Bringing Adam Home - Les Standiford [94]
Matthews had arranged for Toole’s prison counselor to identify him in his role as a clinical research associate from Nova Southeastern University and a police detective from Miami Beach, not Hollywood, all of which was true. Toole was told that he was simply one of many convicted murderers to be interviewed by Matthews, who was conducting a study of the phenomenon of serial killing. After some consideration, Toole agreed to talk, and the interview was set to be conducted in the prison library without the use of handcuffs or restraints, so that it might seem more like a bit of academic inquiry than an interrogation.
Though it had taken some time, Matthews was champing at the bit. After years of frustration, he would finally have the chance to fix the lens of reason upon the only viable suspect in the murder of Adam Walsh.
On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18, two days before the interview was scheduled, Matthews called Detective Smith to make sure all was in order for the trip to Starke. There was an awkward pause when Smith realized who was on the other end of the line.
“Hasn’t anyone called you?” he asked Matthews.
“About what?” Matthews asked, wary.
“Well . . . ,” Smith fumbled, “actually Chief Witt wants me to take this juvenile division detective Navarro along to conduct the interview instead of you.”
To Matthews, it seemed as if he were reliving a familiar nightmare. “You can’t be serious,” he told Smith.
“Look, Joe,” said Smith. “I’m sorry. This was not my call. I hope you know that.”
Matthews knew nothing, really, except that it had to be some giant mistake. Chief Witt had gone to Matthews’s own superiors to negotiate an interagency agreement. Hollywood PD had come to him, not the other way around.
Since it was Sunday, however, there was no way to contact Witt, and Matthews could only stew until Monday morning, when he called the chief, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding. When the two finally spoke, Witt quickly explained that there was nothing to explain. He thanked Sergeant Matthews for all his help and was grateful to Miami Beach PD for making him available, but, said Witt, for reasons having to do with any possible future court proceedings, he wanted Toole’s confession obtained by his own personnel.
Matthews could not believe what he was hearing. So now Hollywood PD believed that Toole was guilty, but they wanted to make sure they got all the credit for making the case? He reminded Chief Witt that he had asked for Matthews’s assistance, and that Matthews had been working alongside Detective Smith for more than a year, preparing for the opportunity to interview Toole at last.
How about this? Matthews suggested. I’ll conduct the interview, and even if we get a confession out of Toole, you won’t have to include me in the report. Just use the names of your guys, Smith and Navarro. Whoever you want.
Witt allowed that Matthews was being very generous, but he had made his decision. His own men would conduct the interview with Toole, and that was the long and short of it.
By this time Matthews was ready to lose it. “Just tell me the truth, Dick. What the fuck is really going on over there?” he blurted.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. And then Witt hung up.
Matthews sat back in his chair, literally sick at what had transpired. He’d been jerked around before, plenty of times, but never like this. A long time ago he’d become resigned to the fact that Jack Hoffman wanted no part of his involvement in the investigation, but he could chalk that up to one individual’s insecurities, no matter how frustrating and tragic the consequences. But now the chief of the department was chasing Matthews off the case. And for what earthly reason?
Was it because they really thought Toole was guilty and wanted all the credit for themselves? Or was there a darker explanation? he wondered. Could it possibly be that the last thing Hollywood PD wanted was to find that Ottis Toole had been guilty all along?
Hey, the kid’s