Break-In Ch. 02

I said into the microphone and into Joanne's earbuds: "Get off that. Keep going with the interview." Claire Michaels peered at me hard. I looked back at her and said "Warner does that a lot; she pushes too hard on things like that, and I don't blame Mrs. Locklear for refusing without consulting a lawyer. Joanne has also gotten Mrs. Locklear's hackles up, and we may not get any more out of her." Claire didn't say anything, but just turned back to watch the monitor screen.

Joanne said "I have to ask this question, ma'am: have you had a sexual relationship with Tom Maple or Chuck Hogue before this past night?"

Marla: "No. Tom and I flirted a bit, sometimes in front of Stanley, and Stanley never seemed to mind. Chuck, he's under his wife's thumb, and it probably would've done him good to get out and have an affair. But no, I never had sex with him before tonight."

George said "You said your marriage had grown stale. Were you having marital problems with your husband? Any arguments, major disagreements? Financial problems?"

"No." Marla said. "When I said our marriage had gotten stale, I simply meant routine, and that I was hoping this would spice things up between us. We didn't have any fights, and as far as I know our finances are fine, but Stanley handles all of that."

Joanne said "Were you and Stanley good friends with the Maples and the Hogues? Did you socialize with them?"

"We saw them at the office parties, the summer picnic, things like that." said Marla. "Back when Stanley joined the company as the new partner, we went out to dinner with them on occasion, but not a lot. And I'll say this: Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue were very different personalities. Tom was the leader of the team, he was outgoing, confident, and he met with the clients."

Marla: "Stanley meets with the clients for the ad campaigns, to get their ideas, then to show them his sketches and video ads. Chuck was the background guy. He developed the software solutions, but Tom would meet with the clients and show them those. Chuck's wife Harriet really dominated Chuck. So no, our three families did not get together very often, because we had divergent interests outside of the job."

George Newman asked "So when your husband got free of his bonds, went and got the gun, and shot them, did you try to stop him?"

Marla said "I would have, but I was underneath Chuck and I really couldn't move. And I didn't really see Stanley go for the gun. By the time I realized what was going on, they were both dead."

George: "And after they were shot, you told your husband who they were? What happened in those next few moments?"

Marla: "I was like 'Oh my God, what have you done?' and I told him who they were and that we were... roleplaying. He took off their masks and saw who they were, and he was as shocked as I was, but for different reasons, of course."

Though there was a lot more we wanted to ask, Claire told Joanne to wrap it up for the moment... Stanley Locklear's attorney had arrived.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

His name was Michael Thomas McGill, and he'd been newly hired by the Madison & Ives Law Firm. Michael had black, gently curly hair like Daniel Allgood, and wore glasses that made him look 'Clark Kent'-ish like Allgood. But Daniel had the physique that suggested Superman might burst out of those Clark Kent clothes; by way of contrast, Michael McGill was slender.

Michael did have an air of confident competence, though. And my attorney Mike G. Todd said that McGill was politically very conservative. He (McGill) was on the 'NRA-recommended' list of attorneys that gun owners could be confident would represent them well in case of trouble... and Stanley Locklear was facing 'trouble'.

He was taken to Interrogation-Bravo, and left alone with his client so that they could talk privately. Meanwhile, I invited Teresa and Claire back to my office, and poured us all cups of coffee from the fresh pot I'd made.

"What did you guys think of that?" I asked, meaning the Marla Locklear interview.

"We were waiting for you to tell us." Teresa replied with a little gleam in her eye.

"That is not what I wanted to hear, Iron Wolf." I said severely, though knowing Teresa was needling me.

"I know, sir." Teresa said. "Seriously, we need to hear Mr. Locklear's side before I form any theories."

"I'll buy that for a dollar." I said. "Claire, we need a good nickname for you In the meantime, what did you think of that interview?"

Claire said "Please don't create a nickname for me, sir. And I understand that Mrs. Locklear has rights, but I don't think it was wrong of Joanne to ask Mrs. Locklear to show us her texts and emails."

"No, that wasn't wrong." I said. "But Mrs. Locklear was fundamentally correct in wanting to exercise her right to consult with an attorney before doing so. And as an aside, I will be happy with making an arrangement to see only the data pertaining to this case... and we can get warrants for the rest later, if we need to."

Me: "The problem I had is that Joanne continued to push about it, and Mrs. Locklear got her hackles up. Joanne keeps making that mistake over and over, despite being trained by me and others, like the Sheriff, about (air quotes) 'reading the room'."

Then, reading the room myself, I said "Moving along, what else interested you about that interview?"

Claire said "Every question I had about that crime scene was answered when I found out Mrs. Locklear had set everything up as a roleplay event, and that it went bad---"

*CHIME!*
*CHIME!*
*CHIME!*

All of us were receiving texts on our Police iPhones. It was the Crime Lab, informing us that the videocamera contents were uploaded to the evidence servers, and that due to its explicitly sexual content, it was under seal so that only Lieutenants Mary Milton and Jerome Davis, Captain Michaels, and the Command Group could open the file.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Teresa asked, trying to sound humorous but with an undercurrent of really being pissed off at being left out.

"Yeah, I need to tell them that you should be treated as if you're part of the Command Group." I said as I turned to my computer. "Okay, we need to look at this---"

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

It was Jerome Davis knocking on my door. He stuck his head in and said "Stanley Locklear and his attorney are ready for us, sir. Roark and Theo are going in now."

"Okay." I said. "Let's go watch...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

1:35am, Sunday, June 6th. Senior Detective Theo Washington and Detective Roark Coleman went into Interrogation-Bravo and sat down opposite Stanley Locklear and his attorney Michael Thomas McGill. Sergeant Hicks was the Uniformed presence.

"I'm Detective Roark Coleman, and this is Detective Theo Washington." said Roark, who was taking the lead on the questioning, with Theo's acquiescence. "First, I'm going to read you your rights from the card." He did so, and Stanley said he understood the rights.

"Okay, let's take it from the top. Before dinner, and during dinner." said Roark. "Did your wife send or receive any text messages, emails, or phone calls?"

"Not while we were together at the table." said Stanley. "She went to powder her nose, so she might have sent or received something while in the restroom."

Roark: "Did you notice any vehicles following you home from the restaurant? Anything at all out of the ordinary? Was your wife paying attention to the traffic, to the mirrors?"

"No sir." said Stanley. "She was pretty chatty, though, talking about how nice the dinner was, and how she had a great evening planned for me. That had me pretty distracted."

Roark: "Okay, so why don't you just tell us from the start what went down after you got home."

Stanley: "We got home, Marla made me a drink then went to change clothes. She came back in the sexy outfit, and we started getting frisky, making out and stuff. She got me out of my clothes and went down on me, then she said she was going to get some wine out of the kitchen, and then we could go to the bedroom together."

Stanley: "I heard her cry out and a door close, and then the masked men came into the den. One of them had his arm around Marla's neck, and he had a gun---"

"Could you tell what kind of gun?" Roark asked adroitly.

"It was a black autopistol." said Stanley. "It looked like a 1911 or maybe an FN. I really couldn't tell."

Roark: "So she undressed you in the den. And then had you wait in the den while she went into the kitchen. Was it unusual for her to ask you to wait in the den, instead of you going ahead into the bedroom?"

"Everything about it was unusual." Stanley replied. "We hadn't been... amorous... like that for months."

"Keep going." encouraged Roark.

Stanley: "The second man came around behind me and put his gun into my back; I could feel the barrel in my back. We were forced into the bedroom. They tied me up with ropes to the end of the bed, and then they took turns with Marla." Roark had him tell the explicit details, which Stanley did.

Roark said "They didn't tie your bonds very tightly, did they?"

Stanley said "They tried to. But I learned in a self-defense class to resist as much as I could, to push against them, so that when I relaxed the bonds would loosen a little bit. But to your question, they tied the knots tight."

Roark nodded, then said "Okay, when you got free of the ropes, were the two guys holding their guns?"

Stanley said: "Uhh.... no, I think they'd put them on Marla's bedside table---"

Theo Washington broke in: "That brings up a point I need to clarify. Did you normally sleep on the far side of the bed, the side where your gun was kept?"

"Yes." Stanley said. "Marla preferred being on the side nearer the bathroom. She got up to go more often than I did." Theo nodded, then looked back at Roark.

Roark said "Okay, let's get in depth about the gun. Did you always keep it loaded? And the speed loader, too?"

"Yes." said Stanley.

"When was the last time you loaded the gun?" Roark asked. "Or checked that it was loaded?"

"Uhh... last December." said Roark. "During the Christmas holidays, I went to Cosby's Gun & Range, and practiced firing and speed loading. I shot up a box of ammo, then reloaded the gun and the speed loader from the second box I'd bought. I put them back in the drawer when I got home, and I hadn't touched the gun since."

"So you bought two boxes of ammo," Roark asked, to confirm, "fired one box, and used the other to reload to have the gun on hand. Where did you put the box you loaded the gun from?"

"In my dresser drawer." said Stanley. "There was also some nine millimeter ammo for my carry gun, a Kel-tec that's in my car. And some.45 ACP ammo for a pistol I sold last year. I kept the receipts, by the way."

Theo said "That's mighty tidy of you."

Stanley said "I keep all the receipts, bills of sale, everything related to my guns. That was recommended in the NRA's Safety Shooter course I took."

Roark: "And are you willing to provide us access to them?"

"After I look at them." said Michael McGill. "And that's not a promise to give you access to them without a warrant."

"Of course." said Theo. "So let's talk about when you shot the two men. You had no idea who they were?"

"Not at that time." said Stanley.

Roark: "Your wife didn't try to stop you as you were running to get your gun? She didn't yell out at you?"

"No, not that I heard." Stanley said. "But I was focused on getting to my gun before they got to theirs... or got to me to physically stop me."

Roark: "So after it was over, your wife told you who they were and what she'd been doing with them, that it was roleplay?"

Stanley: "Yeah, I think that's how it went down. Everything was just happening so fast. I took their masks off, and it was Tom and Chuck, and... it's kind of like everything in my mind shut down. I know I called 9-1-1, then I remember being in the den getting dressed before the Police arrived."

Roark: "How did you feel when your wife told you it was roleplay, and that she had arranged for them to have sex with her while you were restrained?"

Stanley said "Uhhh... like I said, after I'd shot them, everything was kind of a blur, and still is."

Theo said "Let me ask you this. Have you and your wife discussed fantasies of you watching her have sex with other men? Or acting out roleplay fantasies? Anything like that?"

"No sir." Stanley said. "Marla and I have never discussed anything where I'd be watching her with others. I have never given her any reason to think that I wanted to see a rape roleplay, either."

Roark said "Never? You've never discussed fantasies of that kind with your wife?"

Stanley persisted: "No. Never. Sure I have fantasies. Don't all men? But I never wanted them to come true, and I sure as hell never discussed them with Marla."

Seeing that Roark was about to say something, I said into the earbud: "Break off that line. Ask him about his business and his partners."

Roark said "So you were partners with these two guys? Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue?"

"Yes." said Stanley.

Roark: "Tell us about that business, and your role in it."

Stanley: "Tom Maple and Chuck Hogue started a business solutions firm about six years ago. They brought me in as their architect and campaign ad manager three years ago."

Roark: "As a partner?"

Stanley: "Technically, not to that level. When I started with them, they'd talked about making me a partner, and I got bonuses as if I was a partner, but we never formalized it."

"How was the business doing?" Roark asked.

"Okay, I guess." said Stanley. "I wasn't privy to the books, so I couldn't tell you in any detail how well they were doing, but I never heard them talk about any problems."

Roark: "Did you get along with Tom and Chuck? Were you friends? Did you go to lunch together? Golf buddies?"

Stanley said "I don't really play golf, and Chuck didn't play at all. Tom did. And to your question, Tom, Chuck, and I had a very professional, good relationship. I wouldn't call us buddies in the 'hanging out' sense of the word, but we got along well."

Roark: "What about your families? Did you and your wife socialize with them?"

Stanley: "Not really, not outside of work functions. Marla and the other guys's wives didn't have a lot in common, and she was uncomfortable whenever she was around them."

Michael T. McGill decided that it was time to intervene, and he said: "Gentlemen, at this point I'm going to advise my client to discontinue answering questions for the moment. I need to talk more with him, and I need to get more familiar with the overall case. Can we pick it up in the morning, after we all get some sleep?..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Lieutenant Davis," I said, "assemble your Detectives in Classroom 'E'. Captain Michaels, Commander Croyle, you're with me. I'm going to let the Locklear's go for the night, but with some specific instructions."

They followed me into Interrogation-Bravo. McGill said "Hello, Commander. Good to see you again."

"It's good to see you again, too, but not at this hour of the night." I replied as I shook hands with McGill, who was in the same law firm with my attorney Mike G. Todd. "There are some discrepancies in your client's story and what his wife is telling us. I could arrest Mr. Locklear, but for now I'm going to release him into your custody. He cannot go back to his home, he should not try to contact his wife nor his business partners's families; in fact, I'd just prefer he not contact anyone outside of you and only through you."

I continued: "We are holding his cellphone as evidence, and will return it as soon as we get some resolution of this case. And Mr. Locklear, do not even consider leaving this County. If you do, Federal Marshals will be asked to arrest you and bring you back. I recommend you check into the University Hotel for the next day or two, until we can get this resolved."

They agreed to my terms, and I allowed them to leave. Once they were out of the Headquarters building, I went into Interrogation-Alpha, and said "Mrs. Locklear, there are discrepancies between your story and your husband's. I could arrest you, but I'm not going to yet. I do strongly recommend you retain a lawyer as soon as possible, as we are planning on getting warrants to obtain the contents of your cellphone, which you will not be allowed to have back until we resolve this case."

Me: "I'm going to have an Officer drive you to the Hyatt Hotel and check into a room. You should stay there. Do not contact your husband nor his business partners's families. Anyone you do want to contact, do so through your attorney. Above all else, do not even think about leaving this County. If you do, Federal Marshals will find you, arrest you, and bring you back..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2:15am, Sunday, June 6th. Once Marla had left Headquarters, being given a ride to the Hyatt Hotel by Officer Burrell, we headed to Classroom 'E'. The Detectives were having a spirited discussion of the case. They went silent when we came into the room, and they also stood... the Chief had walked in right behind us.

"Be seated, pleazzze." the Chief drawled. No one did until he sat down in his normal chair at the near end of the large conference table. We all found seats, with me in the middle of the table facing the 5x4 matrix of monitors on the wall to the right of the door. Teresa was to my right, and Claire Michaels to my left. Jerome sat opposite me, Joanne and Theo to his right, Roark and George to his left.

'Mis-ter Crowbarrrr," said the Chief, "wrap this up for the night and get these young De-tec-tives home and to their beddds."

"Yes sir." I said. "First of all, kudos to Roark Coleman for a very good interview with Mr. Locklear. You kept the flow of information going, asked insightful questions, and didn't unnecessarily give anything away." Everyone else applauded politely.

"Okay," I continued, "all of you saw the interviews. What stuck out to you that will guide us going forward?"

Joanne Warner spoke up first: "At first, I was thinking this was just a bad miscommunication that led to an unintentional and tragic result. But now I'm thinking we need to investigate some things much more deeply, such as the Maple & Hogue business, and Mr. Locklear's relationship with his business associates."

Roark Coleman: "We also need to take a harder look at Mrs. Locklear and her role in this. For her to set that (air quotes) 'roleplay' up, apparently without discussing it with her husband, was asking for trouble even without the shooting."

Joanne said "But she did talk to him."

Roark said "She said she did. But he said they never did, neither in general nor specifically."

Lt. Jerome Davis: "Obviously, their stories differ in places, which means someone is not telling us the truth. To me, the crux of the matter is in the unloading and reloading of the gun, or not, and who is telling the truth about that. That will go a long way to showing us if this was an accident or something actionable."

Joanne was about to burst, and she let it out: "Sir, I know this will probably make you mad, but I have to say it: I know Mr. Locklear has rights, but I still find it (air quotes) 'unusual' if not outright suspicious that he refused to answer any questions at all before he got a lawyer. And when he had the lawyer there, there was nothing he was asked that the lawyer objected to."

"You're right." I said. "You're about to make me mad. We've discussed this over and over again---"

"Sir," said Captain Michaels, interrupting me, "with all due respect, I understand what Detective Warner is saying, and I generally agree with her that his refusal to answer any questions at all is something we should take into consideration... beyond the fact that he has legal rights. It bothers me also that he did that the way he did, and then we have story discrepancies on top of it."