caught up on my sleep.
“Not two hours after this homicide occurred yesterday, I answered a call from a White Plains reporter asking to meet me today to speak about the death of Mel Harris. This reporter suggested to me in the strongest terms that her death was not self-inflicted and that she believed Mr. Jeffries to be the cause. I made some enquiries and learned that Mr. Jeffries had just been released from a local hospital, so I sent my deputies to his motel room to bring him in for questioning. I also discovered that Mr. Jeffries had been in a bar fight in New Paltz, leading to his injuries. I was able to talk to the bar manager, who explained that Mr. Jeffries had assaulted their bouncer and broke his nose, and that a young man approximately six feet tall with black hair and an athletic build intervened and disabled Mr. Jeffries, causing the injuries that sent him to the hospital. I was told this man left the scene before the police arrived…” Buddy pauses here and looks up, making eye contact with me. “It was obvious to me that this was you. Then no sooner do I start wondering what the hell is going on between you and this George Jeffries than my deputies call back in a panic saying they’ve found him murdered in his motel room.”
“What time did they find George?” I ask.
“Just after eight last night.”
“I was having dinner with my sister Ginny – you can ask her. There’s a credit card receipt in my wallet.” Buddy stops to ponder this for a moment.
“I’m sure you have an alibi, son,” he says slowly in that patient, matter-of-fact tone you use to explain things to someone who’s a little slow. “In fact, I’m absolutely convinced of that. But let me lay this out for you straight, okay? Forget about the assault at the bar. You’re in a world of trouble here.
“Do you know how the justice system works in Ulster County? It’s not very sophisticated. There are rural magistrates. In some towns, they’re not even full time and they actually move from place to place. They aren’t like big city judges in New York or Washington. The magistrate that hears arraignments in Kingston doesn’t even have a law degree – he’s a second cousin of the State Assemblyman from that district. So if the police in Kingston tie you to this murder, they’re going to arraign you. And I can almost guarantee that he’ll hold you over for trial.
“Now you may be able to get a fancy lawyer to prove that you didn’t kill George. But then again you might not. George was threatening your ex-girlfriend – I have the restraining order right here. You’re a decorated war veteran. You put George in the hospital on Saturday night and then this reporter tells you that he killed your ex. I don’t think anyone around here would hesitate to believe your sister would lie about an alibi to protect you. Either way, even if you win, you’re going to lose your security clearance and your job in the process. Your career will be over. That’s a sad fact, but that’s just the way things go.” Buddy lets this sink in for a moment. I realize he’s not bluffing – it’s a conceivable scenario.
“Son, I’m your friend. I don’t want to see this happen. But I’m in a tight situation here. This reporter friend of yours is threatening to write a story about Mel’s death. That would be very embarrassing to me and my department. More importantly, it would force me to reopen the investigation, and you would certainly get caught up in that.
“I bear some of the responsibility. I was pretty distraught over Mel’s death just like everyone else here. We didn’t investigate the way we probably should have. And for what it’s worth, Ms. Ryan’s story about Mr. Jeffries is plausible. I was over at the house this morning and it does appear that it was broken into. And now that I know about the restraining order, I can put two and two together. I should have figured this out last week, but I didn’t. But Mel’s been
“Not two hours after this homicide occurred yesterday, I answered a call from a White Plains reporter asking to meet me today to speak about the death of Mel Harris. This reporter suggested to me in the strongest terms that her death was not self-inflicted and that she believed Mr. Jeffries to be the cause. I made some enquiries and learned that Mr. Jeffries had just been released from a local hospital, so I sent my deputies to his motel room to bring him in for questioning. I also discovered that Mr. Jeffries had been in a bar fight in New Paltz, leading to his injuries. I was able to talk to the bar manager, who explained that Mr. Jeffries had assaulted their bouncer and broke his nose, and that a young man approximately six feet tall with black hair and an athletic build intervened and disabled Mr. Jeffries, causing the injuries that sent him to the hospital. I was told this man left the scene before the police arrived…” Buddy pauses here and looks up, making eye contact with me. “It was obvious to me that this was you. Then no sooner do I start wondering what the hell is going on between you and this George Jeffries than my deputies call back in a panic saying they’ve found him murdered in his motel room.”
“What time did they find George?” I ask.
“Just after eight last night.”
“I was having dinner with my sister Ginny – you can ask her. There’s a credit card receipt in my wallet.” Buddy stops to ponder this for a moment.
“I’m sure you have an alibi, son,” he says slowly in that patient, matter-of-fact tone you use to explain things to someone who’s a little slow. “In fact, I’m absolutely convinced of that. But let me lay this out for you straight, okay? Forget about the assault at the bar. You’re in a world of trouble here.
“Do you know how the justice system works in Ulster County? It’s not very sophisticated. There are rural magistrates. In some towns, they’re not even full time and they actually move from place to place. They aren’t like big city judges in New York or Washington. The magistrate that hears arraignments in Kingston doesn’t even have a law degree – he’s a second cousin of the State Assemblyman from that district. So if the police in Kingston tie you to this murder, they’re going to arraign you. And I can almost guarantee that he’ll hold you over for trial.
“Now you may be able to get a fancy lawyer to prove that you didn’t kill George. But then again you might not. George was threatening your ex-girlfriend – I have the restraining order right here. You’re a decorated war veteran. You put George in the hospital on Saturday night and then this reporter tells you that he killed your ex. I don’t think anyone around here would hesitate to believe your sister would lie about an alibi to protect you. Either way, even if you win, you’re going to lose your security clearance and your job in the process. Your career will be over. That’s a sad fact, but that’s just the way things go.” Buddy lets this sink in for a moment. I realize he’s not bluffing – it’s a conceivable scenario.
“Son, I’m your friend. I don’t want to see this happen. But I’m in a tight situation here. This reporter friend of yours is threatening to write a story about Mel’s death. That would be very embarrassing to me and my department. More importantly, it would force me to reopen the investigation, and you would certainly get caught up in that.
“I bear some of the responsibility. I was pretty distraught over Mel’s death just like everyone else here. We didn’t investigate the way we probably should have. And for what it’s worth, Ms. Ryan’s story about Mr. Jeffries is plausible. I was over at the house this morning and it does appear that it was broken into. And now that I know about the restraining order, I can put two and two together. I should have figured this out last week, but I didn’t. But Mel’s been
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