Catherine Crier: Final Analysis

“We like to keep it in the family,” Felix had allegedly joked to her.

Susan claimed that her husband’s offhanded comments were meant to telegraph certain information that he could not divulge for security reasons. Another clue was that Felix had treated CIA, ATF, and IRS agents in his practice, as well as several judges. She argued that he had to have some sort of high-level security clearance in order to care for such individuals, claiming he had hinted his affiliation with the Mossad enabled him to be “connected,” she said.

“And I went and told someone, and he was like, ‘Oh, my God,’ that I had a ‘big mouth.’ And so I just speculated that his real loyalties, even if he is, or was, a government employee, are really with Israel because of statements that he’s made. So yeah, I did think…”

Detective Costa pointed out that Felix had no family in Israel. “Has he ever traveled there?” he asked.

“No, but his cousin who’s older goes back and forth quite a bit. And a lot of his, you know, clients do, and close family, friends type of thing.”

At some point, Susan did an about face. She explained that while she once believed her husband’s connections to be real, her pronouncements of late had been more a tool to enrage him. Felix, she said, hated it when she accused him of such an association.

Regardless, it was becoming clear that Susan’s diatribe was not advancing the investigation.

“This is your time to tell us what happened and why,” Detective Costa directed.

“But I didn’t see him today. I’ve told you what I know.”

“Mrs. Polk, we know otherwise,” Detective Moule jumped in, and with an air of annoyance, he laid out the facts, as he saw them. “I’ve been talking to your son, Gabe, for a long time. And I know about the background and some problems that started about five years ago with memories about your father and all that. I know it’s personal. I’m not trying to embarrass you, but I know about that, know problems with, you know, keeping the boys out of school and taking the anklet off your son, he had to go to Byron and all that.

“You know, you’ve had some problems around the house. We know about that. You probably saw all the people standing around, there’s a whole bunch of detectives with Detective Costa and I. And there’s other detectives, and we all have little jobs. And one of our jobs here is to interview you and interview Gabe. There’s other people processing the scene. There’s judges that are being contacted. And there’s scientists that are arriving at your house right now and they’re gonna go through that entire house. They vacuum every little particle.”

“Well, that’s good,” Susan agreed.

“Yeah. And there’s some evidence found that you’re probably aware of, there’s evidence that’s already been found that is putting you right up there,” Detective Moule offered.

“Susan, your boys know that you did it,” he continued. “There’s not a doubt in their minds. They know. They go, ‘My mom did this, I know she did it.’”

“I love my children,” Susan insisted.

“They know you did it. You know what, I think you can do them a favor and let them know why, this is why it happened.”

“I love my children even though you’re…”

Detective Moule did not permit Susan to complete her thought. “A lie,” he interjected, his voice rising. “You might as well be spitting in their faces right now.”

“I didn’t do it, no way, that’s ridiculous.”

“You think they’re gonna think that you didn’t do this? They know you did it. Explain why. Tell Detective Costa why and he can document, this is why, this is what’s going on, this is the background, these are the problems.

“You’re going, ‘I didn’t do that.’ They’re going, ‘Bull shit, my mom just killed my father.’”

Detective Costa cut in. “Susan, you’re obviously a smart woman. You have a nice background and everything. Think this through. You’re not gonna get away with this. It’s a done deal.

“We know about how you went up and cleaned up. It’s all figured out. There’s scientists collecting that stuff. You’re not gonna beat this. You’re done. You’re caught up.”

“I didn’t kill my husband. And I would think that nowadays, you know, that you would rely on more than guesswork or, you know, what children in the middle of a divorce would say. I mean you do have technological expertise and I’m sure you’ll figure it out. But I didn’t do it.”

“Well, we’ve already figured out enough to know that you were involved.”

“I was not involved.”

“Your family is a lot more involved than just an argument here and there.”

“Pardon me?” Susan was indignant.

“There’s a lot more going on in your family than just an argument here and there between a couple,” Detective Moule repeated.

“My husband really loved me and the kids, you know, I know that, and he just, you know, I was very fond…”

“I’m sure he did,” Moule interjected. “Did you love him?”

Susan hesitated. “I was very fond…”

The detective looked directly at Susan and demanded, “Did you love him?”

“I did for many years.”

“But not lately.”

“No, I didn’t love him anymore.”

“Did you hate him?” Detective Moule asked.

“No.”

With the progression of the questions, it became clear that the detectives were not going to obtain a confession. Though the evidence was mounting, investigators could not convince Susan to confess to the crime. Costa insisted that she free herself from the “dream world” in which she was living.

“I’ve been living in a dream world for many years,” Susan replied.

“Well, it’s time to get out of that world, and let’s face reality here.”

“No, I didn’t kill him,” Susan insisted.

“Yeah, you did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Detective Costa continued to push. “This is how you want to leave it, just deny, deny, deny, lie, lie, lie, let me live in my little fantasy world and say I wasn’t involved, when everything is going to certainly tell us you were. I’m confident of that. I have no doubts about that.”

Susan looked up. “Well, apparently you seem pretty sure that I did it, so there’s nothing that I can really say that’s gonna dissuade you, it seems like.”

“The truth is always good.”

“So maybe the scientific evidence will help,” Susan said.

“I’m sure it will,” Detective Costa nodded. “That’s how you want to leave it, huh?”

“I didn’t do it…. I’m very, very tired,” Susan declared. “If you’re gonna put me in jail, put me in jail, so I can go to sleep, okay?”

Detective Costa smirked. “We’re taking care of that.”

It was just before 7:30 AM on Tuesday, October 15, when Alex Taflya and Song Wicks of the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office pulled up the steep driveway at 728 Miner Road. Rays of early morning sun streamed through the branches of the soaring oak trees surrounding the home. The residence felt more like an expansive tree house than a million dollar estate with its hilltop location, tangle of lofty trees and thick foliage. Detectives Jeff Moule and Mike Costa were waiting on the large wood deck between the main house and cottage to brief the criminalists.

When he was first summoned to the scene the previous night, Costa performed a preliminary investigation of the main house where he observed damp washcloths in the shower stall of the master bathroom. It made sense, since Susan told him she had showered around 8 PM that night. During his search, he also located a steak knife with its tip slightly bent and a small piece of unidentified material stuck to it in the dishwasher. Despite these items from the main house, he was convinced that the crime scene did not extend beyond the redwood cottage where the seventy-year-old victim lay in a pool of his own blood.