Executioner's Song, The - Norman Mailer [357]
Too late, he realized that Gary sometimes called her that in his letters. What a prize goof! He must have wanted to confess to Gary that he had read the letters. If Gilmore would only agree that reading those letters was no crime, it might encourage more intimacy in the questioning. No chance. While Schiller was still in Hawaii, Moody read him a note from Gary.
Dear Larry,
Freckles?
Her name is Nicole.
Dig?
You've read the letters-I don't like that.
I've got about a hundred letters right here in my cell that Nicole wrote to me.
You aint reading them.
DEC. 30, 3:43 P.M.
GARY GILMORE
UTAH STATE PRISON
PO BOX 250
DRAPER UT 84020
I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT AND IT WAS WELL MADE STOP I WAS NOT TRYING TO HIDE THE FACT STOP REGARDS
LARRY
When there was no answer, Schiller sent another telegram.
JAN 2, I:42 P.M.
GARY GILMORE
UTAH STATE PRISON BOX 250
DRAPER UT 84020
NICOLE'S PRIDE IN YOUR LETTERS ALLOWED HER TO SHARE THEM WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE INCLUDING MYSELF STOP SIDE BY SIDE BOTH SETS OF LETTERS COULD ONLY LEAVE A TRUER AND MORE COMPLETE RECORD OF YOUR LOVE THAN EITHER OF THEM ALONE STOP I WANT TO DEFEAT THE IDEA THAT YOU HAVE A POWER OVER HER STOP THAT IS THE EFFECT THAT IS BEING DRAWN WHEN ONE READS ONLY YOUR SIDE STOP HER LETTERS IN MY OPINION WOULD BE THE STRONGEST WAY OF GIVING THE TRUE PICTURE OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP STOP THIS IS NO WAY TO COMMUNICATE BUT IT'S THE BEST THAT WE GOT.
LARRY
"I will before it's over," thought Schiller.
The answer came back on tape via Moody and Stanger:
I don't question your motives. I know you need to know all you can.
But some of your methods . . .
Its a matter of how you approach me Larry—
You can offend me.
I would rather you didn't
May I suggest-that you be utterly straightforward with me.
Because I'm a literal man.
When I asked you not to read those letters you didn't argue with me or try to persuade me.
The next time you offend me it will be forever Larry.
But, for the nonce, this one time, I will let it ride.
Now you know.
Sincerely, Gary
GILMORE I got a mailgram from Larry and he asked if he could have the letters Nicole has written to me. Just tell him that I destroyed 'em, I won't elaborate. He uses a little abstract psychology and that doesn't work with me. He sort of suggested . . . it was kind of an innuendo, too, that you know, a lot of people think I've got some kind of hold over Nicole and maybe if we could see this correspondence, we could clear that all up. I don't like that kind of suggestion. There's no way he can see her letters, they're printed in my heart. That's where they're at, and they're gone, so, this'll save me from writing him a letter" "(laughs)
Next, it looked like the blip was going to hit the fan altogether. The National Enquirer came out with their piece, a disaster. It wasn't so much the letters Scott Meredith had sold to them, as that they analyzed a tape of Gary speaking, and put his psyche all over the page.
NATIONAL ENQUIRER
Murderer Gary Gilmore is Lying—
He Does NOT Want to Die!
By John Blosser That's the conclusion of Charles R. McQuiston, a former top U.S. intelligence officer, who used a PSE (Psychological Stress Evaluator) to analyze a 20-minute tape of a telephone conversation with Gilmore at the Utah State Prison . . . (The PSE is a device that is used by law enforcement agencies to determine when a person is lying, by charting stress patterns in the voice.)
"I am totally convinced that Gilmore does not wish to die. He is very emotionally involved with this process of meeting his Maker, and he is very scared," the intelligence officer said.
"He wants clemency for his crimes," McQueen told The Enquirer.
Here are some excerpts of Charles McQuiston's PSE analysis:
GILMORE "The law has sentenced me to die. I feel that is proper."
MCQUISTON'S