Grievous Sin (34 page)

Beltran tapped his foot, then nodded. “I think he’ll go for it.”

“Where’s the camera?”
Leek McKay looked around the interview room. “I don’t see any camera.”

“Behind the one-way mirror,” Marge explained.

“Why am I being videotaped?”

Decker said, “The proceedings are being videotaped, Mr. McKay, not just you. It’s for everyone’s protection.”

“I look lousy.”

And he did. There was something especially pathetic about a big man withering in defeat. He reminded Decker of a bull-mastiff he once saw in the vet’s office, the muscled animal lying submissively on the floor, quaking at the anticipation of a shot. Leek had on a white shirt, tan jacket, and a pair of faded Levi’s. His face was pale, his hair, though washed, was messy, and his hands were clenched knuckle white.

“I need a shave myself,” Decker said. “Don’t worry about it.”

McKay said, “Tell the guy behind the camera to try to pick up the left part of my face. It’s my good side.”

Decker didn’t answer, not knowing if Leek was serious. He continued reciting preliminary interview information into the tape recorder, ending by stating the name of each person in the room and his official title. Six people in a space inadequately ventilated for two. Everyone had circles under their
armpits. He turned to Leek. “Do you want anything to eat or drink before we start?”

“Glass of water would be nice.”

Marge topped a paper cup with water and set it in front of the bodybuilder. McKay drank it without pausing for air, then gave Marge a weak smile along with a hound-dog look. She knew he was trying to find an ally in her. Maybe he thought a woman would be more sympathetic. Little did he know what a hard-ass she could be.

Decker said, “Mr. McKay, we have a phone record of yours from PacBell.” He stated the time and date of the call. “Do you remember receiving that call?”

“Yes.”

“It lasted for five minutes and fourteen seconds.”

“Sounds right.”

“Who called you, Leek?”

“Tandy Roberts.”

“And that’s the same person as Sondra Roberts?”

“Yes. Tandy’s her nickname.” McKay focused on his hands. “She used to lisp as a kid. Sandy came out Tandy.” He played with his water cup. “At least that’s what she told me.”

Decker said, “The caller identified herself as Tandy Roberts?”

“Just Tandy. She didn’t even have to say that. I knew her voice.”

“What did Miss Roberts say to you during the course of your conversation with her?”

“I don’t remember word-for-word. She woke me out of a sound sleep.”

“Tell us as best as you remember,” Marge said.

“She said something like ‘Leek, it’s Tandy. You gotta come down here right away.’ I asked her where ‘here’ was. And she said Sun Valley Pres. I asked her what she wanted, but she wouldn’t answer. She sounded agitated over the phone. Breathing hard, gasping. Then Marie came on the line—”

“Can you identify Marie for the record?” Decker interrupted.

“Marie Bellson. She said they couldn’t talk over the phone. That I should meet them at the hospital…in front of room four-something. I think it was four-sixteen. It was a room across the hall from a broom closet—a hospital utility closet.”

“We’ll refer to said room as room four-sixteen then,” Decker said. “Did Tandy or Marie say anything else to you over the phone?”

McKay whispered something in his lawyer’s ear. Beltran whispered something back. Out loud, McKay said, “Tandy told me she was in trouble, that she needed help. By trouble I thought maybe she had lost her purse or keys and couldn’t get home.”

Beltran nodded.

Pomerantz said, “You thought Tandy, who was gasping, had woken you up and had called you down to Sun Valley Pres at midnight because she had lost her keys?”

Beltran said, “May I remind Counsel that Mr. McKay is not on trial here. There’s no reason to impugn the veracity of his statements. We are trying to cooperate with a fact-finding interview.”

Decker said, “Did Tandy explain the nature of the trouble she was in?”

“No, sir, she did not.”

“Did Marie offer any explanation?”

“No.”

“And you went down to help Tandy?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Without question, you went to help her.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And did you find her at Sun Valley Pres in front of room number four-sixteen?”

“Yes—well, no actually.” McKay paused a moment. “I went to room four-sixteen and no one was there. Then, a
moment later, Marie came out of the broom closet opposite room four-sixteen.”

“Can you identify Marie once again for the record?” Marge asked.

“Marie Bellson.”

“Marie Bellson came out of the broom closet opposite four-sixteen?” Decker asked.

“Yeah, she was hiding there. She pulled me inside.”

“Did she shut the door?” Marge asked.

“Yeah, of course she shut the door. She had a dead body inside.”

Beltran said, “Lawrence—”

“Mr. Beltran, call a spade a spade. There was a dead body in the closet. Scared the shit out of me. Marie was in the process of putting it in a body bag when I got there. I almost bolted on the spot.”

“Why didn’t you?” Marge asked.

“Because Tandy…” McKay rubbed his hands over his face. “She had dope on me. She was blackmailing me—”

Beltran said, “Lawrence—”

“The sergeant knows all this, Mr. Beltran. Can you let me get my story out?”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“Mr. Beltran, you said I’d get a year’s probation tops. That nothing I’d say would make it worse on me. Is that true?”

“It’s true, Mr. McKay,” Pomerantz said. “As long as we’re satisfied that your sole involvement in these activities was that of an accessory only.”

“What does that mean?” McKay asked.

Decker said, “We need to be assured that you didn’t know anything about the murder and kidnapping until after the fact, after the felonies took place.”

McKay was breathing hard. “I swear on my mother’s grave that I didn’t know a thing until Marie pulled me inside the broom closet.”

“Where was Tandy?” Marge asked.

“I don’t know. I never saw Tandy. She was gone when I got there.”

Pomerantz, Decker, and Marge exchanged looks.

“You never saw Tandy?” Decker asked.

“Nope.”

“And even though Tandy wasn’t there when you arrived, even though you saw a dead body in the closet, you didn’t run?” Decker said.

“I know that sounds crazy but…” McKay took a sip of water and looked at Decker. “Tandy had dope on me. You found out anyway. I should have saved myself some energy.”

Decker was quiet.

McKay continued, “Tandy knew I was…investing…pocket money from the folks at the home.”

“Embezzling, not investing,” Pomerantz stated.

“Misappropriating funds,” Beltran retorted.

“For godsakes, it was just
pocket
change. I know private nurses who
steal
behind their clients’ backs. At least my patients
gave
me the money.”

“Makes you a prince among men, Leek,” Marge said.

Beltran said, “Lawrence, just go on with your story.”

“Couple of the residents have big mouths,” McKay went on. “That’s not a problem, though. The elderly often confuse reality and fantasy. No one pays them any mind. But Tandy wouldn’t let go. She started prying into my affairs to prove what I was doing. Tandy may be nuts, but she’s not stupid. When she makes up her mind, she’s relentless. Just like she is now with buffing. She wanted me, she was going to have me. Once she knew about my pocket change, I started doing favors for her.”

Decker said, “Leek, describe the dead body to me.”

McKay spoke softly. “It was a black woman. She wore a nurse’s uniform. Her face had been bashed in.” He buried his head in his hands.

“Did you know for certain she was dead, Leek?”

Beltran held up his hand and whispered something in Leek’s ear. A moment later, McKay answered yes to the question.

“Did you take her pulse?” Decker said. “Did you check to see if she was breathing?”

“I just knew she was dead, Sergeant. Why else would Marie be putting her in a body bag?”

Decker said, “But you’re a nurse, Leek. Wouldn’t doing something like that be second nature?”

“Don’t answer that,” Beltran said.

“I’ve been a nurse in a geriatric home for five years, Sergeant,” McKay continued. “I’ve been around enough bodies to know when someone is dead. They have a look…the eyes…the pupils…dilated. That vacant stare. I…” McKay held his hand to his mouth. “She was a mess. Her face had been smashed…front part of her skull, too. Her brains…you could see her brains. She’d been hit very hard.”

“Hit?” Marge asked.

“Hit as in smashed up with a hammer.” He shuddered. “I’ve seen more dead people than I’d care to remember. But I’ve never seen someone messed up like that.”

“Was the closet a mess, too?” asked Marge.

“No…not…I don’t remember. Maybe they cleaned it up before I got there.”

Decker said, “Any idea who messed the body up?”

“Marie said…” McKay swallowed hard. “Marie Bellson said that she did everything. So I guess Marie was the one who did the bashing.”

“Did she say she did the bashing?” Decker said.

“Not the bashing specifically. Just that she did everything.”

“Who do you think did it?” Marge said.

Beltran said, “What he thinks is irrelevant.”

“I’ll repeat what you said, Counselor. This isn’t a trial, just an interview.”

“I said a fact-finding interview.”

McKay blurted out, “I don’t know if Marie would have the strength. But Tandy does. She’s a
strong
woman.”

Decker knew Leek meant Tandy was
strong
in more than one way. “How’d you get the body out to the car?”

“Marie and I loaded the body on a gurney and brought it to her car. No one really saw us. At that time of night, hospitals are empty, and no one pays much attention to anybody in an official uniform.”

Decker knew that to be true enough. “Where’d you load the body? Front seat? Backseat?”

“Actually, we tried the trunk at first. But…we couldn’t…the limbs weren’t pliable. So we put the body on the floor of the backseat.”

Consistent with the evidence found. Decker had located Marie’s I.D. ring in the backseat. She’d probably lost it while she was placing the body in her car. “When did all this take place?”

“I don’t know….” McKay closed his eyes and opened them. “Maybe one, two in the morning.”

Decker said, “Leek, how’d you know a hammer did the damage to the body?”

“Marie gave me the hammer. She said get rid of it.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah. I dumped it.”

“Where?”

“In the canyon somewhere.”

“Which canyon?” Marge asked.

“Somewhere in Angeles Crest.” He cleared his throat. “Near where I…I pushed and burned…the car.”

“Why’d you pick the spot you did?” Decker asked.

“It…” McKay let out a bitter laugh. “It was a private spot where Tandy and I used to go camping. We used to do that once in a while. She loved to camp.” He paused. “I didn’t mind. It was a lot less public than her spending the weekend in my place. I
hated
to be seen with her.”

Decker kept his expression flat. “What was Sondra Roberts doing while you and Marie Bellson were loading the body inside Marie’s car?”

McKay finished his water. “I told you Tandy had taken off. I never saw a baby. I never saw her. I didn’t know anything about the kidnapping until I heard it on the news the next morning. That day, I spoke to Tandy at the gym—to ask about what the hell was going on. I didn’t want to be involved in a kidnapping.”

Decker nodded encouragingly.

“Tandy told me she didn’t know anything about a baby. Why the hell was I bothering her?” McKay shook his head. “She acted like she never even phoned me. Like she wasn’t even
there
that night. I don’t know who took the baby. All I know is that night, Marie was driving my car, following me up the mountain to get rid of the body.”

“You drove Marie’s car?” Marge asked.

“Yes. Marie drove mine. She wanted it that way. She knew I wouldn’t crap out on her if I was driving the car with a body in it. She was right. She followed me to the dumping spot. I swear I don’t know what Tandy was doing. News said the baby was found with her parents. So logic would say that Tandy took the baby to her parents. But I don’t know that.”

Decker paused, thinking about what he actually
had
on Tandy. So far, he could probably get a charge of accessory and make it stick. But with Marie missing, he had no surefooted evidence to back up murder and kidnapping. Nothing to prove that
Marie
didn’t do it. And maybe she
did.
He said, “You and Marie drove up the mountains in separate cars?”

McKay nodded.

“Did you stop at all?”

“Stop with a body in the car?”

“Stop for gas?” Decker asked.

“Oh, I get it.” McKay clutched his hands tightly. “We did stop once. So I could steal a hose…from someone’s front lawn.”

“A hose?” Marge asked.

“You used it as a siphon,” Decker said. “Less suspicious than buying containers of gas in the wee hours of the morning and more convenient. Then you doused Marie’s car with gas from its own tank. Very good, Leek.”

“I thought a long time to come up with that,” McKay said. “I’m glad you’re impressed.”

The guy was serious. Decker gave him a weak smile.

McKay said, “I swear that nurse was
dead.
”

“Where was Tandy?” Decker asked.

“I don’t
know
! Why do you keep asking me that? She was gone when I got to the hospital.”

“Where was the baby?” Marge said.

“I don’t know anything about a baby!”

Marge said, “Tell me about you and Marie in the mountains. What’d you do?”

McKay looked at his hands. “We drove up to the mountains, I doused Marie’s car with gasoline, then Marie and I pushed it off the cliff. It made a huge bang. Marie and I split as fast as we could.”

“You left in your car?” Marge stated.

McKay nodded.

Marge said, “Can you answer the question yes or no for the tape recorder. Did you leave in your car?”