Joseph Wambaugh - Echoes in the Darkness

The precision with which she spoke was startling, so much so that she made each lawyer work at phrasing the questions carefully.

After Guida got past the preliminaries, he said to his witness, “At the time you formed a romantic interest with Mister Bradfield, did you know that he was living with a woman by the name of Sue Myers?”

“Yes, I did,” she answered.

“And what did Mister Bradfield tell you about his relationship with Sue Myers?”

“They shared living quarters, but there was not a romantic relationship between them at the time.”

“Is that what he told you?”

“Yes, it is.”

“In the summer of 1979, did you know that Mister Bradfield had been married?”

“No, I don’t believe so.”

“In terms of the fall of 1978 and spring of 1979, did he ever mention a woman by the name of Susan Reinert?”

“Yes, I do remember the name.”

“What did he tell you about Susan Reinert with regard to any romantic interest?”

“I understood that she was interested in dating him, but that he wasn’t interested.”

“Did you ever meet Susan Reinert?”

“No, I did not.”

“Did you ever meet Sue Myers?”

“Yes, I believe I met her once.”

“During the school year of 1978 to 1979, were you studying at that time?”

“Yes, I was a graduate student at Harvard University.”

“Now, on the Thanksgiving weekend of 1978, did you receive a visit from Mister Bradfield while living in Cambridge?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to refer you to the spring of 1979: did you visit the city of Philadelphia?”

“I was down twice.”

“Did you see Mister Bradfield on that first occasion?”

“Yes.”

“When was the second visit?”

“I came down after the end of the school term that semester. Sometime at the end of May.”

“How did you register at the hotel on that occasion?”

“Mister and Mrs. Bradfield.”

“And who made the reservation for that particular room?”

“Mister Bradfield did.”

“Could you tell the jury why you used the name Mister and Mrs. Bradfield, as opposed to your own name?”

“Well, it was a center city hotel that was somewhat seedy but inexpensive, and I felt slightly more comfortable staying at a place identified as a couple. Instead of a single woman staying alone.”

“How long did you stay at the hotel?”

“Something like three weeks, but I might be slightly off on that.”

“When did you leave the hotel?”

“It was on a Tuesday morning. I’m sure you could fill me in on the date.”

“Was this when you drove to New Mexico with Mister Bradfields car to meet him there in Santa Fe?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Did he mention to you a man by the name of Jay C. Smith?”

“Yes, I knew the name.”

“Did he ever mention any threats that Mister Smith may have made against Susan Reinert?”

“No.”

“When was the last time you saw Mister Bradfield prior to his leaving for the shore on Friday, June twenty-second, 1979? Do you remember?”

“No, I don’t.”

“The testimony up until this time has been that Mister Bradfield was in Cape May for the entire weekend. What were you doing over the weekend when Mister Bradfield was away?”

“I was looking at architecture in Philadelphia. Getting to know the city.”

“And had you done that prior to that weekend while you were living in that hotel?”

“Yes. That was one of the main purposes for my being in Philadelphia.”

“Did you do anything with anybody, or do anything in terms of registering, to verify your whereabouts for that weekend?”

“Aside from the hotel, I can’t think of anything offhand.”

After she testified that a change in plans had necessitated her driving his VW Beetle with their belongings, Guida asked her, “Were you in any way upset that you had to drive alone across the country while your friend, Mister Bradfield, flew?”

“Well, it would have been nicer to have him in the car, but I wasn’t worried about the drive across the country alone.”

“When you arrived in New Mexico, what was your living arrangement?”

“I stayed in the same room as he did.”

“Now, you indicated that in 1979 you had this romantic relationship with Mister Bradfield. Does that romantic interest continue today?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Pass the witness.”

Bill Costopoulos began by asking about the present relationship: “Because of your romantic interest that has continued until this day with Mister Bradfield, is it fair to say that you communicate with him now that he’s in prison?”

“Yes.”

“And how frequently do you communicate?”

“I see him probably twice a month and talk maybe twice a month with him on the telephone.”

“Have you always kept him advised of the investigation that was going on in this matter?”

“Meaning?”

“When the police would come to talk to you, would you report that to him?”

It was one of the few times she hesitated. She said, “I would say he probably … I probably talked to him about it, yes.”

“And in fact you’d tell him exactly what you were being asked about, wouldn’t you?”

“There’s a possibility. I don’t remember specifically trying to tell him everything I’d been asked about.”

“Do you remember resisting any cooperation with law enforcement after the weekend in question?”

“Resisting?”

“Not cooperating?”

“Not by my definition,” she said.

With this, Rachel leaned forward in her witness chair and folded her tiny hands and stared Bill Costopoulos right in the eye and answered questions as precisely as anything manufactured by IBM.

“Not by your definition,” he said. “Well, when they would come to talk to you, would you talk to them?”

“No, not without my lawyer’s permission and my lawyer’s presence.”

“And was it Bradfield’s suggestion that you have a lawyer present when you were questioned?”

“No, it was my lawyer’s.”

“When was the last time you talked to Bradfield before coming here today?”

“I spoke with him on the telephone last night.” Then she paused and said, “Or the night before.”

“Did you tell him you were under subpoena?”

“Oh, yes. He knew that.”

“When did you first learn that Bradfield was having a romantic relationship with Susan Reinert?”

The witness leaned forward a little more and the tone in her voice could have chilled a martini. She paused and said, “I don’t believe he was having a romantic relationship with Susan Reinert.”

“You don’t believe that to this day?”

“That’s correct.”

“When did you find out that he was having a romantic relationship with Sue Myers?”

“Since I’ve known him, he hasn’t had a romantic relationship with Sue Myers.”

“All right, just so I’m clear, we’re not having a definition problem about a romantic relationship, are we?”

“I don’t think so,” she said.

“Did he ever tell you that he was the named beneficiary to the tune of seven hundred and thirty thousand dollars in life insurance?”

“No.”

“He never told you that?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Did he tell you that he was the designated beneficiary of her estate by a will executed May fourth, 1979?”

“No.”

“Did you ever learn of those possible facts?”

“Well, I learned of those possible facts , as you put it, after the death of Susan Reinert.”

“Did Bradfield tell you after her death that he was shocked that Reinert would name him as beneficiary in that insurance policy?”