Perfect Murder, Perfect Town - Lawrence Schiller [42]
Michaud also knew that expertise came with volume. When Koby left the meeting early, Michaud followed him out the door.
“If there’s anything we have that you need,” he told Koby, “feel free to ask. We’ll give you anything we’ve got.”
“Thanks,” Koby replied, and continued down the hall.
On Friday, January 3, Bill Wise learned about the list of questions Detective Arndt had faxed to Bryan Morgan before the Ramseys left for Atlanta. Arndt’s questions had put both the police and the DA’s office in an embarrassing position. If the press ever got hold of the list, it would look as if the police were counting on the Ramseys’ attorneys to help them interrogate the prime suspects. Also, Arndt may have asked one question too many: “What had JonBenét eaten before she went to bed?” That was enough to tip off the Ramseys’ lawyers that the autopsy findings may have contradicted information the couple gave Detective Arndt on December 26.
Pete Hofstrom and the police considered the Ramseys prime suspects. There was no evidence of an outsider in the house when JonBenét was murdered. No one in the neighborhood had seen or heard anything suspicious—other than the reported scream that had come from the direction of the Ramseys’ home. More important, the police had told Hofstrom that the autopsy showed semen on the corpse. To the police this suggested John Ramsey’s involvement. The ransom note had been written on the Ramseys’ own pad of paper, and since there was no evidence of an intruder, who besides one of the Ramseys could have written it? Even so, Hofstrom knew it was still too early to focus only on the Ramseys.
It bothered Hofstrom that Eller had pushed the FBI out of the case and that Koby had rebuffed Sheriff Epp. Hofstrom knew the Boulder police needed all the help they could get. He didn’t yet know that Koby had also rejected an offer of help from the Denver police.
In Hawaii, DA Alex Hunter was briefed on the autopsy, though John Meyer wouldn’t be submitting a written report for weeks. Hunter was told that his staff members DeMuth and Pickering had very different impressions of the autopsy findings than Detectives Linda Arndt and Tom Trujillo, who had observed the procedure for the police. The detectives apparently thought they had a clear-cut “Gotcha!” DeMuth and Pickering said the results of the forensic tests might be weeks away. Until then, it was less than certain that the case would come together.
Hunter was surprised to learn that John Ramsey was being represented by Morgan and Haddon and that Patsy had retained a separate attorney, Patrick Burke, a sole practitioner with offices in both Boulder and Denver. Hunter wouldn’t have expected a legal team of this caliber to be assembled so soon. Also, Haddon, one of the most powerful lawyers in the state, had hired Pat Korten, a former spokesman for the Department of Justice, as a press representative for the Ramseys. It was clear to the DA that the Ramseys’ attorneys were looking not just to protect their clients’ rights but also to influence public opinion.
A few days earlier, the police had asked Hofstrom to help them persuade Patsy Ramsey to give them a second handwriting sample. The value of her first sample was questionable because she had been heavily sedated when it was taken. In his role as go-between, Hofstrom called Bryan Morgan on behalf of the police, and the two met for breakfast. The meeting was cordial, but Morgan said he’d have to talk to Patsy. By Saturday, January 4, the Ramseys had returned to Boulder from Atlanta, and Morgan called Hofstrom to say that