know.”
“Saved lives, I’ll bet.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. And, say somebody was going to move on somebody else? Gut ‘em with a shank, whatever, Daniel’d tell me.”
Dance shrugged. “So you cut him some slack. You let him into the office.”
“Yeah. The TV in the office had cable, and sometimes he wanted to watch games nobody else was interested in. That’s all that happened. There was no danger or anything. The office’s a maximum–security lockdown area. There’s no way he could’ve gotten out. I went on rounds and he watched games.”
“How often?”
“Three, four times.”
“So he could’ve been online?”
“Maybe.”
“When most recently?”
“Yesterday.”
“Okay, Tony. Now tell me about the telephones.” Dance recalled seeing a stress reaction when he’d told her Pell had made no calls other than to his aunt; Waters had touched his lips, a blocking gesture.
If a subject confesses to one crime, it’s often easier to get him to confess to another.
Waters said, “The other thing about Pell, everybody’ll tell you, he was into sex, way into sex. He wanted to make some phone–sex calls and I let him.”
But Dance immediately noticed deviation from the baseline and concluded that although he was confessing, it was to a small crime, which usually means that there’s a bigger one lurking.
“Did he now?” she asked bluntly, leaning close once again. “And how did he pay for it? Credit card? Nine–hundred number?”
A pause. Waters hadn’t thought out the lie; he’d forgotten you had to pay for phone sex. “I don’t mean like you’d call up one of those numbers in the backs of newspapers. I guess it sounded like that’s what I meant. Daniel called some woman he knew. I think it was somebody who’d written him. He got a lot of mail.” A weak smile. “Fans. Imagine that. A man like him.”
Dance leaned a bit closer. “But when you listened there wasn’t any sex, was there?”
“No, I —” He must’ve realized he hadn’t said anything about listening in. But by then it was too late. “No. They were just talking.”
“You heard both of them?”
“Yeah, I was on a third line.”
“When was it?”
“About a month ago, the first time. Then a couple more times. Yesterday. When he was in the office.”
“Are calls there logged?”
“No. Not local ones.”
“If it was long distance it would be.”
Eyes on the floor. Waters was miserable.
“What, Tony?”
“I got him a phone card. You call an eight hundred number and punch in a code, then the number you want.”
Dance knew them. Untraceable.
“Really, you have to believe me. I wouldn’t’ve done it, except the information he gave me … it was good. It saved —”
“What were they talking about?” she asked in a friendly voice. You’re never rough with a confessing subject; they’re your new best friend.
“Just stuff. You know. Money, I remember.”
“What about it?”
“Pell asked how much she’d put together and she said ninety–two hundred bucks. And he said, ‘That’s all?’ ”
Pretty expensive phone sex, Dance reflected wryly.
“Then she asked about visiting hours and he said it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
So he didn’t want her to visit. No record of them together.
“Any idea of where she was?”
“He mentioned Bakersfield. He said specifically, ‘To Bakersfield.’ ”
Telling her to go to his aunt’s place and pick up the hammer to plant in the well.
“And, okay, it’s coming back to me now. She was telling him about wrens and hummingbirds in the backyard. And then Mexican food. ‘Mexican is comfort food.’ That’s what she said.”
“Did her voice have an ethnic or regional accent?”
“Not that I could tell.”
“Was it low or high, her voice?”
“Low, I guess. Kind of sexy.”
“Did she sound smart or stupid?”
“Jeez, I couldn’t tell.” He sounded exhausted.
“Is there anything else
“Saved lives, I’ll bet.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. And, say somebody was going to move on somebody else? Gut ‘em with a shank, whatever, Daniel’d tell me.”
Dance shrugged. “So you cut him some slack. You let him into the office.”
“Yeah. The TV in the office had cable, and sometimes he wanted to watch games nobody else was interested in. That’s all that happened. There was no danger or anything. The office’s a maximum–security lockdown area. There’s no way he could’ve gotten out. I went on rounds and he watched games.”
“How often?”
“Three, four times.”
“So he could’ve been online?”
“Maybe.”
“When most recently?”
“Yesterday.”
“Okay, Tony. Now tell me about the telephones.” Dance recalled seeing a stress reaction when he’d told her Pell had made no calls other than to his aunt; Waters had touched his lips, a blocking gesture.
If a subject confesses to one crime, it’s often easier to get him to confess to another.
Waters said, “The other thing about Pell, everybody’ll tell you, he was into sex, way into sex. He wanted to make some phone–sex calls and I let him.”
But Dance immediately noticed deviation from the baseline and concluded that although he was confessing, it was to a small crime, which usually means that there’s a bigger one lurking.
“Did he now?” she asked bluntly, leaning close once again. “And how did he pay for it? Credit card? Nine–hundred number?”
A pause. Waters hadn’t thought out the lie; he’d forgotten you had to pay for phone sex. “I don’t mean like you’d call up one of those numbers in the backs of newspapers. I guess it sounded like that’s what I meant. Daniel called some woman he knew. I think it was somebody who’d written him. He got a lot of mail.” A weak smile. “Fans. Imagine that. A man like him.”
Dance leaned a bit closer. “But when you listened there wasn’t any sex, was there?”
“No, I —” He must’ve realized he hadn’t said anything about listening in. But by then it was too late. “No. They were just talking.”
“You heard both of them?”
“Yeah, I was on a third line.”
“When was it?”
“About a month ago, the first time. Then a couple more times. Yesterday. When he was in the office.”
“Are calls there logged?”
“No. Not local ones.”
“If it was long distance it would be.”
Eyes on the floor. Waters was miserable.
“What, Tony?”
“I got him a phone card. You call an eight hundred number and punch in a code, then the number you want.”
Dance knew them. Untraceable.
“Really, you have to believe me. I wouldn’t’ve done it, except the information he gave me … it was good. It saved —”
“What were they talking about?” she asked in a friendly voice. You’re never rough with a confessing subject; they’re your new best friend.
“Just stuff. You know. Money, I remember.”
“What about it?”
“Pell asked how much she’d put together and she said ninety–two hundred bucks. And he said, ‘That’s all?’ ”
Pretty expensive phone sex, Dance reflected wryly.
“Then she asked about visiting hours and he said it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
So he didn’t want her to visit. No record of them together.
“Any idea of where she was?”
“He mentioned Bakersfield. He said specifically, ‘To Bakersfield.’ ”
Telling her to go to his aunt’s place and pick up the hammer to plant in the well.
“And, okay, it’s coming back to me now. She was telling him about wrens and hummingbirds in the backyard. And then Mexican food. ‘Mexican is comfort food.’ That’s what she said.”
“Did her voice have an ethnic or regional accent?”
“Not that I could tell.”
“Was it low or high, her voice?”
“Low, I guess. Kind of sexy.”
“Did she sound smart or stupid?”
“Jeez, I couldn’t tell.” He sounded exhausted.
“Is there anything else
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