Murder at the Opera - Margaret Truman [125]
“She had a gun?” Willie asked.
“Melincamp did. He showed it to me whenever he threatened me about talking to people
“When did Charise confide in you about the plot, Chris?” Sylvia asked.
“Just before she was killed. I told her we should go to the police or Secret Service or somebody, but she said she wanted to talk to Melincamp first. She was supposed to meet him at the Kennedy Center the night he killed her
“And Melincamp admitted to you that he’d murdered her?” Berry asked.
Warren nodded. “That’s when he said the same thing would happen to me if I talked about it. He tried to get me to take her place and kill the president, but I told him no way. If Melincamp didn’t pull it off, they wouldn’t pay him the money he was promised
Berry halted the session to see whether Warren wanted anything to eat or drink.
“No. I just want to get this over with
“Fair enough,” Berry said. “Now, what about last night? You went to see Melincamp’s partner, Ms. Baltsa
Another nod from Warren. He kept his head lowered, his eyes focused on the table as he spoke. “I went to the hotel to tell her I wanted out of the program at Takoma Park, and was going back home
“Did she know about this scheme of Melincamp’s to kill an American official?”
“No
“Did she know he’d killed Ms. Lee?”
“She suspected, but didn’t know for sure until I told her last night. She said Philip was coming to see her later, after I left. I didn’t kill her. I swear I didn’t
The detectives said nothing in response; they knew that he was telling the truth.
• • •
“You still have him in custody?” the FBI agent asked Cole Morris.
“Yes. He’s in protective custody
“We’ll want to talk to him
“Of course
“Did he give you the names of this Arab boyfriend back in Toronto, and his terrorist friends?”
“Yes.” Morris provided another piece of paper with that information.
“We’ll take it from here,” Browning said from his spot at the end of the long table. “This goes far beyond just the murder of some opera singer. There’s national security at stake
“Until we’re told otherwise,” the FBI agent said, “it’s our jurisdiction
“I’ll get a reading from Justice,” Browning said. “This young man aided and abetted a terrorist plot to kill the president of the United States. He can be held as an enemy combatant until all the links have been explored, all the dots connected
Berry looked at Morris and raised his eyebrows.
“We’re happy to help in any way we can,” Morris said, “but until I get a reading from Justice that says otherwise, Mr. Warren will stay with us. He’s a material witness to two murders that occurred in our jurisdiction
“Maybe this will help you with the murder of the opera singer at the Kennedy Center,” Browning said, sliding badly wrinkled and folded sheets of yellow legal-size lined paper to Morris.
“What’s this?” Morris asked.
“Read it,” Browning said. “It was found on Melincamp in New York
Morris carefully unfolded the pages and ran his hand over them on the table to straighten the creases. Most of the handwriting was crude and in blue pen, difficult to read. A few lines at the top of the first page had been written in pencil, obviously added after the main section.
To whom it may concern:
In the event of my death, I want you to understand why I did what I did.
The writing in blue pen followed.
She died quickly and with a modicum of suffering.
This came as no surprise. Unlike so-called crimes of passion which are invariably messy, drawn out, and painful, I’d been planning her death for more than a week.
She had to be eliminated because she’d learned something that I preferred she not know, which raised the possibility that she would pass that newfound knowledge along to others. I couldn’t allow that.
Had knowing the victim made it easier or more difficult for me? Of course, having known her cast me as a suspect, along with dozens of others. Murderers who are strangers to their victims invariably stand a better chance of getting away with it. There was a brief temptation to enlist the aid of another person, someone outside our circle of