Flawless by Heather Graham Page A

first-degree murder, though I don’t get the first-degree part at all, something to do with the laws about armed robbery. Not that it matters. I swear, we didn’t kill anyone. And I was always in the car.”
    â€œI’m pretty sure that, in the car or out of it, you can all be charged, since the murders occurred during the armed robbery and you were part of the robbery,” Kieran said.
    â€œExcept we weren’t armed. And we didn’t kill anyone. Someone is imitating us.”
    Kieran didn’t agree or disagree with his words; whether he and the others could prove themselves innocent of the murders, she didn’t know. “At the moment, not many people believe that theory. You appeared to be armed, after all. Anyway, I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not here to argue the law. I’m here to talk to you, and if you didn’t kill anyone, then I’m also here to help you. I’m one of the few people open to the idea that you didn’t,” she added softly. “I suspect that there really is a copycat group out there,” she said. “Unless you were copying them ?”
    He shook his head emphatically. “No, we were first, hitting stores with our toy guns and stealing, but leaving everyone alive. Our biggest fear was being shot by a guard or caught by the police, but no matter what, as you saw, we couldn’t shoot back.” He leaned forward. “I’m telling you, someone out there was hoping we’d be caught, that they’d get away with what they were doing because we’d been taken in.” He let out a deep sigh. “I’ve already written pages explaining every detail of the robberies we did plan and carry out. That child they gave me for a lawyer has them all. Someone has to prove we didn’t kill anyone.” His shoulders sank, and he glanced over to where Craig Frasier stood, legs slightly spread, arms folded across his chest, silent and unreadable. “I don’t suppose the agent over there thinks I might be telling the truth.”
    â€œThat agent is your best hope of the truth being accepted,” she told him.
    He brightened. “You said ‘accepted.’ So that means you really do believe me?”
    â€œYes, I tend toward believing you,” she said.
    â€œThey won’t hit up another store now,” he said. “They won’t—not for a long time. Not until we’re tried and convicted for their crimes.”
    â€œI’m sure the authorities have ways to find them whether or not they strike again,” Kieran said. She looked over at Craig Frasier.
    He glanced at his watch. “We need to let Mr. O’Malley go now,” he told her. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask him?”
    Mark O’Malley stared at her, clearly ready to give her any information she asked for.
    â€œI think we’re good,” she said.
    Craig nodded toward the guard at the door. As he walked over to uncuff O’Malley and lead him away, she walked toward Craig and asked, “Are we done?”
    A smiled cracked the stone of his features. “Not by a long shot. We’ve just begun. There are three more men.”
    And so the afternoon went on. She interviewed the other three men; each time the story she heard was the same, except for the details of each man’s participation in the robbery.
    Each man swore passionately that they’d never killed. They had carried toy guns and no other weapons at any time. It was one thing to steal, another to kill. They had a certain code of honor, she realized as she spoke with them. All three men were deeply rooted in one form or another of religion, and all three had had a religious upbringing. In their minds, God forgave a man for taking from another who had too much, but he didn’t forgive the taking of a life.
    Through every session, Craig Frasier stood a few feet behind her, tall and stoic, expression unwavering, arms folded