The Confession - A Cold Case fan fic (Teen)

[NoAzMale]

This is my first attempt at a Cold Case story and while I do not usually request reviews or feedback I would appreciate any comments, thoughts, etc. the readers have about the story.

COLD CASE
The Confession
By J. B. Tilton (a.k.a. NoAzMale) with Teri Thibeault (a.k.a. Tessalynne)
Emails:
noazmale@isot.com evilgidget_2000@yahoo.com
Email: noazmale@isot.com
Rating: K

* * *

Disclaimer: “Cold Case” and all related characters and events are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and the CBS Corporation, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors’ note: This story takes place between season 1 episodes “Look Again” and “Gleen”.)

* * *

A man contacts Lilly and confesses to a 29 year old murder that was originally classified as an accidental death.

* * *

PROLOGUE

April 19, 1974

The student moved to his locker and began to remove books from it. The halls of the high school were currently filled with students as they filed from one classroom to the next. They had only a few short minutes before their next classes started. It would be the last class of the day and more than a few were less than enthusiastic wanting to get out of school as quickly as possible. As the student closed his locker, two other students were standing next to him.

Like the boy at the locker, both of these students were wearing leather jackets. They weren’t uncommon around school but it was unusual to see students wearing them in class. Unusual except for the “tough guys”, that is. Or at least the ones who thought they were tough.

“Hey, Bob,” said one of the students, “ain’t seen you around much lately. You finally back in school?”

“No, Craig,” said Bob. “Just come to get my books to study. My teachers said I could still take the finals as long as I studied for them. Just getting my books, that’s all.”

“You, studying?” questioned the third boy. “You ain’t gone and gotten all academic on us, have you?”

“You might say that, Harry,” said Bob. “Look, we graduate in less than a month. We can’t just skate through life like we did in high school. It may not do any good but I want to get the best grades on my finals that I can.”

“Since when do you care about grades?” asked Craig. “If I remember right, you once said that school was for suckers. Your accident made you soft in the head?”

“No, not soft,” said Bob. “Let’s just say it made me reevaluate my priorities, that’s all.”

“Priorities?” questioned Craig. “You sound like one of these loser teachers.”

“They aren’t losers,” said Bob. “And if you were smart you’d learn that. We aren’t kids any more, Craig. In a few weeks we’ll be in the adult world. You think they’re going to let us just slide through like we have in school? We have to start taking responsibility some time. The sooner we learn that the better off we’re going to be.”

“I think you hurt your head,” said Craig, snickering. “I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be parroting the same useless knowledge these nerds here do.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not useless,” said Bob. “And I have some studying to do so if you’ll excuse me.”

“We got a big race tonight,” said Harry. “We need our best driver. There’s a lot riding on this race. You gotta be there.”

“I’m through racing,” said Bob. “There are no percentages in it.”

“You look here,” said Craig, putting his hand on Bob’s shoulder to keep him from walking away, “Harry’s right. We got a lot of cash riding on this race. You can’t wimp out on us now. We’ll clean up when we win. I all ready told the others you’re driving.”

“You shouldn’t have done that, Craig,” said Bob. “I’m not driving. It’s too dangerous for one thing. And I’m not risking being picked up by the cops so close to graduation.”

“You will be there,” snarled Craig.

“No, Craig, I won’t.”

“Is there a problem here?”

The three students turned to see that most of the other students had all ready gone onto class. Standing just a few short feet from them was Mr. Discher, the school principal.

“No, Mr. Discher, no problem,” said Craig, trying to act cool.

“Then I suggest you get to your next class,” said Discher. “The bell has all ready rung and you’re all ready late.”

“Just remember what I said, Bob,” said Craig as he and Harry began to move down the hallway. “Eight o’clock sharp. Be there or else. You bail on me and I’ll make you real sorry.”

Bob just watched as his two “friends” disappeared around corner of the next hall. He smiled at Mr. Discher and then turned and headed for the parking lot.

* * *
April 21, 1974

It had been raining all weekend. Just before dark it had stopped and was starting to clear up. The frame for the house that was going up had been completed on Friday. The construction site was deserted as the police car pulled up in the driveway. The officers would soon find the body of a young man lying face down a large puddle of water. His body would still be warm but there was no doubt that he was dead.

ONE

October 1, 2003

The man walked into the police station and looked around. He appeared to be in his late 40s and was dressed in typical working clothes. A man wearing a suit was sitting at a nearby desk working on some paperwork. The man stepped over to the desk.

“Can I help you?” asked the detective at the desk, looking up at the man

“I, uh, need to talk to someone,” said the man. “It’s about a murder that happened in 1974.”

“You want to see Detective Rush in Cold Case,” said the detective. He pointed to a couple of desk on the other side of the room. “Over there. They can help you.”

“Thanks,” said the man.

He walked over and saw Lilly and Lt. Stillman talking. As he walked up they both looked up at him.

“The detective over there said I needed to talk to a Detective Rush,” said the man glancing Lilly, but then turning to Stillman.

“I’m Detective Rush,” said Lilly. “This is Lt. Stillman.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said the man. “I guess I just assumed. . . Well, anyway, as I said the detective over there said I should talk to you about something called a cold case.”

“And you are?” questioned Lilly.

“Booker,” said the man. “William Booker.”

“Have a seat, Mr. Booker,” said Lilly. “You have information on an unsolved murder?”

“Yeah,” said Booker, taking a seat. “April 21, 1974. A 17 year old boy named Robert Young. He was killed at a construction site on Marker Street.”

Twenty nine years ago,” said Lilly. “And you’re just coming forward now?”

“Yeah, well as you get older your priorities change,” said Booker. “After so many years I figured it was time to make things right. To tell the truth.”

“I see,” said Lilly. “So, you have some knowledge about this murder?”

“Yes,” said the man hesitantly. “I was the one who killed him.”

* * *

“I finally found the case,” said Lilly, walking into the Lieutenant’s office. “It seems it’s not a cold case. The official cause of death is listed as accidental drowning.”

“It’s a closed case?” questioned Stillman. “That means the evidence would have been disposed of years ago.”

“Yep. According to the file the investigating officer found out the boy was working at the site cleaning up. His uncle ran the construction company that was building the house and he worked there earning some money. The coroner determined that the boy must have slipped in the mud, banged his head on the wood frame of the house, and fell unconscious into the puddle of water. He drowned without ever regaining consciousness.”

“So it’s not a murder,” said Stillman.

“Well, according to Mr. Booker it was. He said that he and this Young got into an argument and some blows were exchanged. He hit Young who hit his head on the wood frame house. When he found out Young was dead he panicked and ran.”

“Still sounds like an accidental death to me,” said Stillman. “Under the circumstances I doubt the DA will be inclined to prosecute an accident that’s so old.”

“Well, Booker seems real interested in clearing his conscience,” said Lilly. “What if I just do a cursory investigation and then let him off the hook. At the very least it will give him some piece of mind.”

“Okay,” said Stillman. “But don’t take too long on it. There are some real murders out there we need to be concentrating on without investigating a case that’s all ready been closed out.”

“No problem,” said Lilly. “I’ll just have the coroner take a look at the case and reconfirm that it was an accident and then I’ll tell Mr. Booker the statute of limitations has run out. He’ll have a clear conscience and we can move onto a real crime.”

“Fine,” said Stillman.

Lilly picked up the file on the Young case and left the Lieutenant’s office.

* * *

“You said you had something for me,” Lilly said, walking into the coroner’s office.

“That I do,” said the man standing at one of the examining tables. The table currently had no body on it but there were several papers and photographs spread out on it. “I took a look at that Young case like you asked me. I found some interesting things in it.”

“Like what?”

“Well, for one thing, the original coroner only did a cursory autopsy. Considering the circumstances in this case he should have performed a full autopsy. But from what I found in the file, he didn’t do that. Then he marked accidental death on the paperwork and forwarded it upstairs.”

“So was it an accidental death or not?”

“Look at this,” said the coroner, holding up a picture. It showed a young man who was obviously dead. There was an obvious cut on his forehead and what appeared to be a dirt smudge on his chin. There were also what appeared to be some shadows on his neck. “Now, the cut on the forehead was made from his head impacting the wood frame of the house. There were slivers of wood in the wound. And that bruise on his chin is consistent with someone hitting him. Hard.”

“So that corroborates Booker’s story,” said Lilly, sure there was more the coroner wasn’t telling her. She also knew he would momentarily.

“Up to that point, yes,” said the coroner. “The police report bears that out. It’s these,” he indicated the shadows on the boy’s neck, “that concerned me. I had the photo blown up.” He pulled out a picture of an enlargement of the boy’s neck. “The body was cleaned up before the autopsy so I found it strange there would be dirt on it.”

“It’s not dirt?”

“No,” said the coroner, showing her the enlargement. “As you can clearly see, they’re bruises.”

“There’s no report of bruising like that in the police report,” said Lilly.

“They wouldn’t have been immediately evident. They were made immediately prior to death. When the blood vessels are broken immediately before death it can sometimes take a while before the bruising becomes evident.”

“So what caused the bruising on the neck?”

“Fingers,” said the coroner. “From the positioning of the bruises, whoever made them was behind the victim when they were made. And they were pressing very hard. That’s why the bruising is so pronounced. The head injury would have been serious enough to render the victim unconscious but not enough to kill him.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“Whoever made these bruises was most likely sitting on the victim’s back. I also found bruising consistent with knee imprints on the victim’s back. My guess is that they were sitting on your victim’s back holding his head down. Since there was no indication the body had been moved since death, I think it’s pretty obvious what happened.”

“Young was deliberately drowned.”

“That’s right. Your victim didn’t die from an accident. He was deliberately murdered. By someone who was obviously very angry with him at the time.”

[NoAzMale]

TWO

“That’s not what happened,” Booker protested in the interrogation room a couple of hours later. “I told you what happened. We were arguing about a girl. I don’t remember her name now. But Young and I were both interested in her. I stopped by the construction site to tell him to stay away from her. We got into an argument and he took a swing at me. I hit him back and he hit his head on the frame of the house. Then he fell to the ground. I was sure he was dead so I ran. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison.”

“That’s not what the evidence says,” said Scotty. “The coroner says that someone held Young’s head in that puddle until he drowned. Which means you hit him. When you saw him unconscious on the ground you rolled him over, stuck his head in the puddle, and held him down until he breathed in water. You murdered him over this girl you were arguing about.”

“No,” insisted Booker. “That’s not what happened. Once he fell to the ground I never touched him. He wasn’t breathing and like I said, I panicked. I was 17. I didn’t think anyone would believe that it was an accident. I got in my car and got as far away from there as possible.”

“So how do you account for the bruises on his neck?” Lilly asked. “And the fact that he was held down until he drowned?”

“I can’t,” said Booker. “Maybe someone came by after I left. I don’t know. All I know is that I thought I had killed him and I ran.”

“You said you got into your fight with him about 11:30,” said Lilly. “The police car that answered the call arrived at the site at 11:53. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for someone to happen by and kill Young after you left.”

“A lot can happen in 23 minutes,” said Booker.

“Yeah,” said Scotty. “Like holding someone’s head in a puddle of muddy water until he drowns.”

“No, I told you, it didn’t happen that way. I hit him, he went down, and I panicked. I thought I had accidentally killed him, so I ran. That’s what happened, I swear.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not what the evidence says,” said Lilly. “Robert Young was murdered and right now you’re the only suspect we have.”

“Am I under arrest?”

“Not yet,” said Scotty. “It’s only a matter of time, though, until we have enough evidence. And when we do you’re going down for murder.”

“I didn’t murder him,” Booker protested. “It was an accident. I swear it was.”

“Let’s take a break,” said Lilly. “We won’t be long.”

Lilly and Scotty left the interrogation room and joined Stillman and Will in the adjoining room.

“Well?” Stillman asked. “Do you believe him?”

“Well, the evidence says he’s guilty,” said Scotty. “The evidence can’t be wrong.”

“No,” said Lilly, “but it can be misinterpreted.”

“You think he’s innocent?” Will asked.

“I don’t know,” said Lilly. “But why come forward after 30 years if he murdered the guy especially if the case had all ready been ruled accidental?”

“He also hasn’t asked for a lawyer,” said Will.

“What’s that prove?” Scotty asked.

“Maybe nothing,” said the Lieutenant. “But Will has a point. Guilty people usually ask for a lawyer from the get go. If he honestly thinks it was an accident it may not occur to him that he might need an attorney.”

“That’s hardly conclusive,” said Scotty.

“No,” said Lilly, “but with everything else it is suspicious. Boss, I think I should run with this. Even if Booker didn’t kill him it’s still a murder.”

“Okay,” said Stillman. “See what you can find out. Any idea where you plan to start? Other than his confession we really don’t have much to go on.”

“Well,” said Lilly, “maybe he can give us a lead. And maybe Young’s family might know of anyone who had a grudge against him. He was working at his uncle’s construction company. Maybe his uncle is still alive and might know of someone who was out to get him.”

“Maybe someone at the school might know something,” said Will said. “Nick and I can check out that angle.”

“Let’s get on it,” said Stillman. “This case is nearly 30 years old. Let’s see if we can find the killer and finally put it to bed for good.”

Lilly and Scotty went back into the interrogation room. Booker was still sitting in the chair at the table. He appeared visibly nervous. Lilly couldn’t blame him. If he was innocent it was possible he could go to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

“Mr. Booker,” said Lilly, “for the moment we’re willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. But I’m going to be honest with you. It doesn’t look good. The evidence tells us that Young’s death was not an accident. But assuming you didn’t kill him, can you think of anyone who might be angry enough with him to kill him?”

“Oh, that was a long time ago,” said Booker. “But there was Craig Carter. He and Young hung out together most of the time.”

“They were friends?” Scotty asked. “Why would he want to kill Young?”

“They were street racers,” said Booker. “The type that was illegal. They’d race other racers for money. Two days before Young . . . well, two days before he died Craig threatened him. It seems Craig had set up a race and expected Young to race in it. Young refused and Craig said he’d make him sorry if he didn’t.”

“You think that would make Craig angry enough to want to kill Young?” Lilly asked.

“Maybe,” said Booker. “Rumor has it Craig had $500.00 dollars riding on that race. And Craig was a real hothead, just like Young.”

“He’d kill Young over $500.00?” questioned Scotty. “Doesn’t sound like a lot to kill over.”

“Back then $500.00 was a lot of money especially to a high school kid,” said Booker. “There was also the prestige of being the top racer. That meant as much to Craig as the money. The way I hear it, he had to drive when Young refused. And he lost that race.”

“Is that all?” Lilly asked.

“I don’t know,” said Booker. “It was 30 years ago. Can’t say I really remember that many people from back then. I’ll give it some thought and see if I can remember anyone else.”

“You’ll need to stay in town while we check this out,” said Lilly. “Where are you staying?”

“I have a house in town,” said Booker. “I inherited it from my mother after she died. A caretaker has been taking care of it the past few years. I’ll be staying there. I figured I might fix it up and live there or maybe sell it. Haven’t really decided yet.”

“We’ll need the address,” said Lilly. “We’ll keep you apprised of what we find out.”

“Sure thing,” said Booker. “Like I said, it’s time this thing was set right. But I didn’t drown him. I hit him once and thought I had killed him. That’s the honest to God’s truth.”

“We’ll let you know what we learn,” said Lilly.

After getting Booker’s address Lilly and Scotty left the interrogation room to begin checking on who else might have had a grudge against Robert Young.

[NoAzMale]

THREE

“Mr. Discher, I’m Detective Jeffries and this is Detective Vera. We’re with Philly Homicide.”

“Homicide?” questioned the elderly man standing up from his desk to greet them. “What would homicide be doing at my school? As far as I know no one has been killed here. At least, not recently.”

“We’re here about a Robert Young,” said Will. “He was a student here in ’74.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Young,” said Discher, offering them a seat. “Terrible shame what happened to him. But I thought his death was ruled an accident?”

“That’s right,” said Nick. “But we have reason to believe it may not have been an accident.”

“Really? And you’re investigating after all these years?”

“No statute of limitations on murder,” said Will. “We were wondering if we could ask you some questions about it.”

“Sure,” said Discher. “I’m not sure how much help I can be after all these years. He died, what, 30 years ago? I was new here then. I’d only been here about 3 years. I was still getting to know some of the students and a lot of the staff.”

“Anything you can remember would be helpful,” said Will. “Do you remember another student named William Booker who attended here at the same time?”

“The name is familiar. This probably means he was an average student. The ones you usually remember are either the really gifted ones or the trouble makers, like Young.”

“Young was a trouble maker?” Nick asked.

“For the times, yes. Saw himself as a real thug. Used to wear his leather jacket even to class. A real underachiever, that one. Barely squeaked out enough credits to graduate with.”

“Did he have any enemies that you know of?” Will asked. “Young, I mean.”

“He had his fair share as I recall. He was kind of a bully. Used to push everyone around and even gave the teachers a hard time. Wasn’t real well liked except for that gang he hung around with.”

“Gang?” questioned Nick.

“Well, not a gang in the traditional sense. Just some of the local bad boys who all hung out together. All wore the same leather jackets. Considered themselves some sort of group.”

“Do you remember anyone else who was in this group?” Nick asked.

“Oh, let me see. There was Young, of course. And Craig Carter, I believe. There was also a young man named Harry something. I don’t seem to recall his last name.”

“This Craig Carter,” said Will. “We understand he and Young had an argument just before Young died.”

“Yes,” said Discher, his brow furrowing. “I do recall that. I didn’t hear the entire argument but I do recall that Carter said something about making Young sorry if he didn’t show up. I can’t say I know exactly what he was talking about but Carter seemed quite insistent and upset about it.”

“You remember that after 30 years?” Nick asked.

“Some things just stay with you, Detective. I remember it because when I first heard that Young had died my first thought was that Carter had made good on his threat. Then the obituary in the newspaper said he had died accidentally. But I still remember what little I heard of their conversation.”

“So you think Carter was capable of hurting Young?” Will asked.

“I did at the time. For most of time during high school those two were thick as thieves, if you’ll pardon the phrase. Then, about three months before graduation in 1974, they stopped hanging out together.”

“Why is that?” Nick asked.

“Mr. Young was in a rather serious car accident about that time. He was in the hospital for about two weeks. After he got out of the hospital he seemed to change. He stopped hanging with the others and even began talking to his teachers about bringing his grades up.”

“Just like that?” Will asked. “What caused the turn around?”

“I really couldn’t say. Father Redding might be able to tell you. After Young got out of the hospital he started seeing Father Redding a couple of times a week. I don’t know what it was about but it was about that time that Young seemed to change. I’m afraid it was much too late for Mr. Young to do anything about his grades but he was making a good faith effort.”

“Father Redding,” said Nick. “Any idea where we can find him?”

“He’s at St. Peter’s Church over on Ballinger,” said Discher. “He’s been there longer than I’ve been here. He usually does our prayer breakfasts, invocations, graduation commencement ceremonies, and that sort of thing.”

“So other than this Carter is there anyone you can think of who might have held a grudge against Young?” Will asked.

“None that I can recall,” said Discher. “But then it was 30 years ago. I’m afraid there’s a lot I don’t remember from back then. Mostly just normal teenage stuff.”

“Thank you, Mr. Discher,” said Will. “We appreciate all the help. If there’s anything you think of later please call us and let us know. Anything at all could be helpful.”

“Certainly,” said Discher. “And good luck in your investigation. I hope you catch whoever did this. Mr. Young was not exactly a sterling student but he hardly deserved to be murdered.”

Will and Nick left the school heading for Ballinger Street.

[Angie]

This is really good, Jerry! I watch Cold Case when I see it on TV and it's a great show! I love watching the cases and how determined Lilly gets to uncover her cases. I look forward to seeing where this goes and think you've done a nice job starting it!

[NoAzMale]

FOUR

Lilly and Scotty walked into the main office of Young’s Construction Company. A young woman sat behind a desk working on some paperwork. She looked up and smiled at the 2 detectives as they approached the desk.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes,” said Lilly, showing her police identification. “We’d like to see the owner.”

“Just a moment, please.”

The woman picked up the phone and announced that there were 2 police officers waiting in the outer office. As she did Lilly looked around the small office. Several photographs hung on the walls of buildings in various stages of completion. A moment later a man in his sixties came out of the back office.

“I’m James Young, the owner,” said the man. “You’re cops.”

“I’m Detective Rush and this is Detective Valens. We’d like to ask you a few questions about your nephew, Robert, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t understand. My nephew died years ago. He was involved in an accident at one of my sites and accidentally drowned.”

“Yes, sir, we know that. Some new information has come to light that might indicate it wasn’t an accident. We’re just following up some new leads.”

“New evidence? The detective who investigated the case seemed pretty sure it was an accident. I was at home with my wife when I got the call that they had found his body. What new information?”

“There are strong indications that your nephew wasn’t alone at the site where his body was found,” said Scotty. “We were wondering if you might know who else was there.”

“No one to my knowledge. My nephew would go in after the crews quit for the day and straightened things up. That’s about all he was good for. Never did take an interest in the business or anything else. After his mother died I took the boy in. Tried to teach him a trade. But all he was interested in was racing those damned cars of his.”

“Sounds like you didn’t like him very much,” said Lilly.

“Look,” said Young, a hint of anger in his voice, “the brat was worthless. His folks split up when he was about 12. His mother wrapped her car around a tree when he was 14 in a drunken stupor. I was the only family the kid had. Like I said, I took him in and tried to teach him something. Hell, it was all I could do to get him to take the job cleaning up. But I told him I wouldn’t give him any money to fix up his car. If he wanted money he’d have to earn it like I did when I was his age.”

“So you don’t know of anyone else who might have been there that night?” Scotty questioned.

“I all ready said I didn’t. The kid was lazy and no good like his old man. I did what I could but he just wouldn’t listen. Just plain shiftless. It didn’t surprise me when he ended up dead. I always figured he’d end up that way.”

“What about friends of his?” Lilly asked. “Did you know anyone he used to hang out with?”

“No, not really. He never brought his friends by the house. Didn’t spend much time there himself. Just came home to eat and get some sleep, then he’d be out again doing God knows what.”

“Do you have any idea why he’d be at the site where his body was found at midnight?” Lilly asked. “That seems like a pretty late hour to be cleaning up.”

“He was supposed to have done it on Friday,” said Young. “Only he never showed. When he came in the house on Saturday I told him he’d better have the place cleaned up by Monday morning or nephew or not I’d can his ass. He knew I meant it. I guess he just put it off until the very last minute. Besides, it rained that weekend. Didn’t stop until late Sunday. I didn’t even know he was there until I got a call from the cops telling me they had found his body there.”

“You know of anyone who might have had a grudge against him?” Scotty asked. “Someone who might have wanted to hurt him.”

“No, like I said, he never brought anyone to the house. I know he used to drag race against some of the other local riff raff. Maybe one of them got pissed that they lost against him. Or maybe he lost and didn’t pay up. Can’t really say.”

“You don’t seem real upset that he might have been murdered,” said Lilly.

“Look, the kid’s been dead for almost 30 years. Don’t really see how it matters now how he died. At the time the detective said it looked like he slipped in the mud, hit his head, and fell face down into a pool of water. And from what I understand the coroner said pretty much the same thing. What makes you think someone might have murdered him?”

“There’s evidence that he didn’t die immediately,” said Lilly. “That someone held his head in the puddle until he drowned.”

“Well, can’t help you none. He was a no account ever since his old man deserted his mother and him. Always getting in trouble in school, staying out ‘till all hours, hanging out with low lifes. Way I see it, it was only a matter of time until his luck ran out. Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s about it,” said Lilly. “Thanks for your time.”

Young went back into his office and Lilly and Scotty left the building.

“Real caring soul, that one,” said Scotty sarcastically.

“Did you smell the alcohol?” Lilly asked.

“How could you miss it? He smelled like a brewery. You thinking he might have had something to do with Robert’s death?”

“Well, it’s possible. He certainly didn’t have any love for his nephew. Could be he went out to the site for some reason and he and Robert got into a fight after Booker left. The coroner did say it was a strong pair of hands that held Robert’s head in the puddle. From the looks of it he’s pretty strong.”

“He said he was home when the police called him after finding Robert’s body. When we get back to the station I’ll see if I can confirm his alibi.”

They got into their car and headed back to police headquarters.

* * *

“The principal wasn’t any help?” Lilly asked after the four detectives had filled each other in on what they had learned.

“Well, he did confirm that Young and this Carter had an argument in school the previous Friday,” said Nick. “He didn’t know what it was about but he said that Carter was pretty steamed whatever it was.”

“He also directed us to a Father Redding at St. Peter’s Church,” said Will. “We went by there but he was out. I left my card and asked that he call us as soon as he got in.”

“Well, his uncle said that he liked to drag, just as Booker told us,” said Scotty. “Sounds like Young bailed on the race Carter had set up and Carter got pissed about it.”

“What about this accident that the principal mentioned Young had been in?” asked Lilly.

“I checked,” said Nick. “Seems that Young missed a curve during one of his races. Slammed into a fence and turned his car over. One of the local neighborhood kids dragged him out just before the car exploded. He spent a couple of weeks in the hospital recuperating and then was released.”

“And that’s about the time he seemed to change,” said Will, “according to the principal.”

“Well, a life-threatening incident like that could have had a sobering effect on him,” said Lilly. “Maybe he realized how close he came to death and decided it just wasn’t worth the risk anymore.”

“But why start seeing a priest?” Will asked. “I mean, I could understand maybe once or twice. But the way the principal talked Young sort of became a fixture at the church. What kind of life altering effect could the accident have had on him?”

“Maybe this Father Redding will know,” suggested Lilly. “If he was going to the church that often he probably confided in Father Redding about his change.”

“Father Redding probably wouldn’t be able to tell us,” said Scotty. “Anything Young might have said in confession would be confidential. And I know a lot of priests won’t violate that even after the parishioner has died.”

“That would depend on what he told Father Redding,” said Nick.

“Well,” said Lilly, “until we talk to Father Redding we won’t know. I think we should try and locate this Craig Carter and see what he knows. Assuming he’s still around.”

“He’s still around,” said Stillman, walking up to the group. He handed Lilly a piece of paper. “I ran a check on Carter while you were out. It seems Mr. Carter had his share of run ins with the law.”

“For what?” Lilly asked.

“Oh, small stuff mostly,” replied Stillman. “A couple of DUI’s, numerous speeding tickets, and not so surprising drag racing. Get this. He’s a custodian at a high school out in Broomall.”

“Guess he stayed around where things were comfortable,” said Will.

“Some guys just never grow up,” said Nick.

“Well, he hasn’t got anything on his sheet for about 20 years,” said Stillman. “Maybe he outgrew whatever he was into.”

“You don’t outgrow murder,” said Scotty. “Lilly and I should go out and have a chat with Mr. Carter.”

“Maybe Father Redding will have contacted us by the time you get back,” said Will.

“Come on, Scotty,” said Lilly. “Let’s go see if Mr. Carter is willing to confess.”

“Yeah, it should be so easy,” said Scotty.

[NoAzMale]

FIVE

“Craig Carter? Detectives Rush and Valens, Philly Homicide.”

Craig Carter looked to be older than his 49 years. Life had not been kind to him. He was noticeably overweight and he had a couple of faded scars on his face. He hadn’t shaved for several days.

“Homicide? What’s this about?”

“Robert Young,” said Scotty.

“Whoa,” said Carter. “There’s a name I ain’t heard in a while. But Bobbie died in an accident. That’s what the paper said anyway.”

“Yeah, well it looks like that’s not exactly what happened,” said Lilly. “It seems someone gave him a helping hand by holding his head in that puddle.”

“Really?” Carter asked in surprise. “I knew there were people who didn’t like Bobbie but I never imagined anyone would want to kill him.”

“Yeah, well according to our information,” said Scotty, “you threatened him a couple of days before he died. Said something about making him sorry if he didn’t show up somewhere.”

“Yeah, I remember that,” said Carter. “That was the last time I saw Bobbie. I was going to let him have it at school on Monday but he died on Sunday night. I kind of felt bad about how we left things.”

“So, what was the argument about?” Lilly asked.

“Oh, well, Bobbie and I used to drag race,” said Carter. “Street racing, you know? Used to make quite a bit of extra money that way. Bobbie was the best. Never got beat. I had set up this race with a rival and expected Bobbie to drive. When he refused it made me angry.”

“Angry enough to kill him?” Lilly asked.

“Whoa, hang on a second,” said Carter. “Sure, I was ticked at Bobbie but that’s all it was. It wasn’t the first time. But I didn’t kill him. Like I said, that day at school was the last time I ever saw Bobbie.”

“But you were going to let him have it on Monday,” said Scotty.

“Yeah,” said Carter. “I was going to tell him what a loser he was. Because of him I lost $500.00. And his rival got the title as the best dragger in Philly. But I didn’t kill him. Bobbie and were both hot heads. We argued about everything. But they blew over as fast as they erupted. They were nothing but arguments, that’s all.”

“So where were you the night Carter died?” Lilly asked.

“Me and Harry were out drinking,” said Carter. “Harry was more level-headed than Bobbie or I were.”

“Harry would be?” Scotty asked.

“Harry Gardner,” said Carter. “He was one of the guys we hung out with. Thought of ourselves as the Three Musketeers.”

“And where can we find this Harry Gardner?” Lilly asked.

“He’s in Laurel Hill,” said Carter.

“The cemetery?” questioned Scotty.

“Yeah,” said Carter. “A couple of years after Bobbie died Harry got killed during one of our drag races. That’s why I gave it up. After he died I decided I didn’t want to end up like him so I quit.”

“So you can’t corroborate your alibi?” questioned Scotty.

“No, but I didn’t kill him,” said Carter. “You want to find who killed him maybe you should talk to Peter Keller.”

“Who’s he?” Lilly asked.

“Captain of the football team,” said Carter. “Bobbie was always giving him a hard time. Up until the last couple of months he was alive Bobbie always rode the achievers in the school but he rode Keller extra hard.”

“Why was that?” Scotty asked.

“I guess he was jealous,” said Carter. “They represented everything that Bobbie wasn’t. Rich, popular, had everything. Keller was the quarterback of the football team and was dating Michelle Rhodes, captain of the cheerleading squad. And he was a straight A student. His dad owned an exotic auto body shop and they were pretty rich.”

“Exotic auto body shop?” questioned Lilly.

“Yeah,” said Carter. “He specialized in fancy cars like Jaguars and such. Made a ton of money doing it. Plus, Keller was being looked at by pro teams to play football. So Bobbie went out of his way to harass him.”

“And where is this Keller now?” Scotty asked.

“He runs his dad’s auto body shop,” said Carter. “’Keller’s Exotic Imports’ is the name of it.”

“You said until the last couple of months of his life,” said Lilly. “Do you mean until his accident?”

“Yeah,” said Carter. “You know about that, huh?”

“A little,” said Scotty. “Why don’t you fill us in?”

“Well, I guess it was two or three months before Bobbie died,” said Carter. “He was dragging as usual when he lost control. Rolled his car and was trapped inside. The car was starting to burn and most everyone just sort of took off.”

“What happened then?” Lilly asked.

“All of a sudden this black kid comes out of nowhere,” said Carter. “I learned later he lived right near where the car had wrecked. He pulled Bobbie out of the car just before it blew up. Saved his life.”

“That might explain Young’s turnaround,” said Lilly.

“Yeah, it does,” said Carter. “After that Bobbie was all he ain’t gonna drag no more. The kid who dragged him out of the car was one of the students at school. Bobbie had given him a hard time a few times. He couldn’t understand why someone would risk their life to save him after how he had treated them. Especially no black kid.”

“Bobbie didn’t like blacks?” Scotty asked.

“Oh, he didn’t hate them or nothing,” said Carter. “They were different from him, that’s all. He was always ragging on anyone who was different from him. When that kid dragged him out of the burning car I guess it messed with Bobbie’s head or something. That kid could have died saving Bobbie and he just didn’t understand why anyone would do that. Especially someone like him.”

“Well, Mr. Carter,” said Lilly, “we may be back to ask some more questions so don’t go anywhere.”

“You can find me here Monday through Friday,” said Carter. “I ain’t going nowhere. I told you I didn’t kill Bobbie. He was friend. I may have been angry with him but it would have blown over.”

Lilly and Scotty left the school and headed for their car. They drove back to police headquarters to run a check on Peter Keller to see what they could find out about him.

“Find out anything?” Stillman asked as they came into the office.

“Well, Carter says he didn’t kill Young,” said Scotty. “Says he was out drinking with his buddy, Harry Gardner. Only Gardner died a couple of years later so he doesn’t have an alibi for the night Young was murdered.”

“Do you believe him?” Stillman asked.

“I think so,” said Lilly. “He did put us onto someone else. A Peter Kelly, the quarterback for the football team. Seems that Young used to go out of his way to give this Keller a hard time.”

“Well, it’s getting late,” said Stillman. “Let’s pick this up tomorrow.”

“Right,” said Lilly. “See you in the morning.”

[NoAzMale]

SIX

When Lilly arrived at work the next day Stillman sent her immediately into the interrogation room. Father Redding had shown up just a few minutes earlier and Nick and Will were all ready in with him. When Lilly entered the room, Will introduced her to the priest.

He was about what she had expected. He was nearly seventy but still presented a strong presence. He was, of course, wearing his priest’s collar and he seemed genuinely friendly and open.

“What have I missed?” Lilly asked as she took a seat.

“Not much,” said Nick. “Father Redding was just about to tell us what he knew about Young.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be much help with the murder,” said Redding. “I was out of town that weekend. I was genuinely sorry to hear of his death. He was a troubled young man but he was starting to get his life back together again.”

“Troubled how?” Will asked.

“Well, his parents divorced when he was 12,” said Redding. “He took it pretty hard.”

“Divorce can be hard on a lot of kids, especially a 12 year old,” said Lilly.

“I don’t think it was the divorce so much as the reasons for it,” said Redding.

“How so?” Nick asked.

“Well, you have to remember this was 30 years ago,” said Redding. “Many attitudes were not as open or accepting as they are today.”

“What kinds of attitudes?” Lilly asked.

“Sexual attitudes for one,” said Redding. “You see, Robert’s parents broke up because his father left his mother. For another man. As I said, Robert was about 12 at the time – a time when his own sexuality was just beginning to emerge. Terms like fag, queer, homo, and others were quite often bandied about in disparagement. Robert had grown up in that type of atmosphere.”

“I remember,” said Will. “Homosexuals were considered deviants. Openly gay people were usually pretty rare outside of certain areas.”

“That’s right,” said Redding. “Well, as I said, Robert’s own sexuality was just beginning to emerge. All of his life he had been told that gay people were not normal. That they were deviants and somehow less human than heterosexuals. Then his father – probably the one man he looked up to most in the whole world – leaves his mother for another man. He had trouble accepting or even understanding it. I believe it was a large part of the reason he lashed out at the world as he did.”

“That explains a lot,” said Lilly. “Most everyone we’ve talked to just thought he was a bad boy. Someone who couldn’t or wouldn’t adhere to authority.”

“I counseled Robert for several weeks,” said Redding. “Just prior to his death. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t adhere to authority as it was trying to come to grips with the fact that his own father was a queer. That’s the term he used initially. We were making very good progress when he died.”

“What caused his change?” Nick asked. “We understand he was involved in a car accident and some neighborhood kid saved his life.”

“Yes,” said Redding. “He came to me just after that. It was a bit unusual because Robert wasn’t even Catholic. I do work at the school and I was the only spiritual adviser he knew so he came to me. He had a lot of questions. He told me how he used to mistreat the boy who saved his life. He couldn’t understand how someone could risk their life to save him especially after the way he had treated the boy.”

“What did you tell him?” Lilly asked.

“I explained to him that there are many people who do what they feel is right regardless of circumstances or the actions of other people,” said Redding. “I never tried to convert Robert. I didn’t feel that was what he was interested in. But I did tell him of the tenants of the Christian faith. Things like not speaking badly about others and returning good for the evil people did to you. It was as if he had never heard any of it before. He was very receptive.”

“What about his home life?” Lilly asked. “Other than the divorce, what was it like?”

“Quite bad,” said Redding. “Oh, everything was fine while his father was there. But after his father left his mother fell apart. She began drinking heavily and running around. When he was about 14 she hit a tree with her car. She died instantly. This left Robert all alone. So he went to stay with his uncle. James, I believe his name was. He was Robert’s uncle on his father’s side.”

“Yeah, we met him,” said Lilly.

“Well, his uncle is a man who likes his drink,” said Redding. “And Robert told me that he would often hit Robert when he acted up or misbehaved. It wasn’t a pleasant environment for him. He began to stay out until all hours and began drinking and smoking. And he hung around with what he called the other outcasts of his school. When he came to me after the accident he was a very confused young man. I offered to help him in any way I could and to my surprise he accepted. He’d come by the church 2 or 3 times a week. Usually whenever he had questions or was in a situation that he didn’t know how to handle.

“I never told Robert what to do. I didn’t feel that’s what he needed. Besides, he had all kinds of people telling him what to do. I felt the best way to handle him was to discuss the situations he was involved in and then explore the various choices he had and what their repercussions might be. He seemed very open to that. As I said, he was well on his way to straightening out his life when he died. He had even decided to apply to college.”

“The principal of his school said he had barely enough credits to graduate high school,” said Lilly. “How did he expect to get into college and how did he plan to pay for it?”

“Well, getting in was a bit of a problem,” said Redding. “I suggested he go to a Junior College initially. Those are usually easier to get into. And I had some connections at one of the local schools here. I was sure I could get him accepted. As for paying for it, that wasn’t going to be a problem. He would have received his inheritance when he turned 18 and would have had enough money to pay for his education.”

“Inheritance?” questioned Will. “What inheritance?”

“I thought you knew,” said Redding. “Robert’s mother was Constance Coopersmith before she married Robert’s father.”

“Coopersmith?” questioned Will. “As in Charles Archibald Coopersmith?”

“Yes,” said Redding. “She was his daughter. He had been against her marrying Robert’s father but she did anyway. And even though her father cut her off after that she still had plenty of money she had inherited from her grandfather.”

“Who’s Charles Coopersmith?” Lilly asked.

“He was one of the richest men in Philly back in the day,” said Nick. “Owned one of the major newspapers, a couple of publishing companies, even some local businesses. And he had a lot of political clout because of it.”

“One of the socially elite,” said Redding. “He wanted nothing to do with Robert because Constance had gone against his wishes and married Robert’s father. That’s why Robert went to live with his uncle after his mother died.”

“What kind of an inheritance are we talking about?” Lilly asked.

“A trust fund,” said Redding. “His parents set it up just after he was born. When he turned 18 he would have received the entire trust fund. Unfortunately he died shortly before his 18th birthday so he never got the money.”

“How much money?” Nick asked.

“About $500,000 as I recall,” said Redding.

“Do you know what happened to the trust fund after Robert died?” Lilly asked.

“I’m not really sure,” said Redding. “Robert did tell me that if for some reason he didn’t inherit it that his uncle was the second recipient of it. Since Robert died before he could collect it I just assumed his uncle received it.”

Lilly just looked at Will and Nick. They were aware, of course, of her conversation with James Young, Robert’s father. And they were all thinking the same thing. It was very suspicious that Young had not mentioned the trust fund when they had spoken to him.

“Father,” said Lilly, “do you know of anyone who might have had a grudge against Robert? Someone who might have wanted to hurt him?”

The priest suddenly became very uneasy. He glanced at the three detectives a moment before he answered.

“I’m afraid I can’t address that issue,” he said. “As I said, I was out of town when Robert died. I learned of his death when I read his obituary.”

“They didn’t have a newspaper article about it after he died?” Lilly asked.

“No,” said Redding. “His grandfather still owned the paper and I heard he refused to print anything about it aside from the obituary. He had done the same thing when Robert’s mother died. Printed only her obituary and nothing about her accident. I understand he never spoke of her again until the day he died.”

“Did you know a young man named William Booker?” Will asked. “He was a classmate of Young’s.”

“Robert mentioned him once or twice but I never met him,” said Redding. “Robert said they had had some words on occasion but nothing serious.”

“Booker wasn’t a member of your church?” Will asked.

“Not to my knowledge,” said the priest.

“So you don’t know of anyone who had it out for Robert?” Lilly asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t give you any information regarding Robert’s death,” said the priest. “I counseled Robert about how to change his life. That’s all. As I told you earlier, I was out of town when he died. I wish I could be of more help. But that’s about all I can tell you.”

“Thanks for stopping by, Father,” said Will, cutting Lilly off before she could say anything else. “Can we come by the church if we have any more questions?”

“Certainly,” said the priest. “I was at a conference when you came by yesterday but I should be at the church if you need anything else. I hope you find the person who did this. Robert deserves that much.”

“Why did you cut me off?” Lilly asked after Redding had left. “He knows something.”

“Probably,” said Will. “But he said he couldn’t address who killed Young. He also said he had no more information that he could give us.”

“There’s only one reason a priest would be unable to answer our questions,” said Nick.

“Someone confessed to him,” said Lilly, suddenly realizing why Will had cut the interview short.

If someone had confessed to killing Young the priest would be bound by the dictates of the Catholic Church and by state law not to divulge that information. And since he had said he hadn’t met Booker that meant that Booker hadn’t been the one to confess to Redding. But it was also clear that Father Redding knew who had confessed to him. It also meant that Lilly’s initial hunch was right. Booker was not guilty of killing Young.

[NoAzMale]

SEVEN

“Real interesting how Young just happened to forget about his nephew’s inheritance when we talked to him,” said Scotty when they had brought Stillman up to speed. “Half a million dollar inheritance isn’t something you’re likely to forget.”

“Well,” said Lilly, “according to what I found out, Young’s business was in financial trouble about that time. It seems the inheritance was enough to keep him from going under. Sounds like a good motive for murder to me. We all ready know he didn’t care much for his nephew. Maybe he killed him to get the inheritance.”

“Half a million dollars is some incentive,” said Stillman. “Scotty, what did you find out about Young’s alibi the night of the murder?”

“I couldn’t find out anything,” said Scotty. “There’s nothing about it in the police report and Young and his wife divorced about 15 years ago. She left Philadelphia and I can’t get a fix on her. So it would seem that Mr. Young not only has motive but he also has no alibi for the night of the murder.”

“You need to have a chat with Mr. Young again,” said Stillman. “Bring him in. Let’s question him here this time.”

“What about the quarterback?” Lilly asked. “We haven’t talked to him yet.”

“Nick and I can handle that,” said Will.

“Get on it,” said Stillman. “Lilly, have you talked to Booker yet?”

“Not yet,” said Lilly. “I was going to wait until we have something solid. Right now all we have are suspicions that Father Redding can’t answer our questions because it might violate the confessional. I’d like to have something concrete before I talk to him again.”

“Well, looks like your instincts were right on this one, Lilly,” said Stillman. “Someone definitely killed Young but it doesn’t look like it was Booker.”

“My money’s on his uncle,” said Nick.

“Let’s just talk to him again first,” said Stillman. “And find out what the quarterback has to say. He might know something.”

“On our way, boss,” said Lilly as she and Scotty headed for the parking lot.

* * *

“What can I do for Philly’s finest?” Peter Keller asked, coming out of his office at the auto body shop.

He was pretty much as Will and Nick expected. About 50 with salt and pepper hair. He was dressed in an elegant suit that probably cost more than their combined salaries for a month. He also walked with a noticeable limp and used a cane for support.

“We’d like to talk to you about Robert Young,” said Nick.

“Robert Young?” Keller asked. “He died a long time ago. About 30 years back. Why would you need to talk about him for? As I understand it he accidentally drowned.”

“New evidence has come to light,” said Will. “We’re checking into it. We understand you and he went to high school together.”

“That’s right,” said Keller. “We didn’t exactly run in the same circles. I was quarterback of the football team. He mostly just caused trouble. I pretty much stayed away from him as much as I could.”

“We also understand he used to give you a hard time,” said Nick.

“That was nothing new,” said Keller. “He gave lots of people a hard time. Me, the captain of the cheerleading squad, the class officers, anyone who was important. It’s like he had a personal vendetta or something. Like I said, I pretty much avoided him whenever possible.”

“Do you know of anyone who might have had a grudge against him?” Will asked. “Someone who might have wanted to hurt him?”

“Not really,” said Keller. “Like I said, he gave lots of people a hard time. But nothing serious enough for anything like that. Oh, some of us wanted to beat the crap out of him. To shut his smug mouth. He had a mouth on him. But I don’t know anyone who wanted to cause him any real harm.”

“Are you sure?” Will asked. “It was 30 years ago. Think hard. Was there anyone that maybe he picked on more than the rest?”

“Well,” said Keller hesitantly, “there was one kid. William Booker. He and Young were arguing over this girl. Lillian Tudor, I think her name was. Apparently Young had been seeing her and Booker didn’t like it. He told Young to stay away from her. But I can’t see him killing Young over something like that.”

“How did Young take it?” Nick asked. “Having Booker tell him to stay away from the girl?”

“He wasn’t all too happy about it,” said Keller. “As I recall, he told Booker he’d see whoever he wanted. And that no one was going to tell him who he could and couldn’t see.”

“What did Booker have to say about that?” Will asked.

“Oh, I really don’t know,” said Keller. “Just something I overheard once. I really wasn’t interested in hearing how it turned out, if you know what I mean.”

“What can you tell us about Booker?” Will asked.

“Not much, really,” said Keller. “He was usually quiet. Stayed to himself most of the time. Other than their argument about the girl I don’t think Young gave him much thought. He wasn’t anyone important enough for Young to bother with.”

“Is there anyone else you can think of who might have had it out for Young?” Nick asked.

“Not that I can think of,” said Keller. “I’ll give it some thought. It was 30 years ago. You know I really wasn’t surprised to hear about Young. I figured he’d end up dead one way or another. He used to antagonize most everyone he came into contact with. I just never imagined he’d end up face down in a puddle of water. I figured he’d piss off the wrong person and they’d stick a knife in him or something.”

“Well, he apparently did make someone angry,” said Will.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” said Nick, “we noticed you walk with a cane?”

“Yeah,” said Keller, tapping his cane against his right leg. “Blew out my knee during the last big game of my senior year. I was good, too. Had professional scouts looking at me and everything. Then I got tackled and that’s all she wrote. Never played football again.”

“Sorry to hear that,” said Will. “Well, if you think of anything else, please give us a call.”

“Sure thing,” said Keller. “Wish I could have been more help.”

“Booker all ready told us about the argument over the girl,” said Nick as he and Will headed back to police headquarters. “And I’m with Keller. Doesn’t sound like any reason to kill anyone over.”

“Depends on how serious they were about this girl,” said Will. “Passions get running high and tensions mount and before you know it you’re in a fight. Especially with teenagers.”

“Still,” said Nick, “if that was the case why would Booker tell us about it? And what about the priest? He’s definitely not telling us something. And he all ready said he didn’t know Booker so it probably wasn’t him who went to confession about it.”

“There’s still the uncle,” said Will. “And the matter of a half million dollars in inheritance. Lilly and Nick should have him back at the station by the time we get back.”

Will and Nick headed back to police headquarters to see what James Young had to say about the trust fund.

[NoAzMale]

EIGHT

“It seems you left out some details the last time we talked,” Lilly said to Young as they questioned him in the interrogation room.

“I told you everything I know,” said Young. “I was at home when I got the call that Robert was found at the site. That’s all I know.”

“What about his trust fund?” Scotty asked. “The $500,000 you inherited after he died?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Young asked.

“That’s a lot of money,” said Lilly. “Enough to kill over maybe.”

“What happened?” Scotty asked. “You get drunk and have a fight with him? Then you realized that money would help you save your ailing business. Or maybe you set out to kill him to get the money? According to what we know your business was going under. You got that money just in time.”

“Yeah, okay, the money helped,” said Young. “I’ll admit that. But I didn’t kill Robert for it. I never even knew I was going to get the money until that lawyer showed up and told me about it.”

“So you say,” said Scotty. “All we know is Robert ended up dead and you don’t have an alibi for when he was killed.”

“I told you, I was at home with my wife when I got the call the kid was dead. I didn’t even know he was out there.”

“A wife that has mysteriously disappeared,” said Lilly.

“Look, we got divorced and she moved out to Arizona or New Mexico or somewhere with her new boyfriend. We didn’t have any kids so there was no reason for us to stay in touch. Besides, it wasn’t what you’d call an amicable divorce.”

“Like I said,” said Scotty, “no alibi. And five hundred thousand reasons to want your nephew out of the picture.”

“How many times do I have to tell you I didn’t kill him? What about those low lifes he was hanging around with? Di you check them out?”

“We’re checking into it,” said Lilly. “But I gotta tell you, James, you’re looking better and better for this one. I checked your sheet. Seems you have a tendency to solve your problems with your fists. You have a dozen or more collars for assault.”

“Ancient history,” said Young. “That’s when I was younger. I ain’t been in a fight in years.”

“Still, old habits die hard,” said Lilly. “And there’s still the matter of the money you inherited from your nephew.”

“I didn’t kill him,” Young protested. “Look, I didn’t like the kid. I admit that. And I did inherit his money because he died before he was 18. But you can check with the detective on the case. Garwood, I think his name was. I was at home when they called. There’s no way I could have killed my nephew and gotten home in time to get the call. They said he died about 11:30 or so and it took at least an hour for me to get there from where I was living at the time. I got the call about 11:15 or so. So you see I couldn’t have killed him. There wasn’t no time.”

“Just sit tight,” said Lilly. “We’ll be back.”

She and Scotty left the interrogation room and walked into the observation room next door. Stillman, Nick, and Will were there along with another man about Stillman’s age that neither Lilly nor Scott recognized.

“He’s right,” said the man standing next to Stillman. “I placed the call myself at 11:21. I needed him to come identify his nephew’s body. And an hour is a conservative time estimate. If he killed his nephew he would have had to break every speed limit in the city to get home in time to take the call.”

“Lilly Rush, Scotty Valens, Detective Roger Garwood,” Stillman introduced.

“Retired,” Garwood added. “I was the detective on the scene that night. And Young is telling the truth. He answered the phone that night when I called.”

“So you never checked out his alibi?” Lilly asked.

“There was no need to,” said Garwood. “It seemed like an open and shut case. The kid was cleaning up at the site and slipped in the mud. He fell, hit his head on the frame house, and fell face down in the mud puddle and drowned. The coroner said the same thing. Accidental death. I wrote it up and we closed the case. Thinking back on it now I can’t think of anything that was suspicious about the entire incident.”

“I called Garwood in on this,” said Stillman. “I thought he might remember something that could help. I’ve also brought him up to speed on what we’ve found out so far.”

“So nothing struck you as odd or strange that night?” Scotty asked.

“Not a thing,” said Garwood. “I’d only had my gold shield a few months when I took this call. But I saw my share of accidents when I was in uniform. This just looked like another accident.”

“Why were the police there in the first place?” Lilly asked. “We understand they got a call about it.”

“Yeah,” said Garwood. “When Lieutenant Stillman called me about this case I checked my notes about it. One of the neighbors called in a car that was in the area. He said it looked suspicious. A patrol unit was sent as a matter of routine.”

“A car?” questioned Lilly.

“That’s what the patrolman said,” said Garwood. “The neighbor who called it in said it looked suspicious because there weren’t supposed to be any cars there that time of night. It was new subdivision being built and he found it strange that a Porsche would be driving around so slowly that time of night.”

“A Porsche?” asked Will. “Are you sure it was a Porsche?”

“Yeah, the guy was sure,” said Garwood. “He was a car salesman himself and seemed very knowledgeable about cars. He said it was too dark to tell what color it was and he never got a look at the license plate but he was sure it was a Porsche. Oh, and he said the right front fender was a lighter color. Like it had been primed for painting or something.”

“That’s interesting,” said Nick. “Keller’s father owned an exotic auto body shop and one of the types of cars they worked on were Porches. He owns the shop now.”

“He also said he didn’t know Young that well,” said Will. “They had had a few run ins but nothing serious. And he told us about Booker and Young fighting over a Lillian Tudor.”

“He said that?” Lilly asked.

“Yeah,” said Nick. “You were in with Young when we got back from talking to him. We hadn’t had a chance to fill you in on what he told us. But he confirmed that Booker and Young were arguing over the girl.”

“Keller?” questioned Garwood. “The same Peter Keller who owns ’Keller’s Exotic Imports’?”

“Yes, why?” asked Will.

“Oh, maybe nothing,” said Garwood. “It’s just that Mr. Keller was arrested a couple of times a few years back.”

“Arrested for what?” Stillman asked.

“Nothing really serious,” said Garwood. “Solicitation of a prostitute, that’s all. He paid his fines and as far as I know he’s kept his nose clean ever since.”

“So, Mr. Keller likes the ladies, does he?” Lilly asked.

“No,” said Garwood. “Men. He was soliciting male prostitutes.”

“Anything more serious than that?” Scotty asked.

“Not really,” said Garwood. “One of the officers that picked him up remembered him from high school. He apparently was a star quarterback until he blew out his knee the day of the big game. As I recall, it was the day after Young died, come to think of it.”

“I think we need to have another talk with Mr. Keller,” said Lilly.

“You think there’s something there?” Stillman asked.

“Well, only that Booker told me he only found about Young and Tudor seeing each other that Sunday Young died,” said Lilly. “That’s why he went out to the construction site. He wanted to tell Young to leave her along and they got into their fight.”

“So if that happened the same day he died,” said Scotty, “how did Keller overhear them arguing about it?”

“Unless he was there,” said Stillman. “Bring Mr. Keller in. And let Mr. Young go home. I don’t think we’re going to learn any more from him.”

Will and Nick headed for their car as Lilly went in to inform Mr. Young that he was free to go.

[NoAzMale]

NINE

Peter Keller had been sitting in the interrogation room for nearly half an hour. Stillman, Will, Scotty, and Garwood were in the observation room watching him. In the time he had been there he seemed to become increasingly nervous. Lilly and Nick were waiting just outside the room waiting for enough time to pass so that Keller would be anxious to get out of the police station. Finally, Lilly indicated that it was time to have their chat with Keller.

“Mr. Keller, I’m Detective Rush. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Something came up at the last minute and we just couldn’t get out of it.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” said Keller, glancing at Nick. “I really don’t know what else I can tell you about Young. As I told the other two detectives, I really didn’t know him that well. Just in passing mostly.”

“There were just one or two other questions we had,” said Lilly. “Just tying up some loose ends.”

“Okay, fine,” said Keller. “But I really have to get going soon. I do have a business to run.”

“So, tell us,” said Nick, leaning down until he was only a few inches from Keller’s face, “how long have you liked boys?”

“Wh . . . what?” stammered Keller. “I . . . I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on Peter,” said Lilly, looking through a folder she was holding. “We’re the police. You really didn’t think you could keep something like three arrests for soliciting male prostitutes a secret from us, did you?”

“Those were mistakes,” insisted Keller. “The police officers simply misunderstood, that’s all.”

“And yet you paid the fines without so much as a complaint,” said Nick. “Were those misunderstanding, too?”

“It . . . it just worth the hassle of fighting, that’s all,” said Keller.

“Well, I can understand that,” said Lilly, smiling at Nick. “Just pay the fines and have them go away. After all, it’s not like it was a major crime or anything. Just a misunderstanding that you just wanted to go away.”

“Exactly,” said Keller. “Now, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to be going now.”

“Oh, just one or two other questions,” said Lilly. “You told Detective Vera here that you overheard Booker and Young arguing over a girl. A Lillian Tudor.”

“That’s right,” said Keller. “Not a big deal. At least I didn’t think so at the time. They weren’t the only two boys who ever argued over a girl. I’m sure it happens all the time.”

“Oh, you’re probably right,” said Lilly. “But you see, here’s the thing. Booker didn’t learn about Young seeing Lillian until the day he died. And the argument you supposedly overheard was the one they had just before Young was killed. The only way you could have heard that argument was if you were at the site when Young died.”

“No, no, that’s not true,” insisted Keller, beginning to perspire. “I . . . I overheard them in the halls at school. Booker learned about their relationship a few days earlier. You’re . . . you’re just mistaken about the time, that’s all.”

“Really?” questioned Lilly, pulling a piece of paper out of the folder she was holding. “I have Mr. Booker’s statement right here. He’s very specific about the time he learned about their relationship. It was the same day that Young died.”

“You also told me you weren’t surprised that Young ended up face down in a puddle,” said Nick.

“I wasn’t,” said Keller. “That’s how he died, after all.”

“But how did you know how he had died?” questioned Lilly.

“I read about it in the paper,” insisted Keller.

“Try again,” said Nick. “All the paper ever reported was that he died of an accidental drowning. No mention of how the drowning occurred was printed.”

“Well, I suppose I heard about it from somewhere,” said Keller, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. “Someone must have told me.”

“Who?” Lilly asked. “Other than the police only one two other people knew how Young had died. His uncle, when he went to identify the body. And the man who killed him. And a Porsche was identified at the scene just before he was killed. A Porsche that had been in your father’s shop for repairs. One with the right front fender that was being repainted.”

“She’s good,” Garwood said to Stillman. “There’s no way to know for sure that car had been in Keller’s shop.”

“Mr. Keller doesn’t know that,” said Stillman.

“How do you explain that?” Nick asked.

“Someone must have misidentified the car, that’s all,” said Keller. “Please, I really need to get back to my shop. I have a lot of work to catch up on.”

“We have a witness who can identify the car,” said Lilly. “You overheard an argument that only happened just before Young died. And you knew how Young died when it wasn’t printed anywhere. You know what I think? I think Young discovered you were gay and you killed him to keep him quiet.”

“That’s ridiculous,” protested Keller. “I’m not gay.”

“Is that so?” Nick asked. “Well, I wonder what would happen if we showed your picture around some of the gay bars in town. A rich guy like you. I’m sure there will be at least a couple of men who will remember you.”

“This is harassment,” insisted Keller. “You don’t have any proof of any of this.”

“Actually, we have plenty of proof,” said Lilly. “Oh, granted, it’s mostly circumstantial. But Peter, most cases are tried on purely circumstantial evidence. And with what we’ve got I don’t think there will be any trouble getting a conviction for first degree murder. That means a needle in your arm.”

“No,” Keller nearly shouted rising from his chair. “It wasn’t like that. I only wanted to talk to him. I only wanted . . . .”

He looked at Lilly and Nick suddenly realizing what he had said. He dropped back into his chair and his head dropped.

“You only wanted to talk to him,” said Lilly. “Which means you were there. And that’s when you overheard the argument between Booker and Young.”

“Might as well ‘fess up,” said Nick. “It’s all going to come out now.”

“Tell us what happened,” said Lilly. “We can talk to the DA. Maybe take the death penalty off the table.”

Keller just looked at the two detectives. It was over and he knew it. There was nothing more to gain by hiding what had happened. He took a deep breath before starting his explanation.

* * *

April 21, 1974, 8:22 p.m.

Peter Keller came out of the bar with a young man he had met inside. The bar wasn’t real well known. And it was in the seedier part of town. That’s where most of those places were. Gay bars were hardly uncommon but neither were they well publicized. And it wouldn’t do to have the entire world know that the star quarterback of the local high school football team was gay. The students, staff, and even the alumni simply wouldn’t understand.

It wasn’t the first time Keller had been to this particular bar. He was far from a regular customer but he did frequent it from time to time. It was on the opposite of town from where he lived. And he was always sure to borrow one of the cars his dad’s shop was working on so that his wouldn’t be recognized. All in all he was very careful to make sure that his secret never got out.

Only on this night he had no way of knowing that one of his schoolmates was driving past the bar just as he and his new “friend” were coming out. As the two headed for his car he looked up to see Robert Young sitting at a red light just in front of the building.

He stared at Young for a moment not knowing what to do. Just as he was about to turn away Young looked over at them. From the look on his face it was clear that Young recognized the young quarterback. They had had some minor altercations at school. There was no way that Young wouldn’t know who he was. Or what he was doing at that bar at 8:30 at night. Most men only went to the bar for one reason.

Suddenly the light changed from red to green. Young continued to stare at Keller for a moment and then gunned his car and sped away. Before Keller could move, Young turned the next corner and was gone.

This would ruin everything. The big game was the next day. Rumor had it that scouts from several professional football teams would be at the game looking Keller over. He was sure that if his performance on the field was up to par that at least one – and probably more – would make him an offer. But that could all change if Young said anything. If he mentioned to anyone about seeing Keller coming out of a gay bar his career in professional football would be over before it had begun.

And that was only the beginning. His reputation at school would be ruined. How many times had he made fun of a “queer” or a “fag” or a “homo”? More times than he could count. It was expected. He was the quarterback. And despite his personal preference, he had to keep up the appearance that he was as “normal” as any other guy in school.

He wasn’t sure what to do. Maybe if he talked to Young before school the next day the he could keep him from saying anything. He knew Young cleaned up around his uncle’s work sites. Maybe if he went and talked to him he could still save his career.

April 21, 1974, 11:34 p.m.

Keller crouched behind a pile of lumber at the construction site. He had finally located the site where Young was cleaning up. But Young had no sooner arrived than William Booker had shown up. He couldn’t very well let Booker see him there. There would be too many questions he didn’t want asked. And Young might say something which would make it impossible for Keller to talk him out of saying anything. Instead, he crouched behind the lumber waiting for Booker to leave.

“I hear you been hanging out with Lillian,” Booker said.

“It’s not what you think,” said Young. “She’s helping me with my math, that’s all.”

“You expect me to believe that?” said Booker. “You’ve never been interested in school before. And I don’t believe you’ve suddenly had a change of heart. You just stay away from Lillian, you hear me?”

“Or what?” Young asked a smirk on his face. “She’s a big girl. She can decide who she wants to see.”

“I’m warning you,” said Booker, poking Young in the shoulder, “you stay away from her. You ain’t her type. You got no business messing around with her.”

“Don’t poke me,” Young said, his temper beginning to flare. “You don’t tell me who I can or can’t see. I’ll see her any time I want.”

“I said stay away from her,” said Booker, poking Young again. “I ain’t gonna tell you again.”

Young’s temper suddenly flared. He swung out intending to hit Booker squarely in the face. But Booker was expecting it. He ducked and Young missed him. Then Booker swung up hitting Young in the jaw. The blow sent Young staggering back and he spun around. Just as he did he came into contact with the wooden frame of the house that was being built on the site.

Young struck the frame with such force that he actually bounced off the wooden structure. He staggered back a couple of feet and then fell to the ground, lying on his back partially in a puddle of muddy water from the rain that weekend. Booker looked at Young and then a look of fear crossed his face. He looked around but saw no one about. Keller instinctively ducked behind the pile of wood he was hiding behind to keep from being seen by Booker.

Suddenly Booker turned and ran for his car. Within moments he had fired the car up and was speeding away from the scene. Keller stood up and moved over to where Young lay unconscious. He was breathing but just barely. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened. Booker must have thought he had killed Young.

Keller looked around. No one was out. Only a couple of the nearby houses had lights on in them. Apparently no one had seen or heard the altercation between the two young men. It was an opportunity Keller couldn’t pass up. There was no way to guarantee that he could talk Young into not saying anything about what he had seen. But if Young were dead, he couldn’t tell anyone.

Quickly Keller grabbed Young and turned him over, dropping his face in the pool of muddy water. Then he took hold of Young’s neck, forcing his dead down into the water. Even unconscious Young began to struggle. Keller had learned in his biology class that this was an instinctive reflex by the body to protect itself.

Keller climbed on Young’s back firmly placing both knees in the middle of his back. He used his entire weight to hold Young’s body down. As he did the unconscious Young struggled even harder. Keller brought all of his strength to bear, holding Young’s head down in the puddle. After a few moments Young ceased struggling and lay silent.

Keller climbed off Young and stood up, looking down at his classmate. It sickened him what he had just done. But he had no choice. Young would surely have told everyone about him. He couldn’t afford that. There was too much riding on the big game tomorrow. Quietly Keller turned and headed for the car he had borrowed from his dad shop. The Porsche was partially hidden in the shadows away from prying eyes.

As he drove away from the murder scene the thought of what he had done began to gnaw at him. He knew what he had to do now. He had to be absolved of what he had done. Father Redding had told the kids at school he was available for them any time of the day or night. Silently Keller turned and headed down the street for St. Peter’s Church knowing that he could receive absolution from the priest for his sins.

[NoAzMale]

TEN

“I had to do it,” Keller was saying to Lilly as she and Nick led him out of the interrogation room in handcuffs. “Surely you understand that, don’t you? I had my whole life ahead of me. I couldn’t let him ruin it all. I had no choice, you see that, don’t you?”

“There’s always a choice,” said Lilly. “And as it turned out you didn’t have to worry about it anyway. You ruined your knee ending your football career. Robert Young died for nothing.”

“I couldn’t have known that,” protested Keller. “I couldn’t have known that. There was nothing else I could do. I had to protect myself. And nobody was going to miss him. He was worthless. Nobody would have cared if he had died. I had to protect myself.”

“He was a human being,” said Lilly. “You didn’t have the right to kill him no matter what he had done. And just for your information, I doubt he would have said anything. He was trying to change. Father Redding was helping him. If you had helped him instead of killing him I think you would have found he might just have been a bit more understanding than you gave him credit for.”

“I . . . I didn’t know that,” said Keller.

“You didn’t bother to find out either,” said Nick. He turned to Lilly. “I’ll take him down to booking.”

“Well, I guess we now know what Father Redding wasn’t telling us,” said Will as the four other detectives came out of the observation room. “Keller confessed to him about the murder and he was bound by the confessional not to say anything.”

“I guess that’s changed now,” said Scotty. “With Keller’s confession Father Redding isn’t bound by it anymore.”

“You do good work detective,” Garwood said to Lilly, smiling at her. “If my partner had looked like you I might not have retired when I did.”

“Thanks,” said Lilly. “It’s hard to believe Keller would kill someone just to hide the fact that he was gay.”

“It was a different time back then,” said Stillman. “Things have changed a lot since then.”

“I think I’ll drive out and let Booker know how things turned out,” said Lilly. “He has a right to know he didn’t kill Young. It’s probably something that’s been bothering him since it happened. I can at least let him know he didn’t do it.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Scotty. “I want to make sure there are no hard feelings about the way I treated him.”

“I’m sure there isn’t,” said Garwood. “He was a viable suspect. And from what John has told me, he would have been my prime suspect if this had been a criminal case instead of an accident. At least now you can put this to rest permanently.”

“Come on, Scotty,” said Lilly. “Let’s go tell Mr. Booker that his conscience is clear.”

* * *

An older woman answered the door at the address that Booker had given Lilly. The house he said he had inherited from his mother. She was a handsome woman and she smiled at Lilly and Scotty as she opened the door.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“We were looking for William Booker,” said Lilly.

“Did you know my husband?” questioned the woman.

“Husband?” Lilly asked. “I’m sorry. We weren’t aware he was married.”

“Twenty-two years last May,” said the woman. “I’m Valerie Booker.”

“I’m Detective Rush and this is Detective Valens. We’re with the Philadelphia police department. Your husband was helping us with a case.”

“Please come in. I’ve only been here a couple of days. I hadn’t realized that Bill had come back to Philadelphia. The last few weeks he kept saying he needed to come back here to put things right, as he said. He would never tell me what it was about. I asked him but he would only say that it was a mistake that he made in his youth and that he had to correct it. What type of case was it?”

“A murder case,” said Scotty.

“Bill murdered someone?” Valerie asked, extremely concerned.

“Actually,” said Lilly, “he thought he had. But it turns out he didn’t. He got into a fight with another student at the same school he was attending at the time. But, no, he didn’t kill anyone.”

“So that’s what he was so concerned with,” said Valerie. “I know it bothered him most of his life. At least as long as I knew him. As I said, he would never really talk about it. He would often sit on the back porch staring into the night sky thinking. I never wanted to pry. I always figured he’d tell me when he felt the time was right.”

“Well, it’s a pretty heavy burden to bear,” said Lilly. “Especially when it was an accident. But as I said, it turns out he didn’t kill anyone. We just wanted to stop by and let him know how the case turned out.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” said Valerie. “He would have appreciated it. I always had the feeling he was trying to make up for something. I never imagined it was anything as dreadful as murder. He was the most caring person I ever knew. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with him.”

“Well,” said Scotty, “we sort of gave him a hard time at first. We also wanted apologize for that. When he came to us a couple of days ago with his story it really sounded like he had killed the guy.”

“I don’t understand,” said Valerie. “A couple of days ago?”

“Yes,” said Lilly. “He came in and confessed and told us what happened. We investigated and discovered who the real killer was.”

“Are you sure you have the right man?” Valerie asked. She walked over to the mantle over the fireplace and picked up a photograph. She handed it to Lilly. The photograph showed Valerie and William Booker. And they looked very happy together. “That was the last picture we took together. I take it everywhere with me now. It helps me feel closer to him.”

“Yes, this is the same William Booker that came into our office,” said Lilly, showing the picture to Scotty. “Excuse me, but you keep talking about him in the past tense.”

“Of course,” said Valerie. “I thought you knew. Bill passed away last month. Prostate cancer. It was very quick and he suffered very little. I was thankful for that, at least.”

“Last month?” Scotty questioned. “But he was in our office only a couple of days ago. That’s why we reopened the case. Because of what he told us.”

“I’m afraid he couldn’t have been in your office then,” said Valerie. “As I said, he passed away last month. I have the death certificate if you’d like to look at it.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” said Lilly. “I’m sure you’re right. We only finished the case today and thought we’d stop by and let Mr. Booker know what happened. And to let him know that he hadn’t killed anyone.”

“As I said,” said Valerie, “he would have appreciated it. And I’m glad to hear he didn’t do this awful thing. He was so giving and I guess I can understand now why he was that way. It’s just a shame he didn’t live to learn the truth. Maybe he can rest easier now.”

“Well, we’ve taken up enough of your time,” said Lilly. “Please accept our condolences on your loss.”

“Thank you,” said Valerie. “I appreciate it.”

“What was that about?” Scotty asked after he and Lilly returned to their car. “That picture was definitely of him. How could he have died last month?”

“I don’t know, Scotty,” said Lilly. “But I think this is one case we shouldn’t look into. I have a feeling we won’t find any answers to this one.”

As they drove away from the house Scotty tried to think of something that would make some sense. Lilly just remembered a line from an old Shakespeare story she had been required to read in high school There are stranger things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophies. Some mysteries, she decided, weren’t meant to be explained.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more “Cold Case” stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own “Cold Case” stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.