Four Square Ch. 03

"Let's send someone to go get her." I said. "And let's get Franklin Gray into an Interrogation Room, as well." Captain Perlman got on the phone to relay those orders.

"Okay, Washington, Geiger," I said to the two Detectives that were sitting in the Monitor Room with us, "how would you go about getting the truth out of this?"

"With respect, sir, specifically what?" asked Theo. "The fraud of the will? Or proving murder in the first degree?"

"Both." I said. "Get proof of one, and the other will follow."

"Sir," said Geiger, "in Vice we'd try to work one suspect against another. So I might try pitting the Grays against each other."

"To this point in time," Paulina said, "I've seen nothing that would suggest there is any problem between the Grays. Rhonda Fitch Gray seems to be as hateful of her mother and dead set on leaving her mother without a dime as she is obtaining all that money. Jefferson Gray may actually be the less passionate one in all this, though he's outwardly the hothead."

"Excellent observations." I said to Paulina. "But I think there's something else, another thing we can key on..."

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

The Monitor Room was full, with Captains and above pulling rank for seats, so the interrogations were being shown on the screen in Classroom 'E', as well. I entered Interrogation-1 with Theo and sat down opposite Rhonda Fitch Gray and her attorney, Nathan Masterson.

After re-reading Rhonda her rights, I said "I know you've been interviewed already, Mrs. Gray, but I have a few questions to ask, in an attempt to clear up some things. First, being your parents's only child, why did they cut you out of the first will your father made?"

"Because my batty old mother poured poison into my father's ears." Rhonda said spitefully. "She told him I was trying to steal his money, then after my husband and I began dating, she told him that Jeff was a bad man and a bad influence on my father."

"So your father had a good relationship with you?" I asked. "And with your husband?"

"It was, but he started believing the crap that my batty old mother told him." Rhonda said.

"Enough that he made a new will and disowned you." I said.

"That was my mentally unstable mother's doing." Rhonda snarled.

"So how did you get your father to change his mind, and write a new will with you and your husband as the sole beneficiaries?" I asked.

"We talked to him, when we got the chance, when Mother was away or fell asleep." Rhonda said. "He finally saw that she had been lying to him about us all these years, so we brought in a lawyer who helped Father write a new will."

"Who was that lawyer?" I asked incisively. For the first time, Rhonda got a bit flustered.

"Oh, I don't remember... who was it?" she asked. She looked at Masterson and said "He was from your law firm. Do you remember his name?"

"I think it was Max Chambliss." said Masterson with oily, practiced smoothness. He turned to me and said "I'll check up to make sure."

"You do that." I said with reptilian flatness. "In the meantime, Mrs. Gray, when exactly did you and your husband have this lawyer rewrite your father's will for him?"

"Oh, it was... two years ago, maybe more..." Rhonda said, sounding very unsure.

"Hold on." said Masterson, stopping Rhonda from talking further. "First of all, Troy, Mr. Fitch rewrote his own will, so your question is deceitful and disingenuous. And second, you can find the date on the correct and legal will that I have probated on my clients's behalves."

"I'd just like to hear that confirmed by Mrs. Gray." I said. "It would be a strong point in her favor if she tells me the exact dates, or even close." Then I lowered my voice and said more menacingly: "But it's definitely a problem if she can't."

I then said brightly: "But enough of that for the moment. I have a couple of other questions. Mrs. Gray, you graduated from County High?"

"Yes." said Rhonda.

"What does that have to do with anything?" snarled Masterson.

"I'm getting there." I replied. "Mrs. Gray, did you go to college?"

"No." said Rhonda.

"Did you apply to go to college?" I asked.

"No." Rhonda said. "My grades weren't good enough."

"So you enlisted in the Army, is that right?" I asked.

"Don't answer that." said Masterson. To me he said "Once again, what is the relevance of this line of questioning?"

"I want to be clear on your client's career." I said, my eyes boring into Masterson's. "It shouldn't be a problem asking about her enlistment in the Army... should it?"

Masterson reluctantly turned and nodded to Rhonda to answer the question. Rhonda said "Yes, I did."

"And what happened?" I asked.

"It didn't work out." said Rhonda. "I barely made it through Basic, then didn't make it through AIT. So I got an Entry Level Separation. No shame in that."

"No, there's not." I said agreeably. "What field did you apply for?" I asked. "What was your MOS?"

Rhonda said "68C-------"

"Okay, that's enough." growled Masterson. "I want to talk to my client... alone."

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

"Sir, Amit has been brought to I-2." said Lieutenant Rudistan as Theo and I came out of the anteroom into the hallway.

"Thanks." I said. "What about Ashwarya and Tanu?"

"We're fetching them now, sir." said Rudistan with great joviality.

"Fetching?" I asked with equal joviality. "You been reading English crime novels, Rudistan?" Rudistan laughed and admitted that he had been Agatha Christie novels.

"All right." I said. "Theo, when Masterson is done trying to indoctrinate Rhonda Gray in there, text me to let me know. Let's get Julia in here..."

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

I went into I-2 with Detective Julia Rodriguez and sat down opposite Amit and his attorney Chip Blake, who tried to give Julia his toothy, winning smile. Julia smirked, unimpressed. I re-read Amit his considerable rights.

"Amit," I said, "we need to talk. I am simply not clear on all of this."

"I have told you everything." said Amit, trying to make his voice sound agitated and desperate, I could tell. "I have answered all of your questions. I know it is a horrible thing, but it was an accident and I was not trying to kill him. I was just trying to help------"

I held up my hand to stop his runaway talking, and said "I know, I know. You've answered the questions. But there are a few things I need clarification about."

"What things are those?" asked Chip Blake. "My client has cooperated fully with your investigation, and has been subjected to hours of interrogation. It should be clear what happened, and that this is a tragic but understandable mistake------"

I held up my hand again. "Then your client should have no problem wanting to help me clear this matter up for him. But Amit, there are some... 'strangenesses' about the whole thing, are there not?" Julia could not help but grin at the word 'strangenesses'... she knew what that meant when I uttered the word.

I said "So let's start from the top: you said you heard Ashwarya crying for help, and went to investigate what was happening, is that right?"

"Yes." said Amit.

"And you were in your apartment at the time?" I asked.

"Yes." replied Amit.

"One thing that is bothering me about this case, Amit," I said, "is that you said you did not recognize your boss from work at first. Now how can that be?"

"Uh... uh... I only saw the back of his head, which was next to Ashwarya's face." said Amit.

"From where did you pick up the statue with which you hit Mr. Lang on the head?" I asked.

"It was on the dresser in the bedroom." said Amit.

"So let me see if I have this straight." I said. "You looked into the bedroom first, saw that there was a man on top of Ashwarya, and then went inside, looked around, got the statue, and hit Lang on the head?"

"It... it happened so quickly." said Amit. "But I think that is what happened."

"Did you see Tanu in the room, either before you entered it or when you entered it?" I asked.

"Yes, I saw him in the chair, tied up." said Amit. "That is why I thought it was seriously bad."

"And did Tanu see you as you came in?" I asked.

"I... I really don't know." said Amit. "I was trying to see how I could help Ashwarya..."

At that point, the lawyer Chip Blake finally intervened: "Commander, what is the point of this line of questioning?"

"Why, just to get clear on what happened in there, Mr. Blake." I said. "Okay, Amit, I'll have some more questions for you later. Right now, Mr. Blake, you're going to be needed to represent Tanu and Ashwarya as I talk to them..."

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

Tanu was now being brought into I-A. Chief Moynahan was in the anteroom.

"Soooo, Commander," he drawled, "I can see where you're looking for something to show the first will is the correct one. But do you really think we have a shot to prove murder in that case?"

"Yes sir." I said. "In fact, Rhonda Gray has already fucked up. And that just might get her husband to recant his invocation of his Fifth Amendment rights."

"And what about these young people that went a little too farrrr in their fun and games?" asked the Chief.

"If only all our cases were this easy, Chief." I replied.

"Easy!" Julia gasped.

"Oh yes." I said. "In fact... let's have a few minutes of instructive conversation with the cuckold husband, shall we? We may have an ironclad case within the hour." Julia and the Chief just looked at each other in amazement.

Rodriguez followed me inside. Patrolman Johnson was the Uniformed Presence. Chip Blake was representing Tanu. I said "I'm going to read you your rights." and proceeded to do so from the card. Tanu said he understood the rights.

"Okay, Tanu," I said, "I'm a busy man, and I don't want to waste much more time on this case. So you are going to help me get things straight. Let's watch some TV."

A video appeared on the monitor. "Tanu, this is the tape of David and Ashwarya having sex, then Amit appears in the camera with a statue, and hits David on the head. No seeming rush, no agitation, but who am I to discuss how people act and react in an emergency situation? What I want you to notice, Tanu, is that the camera is still, it doesn't move."

"Yes, it was sitting on the dresser." said Tanu.

"And that's where it always sat, when David and Ashwarya were being filmed having sex?" I asked. "No one else operating it?"

"Yes, that is where it sat, always." said Tanu. "Unless she and David were having sex at the office without me, of course."

"Of course." I replied. "And no third parties?"

"No, they were very private tapes." said Tanu. "Ashwarya is very shy, she did not want others watching her have sex with David or myself."

"I see." I said. "Okay, here is another of the tapes of David Lang having sexual intercourse with your wife Ashwarya. We can hear David taunting you on the tape as the camera zooms in to show their joined loins, then moves around to get different angles. My question is: who was operating the camera?"

Tanu almost gasped aloud, then said "A friend."

"Some friend, that you allow to tape another man making love to your wife while you watch... especially after you just told me that your wife did not want others in there with her and David." I said. "Who was that friend? I want a name."

"I need to confer with my client." said Chip Blake.

"No doubt about that." I said. "But before I leave you to it, Mr. Blake, your client just told me that there were no other parties to these sex parties, then he changed his story. One or the other can be considered lying to Police. So you better get it straight..."

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

Ten minutes later, one quick phone call made and one Coca-Cola Zero consumed, we were back in I-2.

"I need a name, Tanu." I said.

"It... it was Amit." said Tanu. "He operated the camera."

"Thank you." I said. "Okay, moving on to something else that is bothering me: Tanu, did you see Amit when he entered your bedroom and hit Lang on the head?"

"Yes... of course I did." said a confused Tanu. "It was all right in front of me?"

"What was Amit holding in his hands when he came into the room?" I asked.

"Nothing." said Tanu. "He grabbed the Buddha statue from the dresser at the end of the bed and then hit David with it."

"And you saw him pick up the statue?" I asked.

"Yes... yes." said Tanu uncertainly.

"Then would you please explain one thing to me." I said. "Why didn't you call out to Amit before he hit David? Or call out to warn David he was about to get hit?"

Tanu's head literally snapped back as if he'd been physically hit. His eyes looked like those of the proverbial deer in the headlights. I pressed the advantage.

"You could've stopped the whole thing from happening, Tanu!" I said loudly, shaking up the rattled man even further. "You could have stopped Amit from hitting David at all, and told Amit what was really happening! Why didn't you?"

"I... I... I don't know!" Tanu wailed. "It happened so fast!"

"But not so fast you didn't watch Amit walk in and pick up the statue." I said. "C'mon, Tanu... you let Amit hit David, and you were hoping the blow would kill him!"

"NO!" shouted Tanu.

"And furthermore to the point, Tanu!" I all but shouted, "Amit was very well aware that David and Ashwarya were having sex and you were watching. He videoed it! So why did he hit David on the head, and you not do a thing to stop it?"

"Now just a minute!" shouted a discombobulated Chip Blake. After a pause, he said "I need to talk to my client privately."

"And you will get to." I said, getting up. "After your client has been run through Booking. He's under arrest, for conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree. Officer Johnson, take him away..."

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

"Wowwww." Julia Rodriguez said as we walked down the hallway towards MCD. "Sir, in order to interrogate a suspect like that, I'd have to put the puzzle pieces together better than I did."

"It'll come to you, in time." I said. "You've done a good job on this case to this point. But we've got one more thing to do, so let's go see Amit again.

We went back into I-2. "Okay, Amit," I said when Chip Blake and Officer Hardy came into the room from the 'jail' side, "let's finish this up. In fact, let's watch some TV." With that, I took the remote and turned on the monitor. A tape began playing.

"Mmm, very steamy. I'm not sure you're old enough to be watching this, Officer Hardy!" I said with a grin. Hardy grinned as I said "Just kidding, Hardy. What you're looking at, Amit, is the videotaping of David having sex with Ashwarya on the day of the crime. The camera is still, not moving; apparently it's on the dresser." Chip Blake said nothing, though he'd just seen me do this to Tanu moments before.

"Now here's an earlier encounter." I said. "No rape roleplay, but David is taunting Tanu while having sex with Ashwarya. She seems to be enjoying it, both the sex and hearing her husband being taunted."

"They enjoyed doing this kind of stuff." said Amit. "Has that not been confirmed already?"

"Oh, many times over." I said. "But you know what's interesting about this particular video? It zooms in on the lovers, getting a good close-up shot of their joined loins, their merged genitals. Then the camera angle moves to capture them... oh yes, that's right... just how is it, Amit, that this camera is moving?"

"I don't know." said Amit shakily.

"I think you do." I said flatly. "I think that, despite what you previously told my Detectives in their questioning of you that you had no knowledge of what was going on between them... it was you operating the camera and filming this sexual liaison! Is that not true, Amit?"

Amit's face fell, then he rallied. "Yes, it is true. What of it?"

"Sooooo," I said, "I think the dots are easy enough to connect, Amit. You not only knew about the Subramaniam's role play, you filmed it! So we're back to my earlier question... how could you not have realized it was David having sex with Ashwarya, like you'd seen them do many times before?"

"I... I need to talk to my lawyer." said Amit.

"That's a popular phrase today, Detective Rodriguez." I said as I got up. Julia and I went into the anteroom.

"And you still haven't hit him, or any of them, with the knowledge that Amit could not have heard Ashwarya crying out from his apartment." Julia said.

"Yeah, I'm saving that one for last... and best." I replied.

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

Back to I-1, with Theo. Rhonda Fitch Gray looked sullen. Her attorney Masterson looked angry.

"Why are you keeping my client sitting here for hours?" the legal beagle demanded to know. "Rendition and enhanced interrogation tactics are illegal, you know?"

"Which is why we don't use them here, Jew Hater." I said cooly. "Mrs. Gray, autopsy results show that someone murdered your father. There is a possibility that someone impersonated a hospice staff member. It will go a long way to clearing your name and getting this will business settled if you'll look at some photos and tell me if you saw one of them at the hospice facility."

Rhonda looked at Masterson, who was staring at me in utter disbelief... and trying to figure out what I was doing. I got out my Police iPhone and brought up a photo.

"Have you seen this person?" I asked, showing a photo of Jerry Barsbane.

"No." said Rhonda.

"Him?"... "Him?"... "Her?"... "Him?" I asked, showing photos of Quint Starr, Trent Ridge, Keiko Shimono, and the late Paco Domingo.

"No."... "Er, no."... "No."... "No." Rhonda said. I held the photo of Trent Ridge up for the videocamera monitoring this pleasant conversation to see. Rhonda had reacted to his photo, even though she denied seeing the man."

"Thank you." I said.

"Not much there, except reasonable doubt." said Masterson, meaning it as a jab.

"So you say, Jew Hater." I replied. "So you say..."

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

Ashwarya Subramaniam was brought into Interrogation-B. Her attorney was Chip Blake, who I could tell was already tiring from having to represent all these people on this case. Julia and I came in, and Julia read Ashwarya her rights. Patrol Officer Laurer was the Uniformed Presence.

Ashwarya was a beautiful Indian woman, and her large doe eyes were easy to lose oneself in. I idly wondered why she would marry someone like Tanu, as she could definitely 'marry up'. Then I remembered that she and the handsome David Lang had been having a lot of sex. Had it been more than just physical pleasure between them? I wondered. No, I thought to myself, my initial impression of her was correct.

"Madam, my name is Donald Troy and I am the Police Commander here." I said. "I need to ask you a few questions to clear up this unfortunate and tragic situation."

"I've told your Detectives everything I know." Ashwarya said, pretending to try to keep her voice from wailing. "I don't understand why you keep asking me the same questions over and over."

"There are possibly a few things we can still get an understanding of." I said. "For example, when you were having sex with David, you did not notice Amit coming into your bedroom?"

"No, not until he hit David over the head." said Ashwarya.

"So the sex with David was just that good?" I asked. "Or------"

"That is sexual harassment!" yelled Ashwarya. "I am going to sue you!"

"By all means, give it your best shot." I said. Then I hardened my voice to the consistency of iron as I said "You can sue all you like, but this is a criminal investigation of the death of a man with whom you were having sexual intercourse at the time. Not only will you lose that lawsuit, and badly, there could be serious repercussions for you. But by all mean, try it."

"Okay," I said more 'normally', "as I was asking, you didn't notice Amit coming into the room. I have another question: even if you had seen him, were you worried that he was going to hit Mr. Lang on the head and kill him?"