say that. I knew her voice.'
'What did Miss Roberts say to you during the course of your conversation with her?'
'I don't remember word for word. She woke me out of a sound sleep.'
'Tell us as best as you remember,' Marge said.
'She said something like "Leek, it's Tandy. You gotta come down here right away." I asked her where 'here' was. And she said Sun Valley Pres. I asked her what she wanted, but she wouldn't answer. She sounded agitated over the phone. Breathing hard, gasping. Then Marie came on the line—' 'Can you identify Marie for the record?' Decker interrupted.
'Marie Bellson. She said they couldn't talk over the phone. That I should meet them at the hospital... in front of room 4-something. I think it was 416. It was a room across the hall from the broom closet - a hospital utility closet.'
'We'll refer to said room as room four-si
xteen then,' Decker said. 'Did Tandy or Marie say anything else to you over the phone?'
McKay whispered something in his lawyer's ear. Beltran whispered something back. Out loud, McKay said, 'Tandy told me she was in trouble, that she needed help. By trouble I thought maybe she meant lost her purse or keys and couldn't get home.'
Faye Kellerman - Decker 06 - Grievous Sin Page 39
