John Katzenbach - Just Cause

'No,' replied Cowart, his insides collapsing in a turmoil of doubt.

Edna leaned over to look at the lead to his article. 'At least thirty-nine crimes. Well, that's what he said. But you better qualify it.'

'I will.'

'Good. Did he give you any real details about the killings in the Keys?'

'No,' Cowart answered quickly. 'He just said he'd managed to arrange for them to be done.'

'Well, he had to tell you something…'

Cowart scrambled. 'He talked about some informal prison grapevine that even gets to Death Row. He said anything could be arranged for a price. But he didn't say what he paid.'

'Well, I wonder. I mean, you've got to write what he said. But sorting it all out. Well, hell.'

She looked up and across the newsroom toward where the two detectives were reading transcripts. 'You suppose they've got any real evidence? I think they're just hoping you'll wrap the whole thing up for them nice and easy.' The cynicism in her voice was evident.

He looked up at her. 'Edna,' he started.

'You want some help checking these suckers out, right?' Edna's voice immediately filled with enthusiasm. She slapped her hand against the sheaf of papers. 'Got to know what's a definite, what's a maybe, and what's a no way, right?'

'Yes. Please. Can you do it?'

'Love to. Take a few days, but I'll get to work on it right away. I'll tell the higher-ups. You sure you don't mind sharing the story?'

'No. No problem.'

Edna gestured at the computer screen. 'Better be careful not to be too explicit about old Sully's confession. It may have some more little problems. Don't dig any hole in the story you can't jump out of.'

Cowart wanted to laugh or be sick, he was uncertain which.

'You know, you got to appreciate old Sully. Never wanted to make anything easy on nobody, she said, turning away.

He watched Edna McGee saunter across the newsroom to the city editor and start talking animatedly with him. He watched as they both stared down at the sheet of transcribed statements. He saw the man shake his head and then hurry over to where he was working.

This right?' the city editor demanded.

That's what she says. I don't know.'

'We're gonna have to check every bit of all this out.'

'Right.'

'Christ! How're you writing the story?'

'Just as the dying man's words. Allegations unproven. No idea where the truth lies. Questions abound. All that sort of stuff.'

Go heavy with the description and be careful with details. We need some time.' Edna said she'd help.'

Good. Good. She's going to start making calls now. When do you think you'll be able to get on it?'

'I need some rest.'

Okay. And those detectives…' 'I'll be right there.'

Cowart looked back at the page. He plucked Sullivan's words from his notebook and closed the piece with: 'Some story, huh?'

He punched a few buttons on the keyboard, shutting the screen down in front of him and electronically transporting his article over to the city desk so it could be measured, assessed, edited, and dummied on the front page. He no longer knew whether what he'd done compounded truth or lies. He realized that for the first time in his years as a journalist, he had no idea which was which, they had become so tangled in his head.

Adrift in a sea of ambiguity, he went in to see the detectives.

Shaeffer and Weiss were livid.

'Where is it?' the woman demanded as he walked through the door into the conference room. The three typists were stapling pages together at a large meeting table where the afternoon news conferences were held. When they heard the anger in the detectives' voices, they hurried, leaving a stack of paper behind as they left the room. Cowart didn't reply. His eyes swept away to a large picture window where sunlight reflecting off the pane streamed into the room. He could see a cruise liner getting up steam, heading out Governor's Cut toward the open ocean.

'Where is it!' Shaeffer demanded a second time. 'Where's his explanation of the deaths of his mother and stepfather?'

She shook a typed transcript in his face. 'Not a word in here,' she almost shouted.

Weiss stood up and pointed a finger right at him. 'Start explaining, right now. I'm tired of all this runaround, Cowart. We could arrest you as a material witness and chuck you in jail.'

'That'd be fine,' he replied, trying to summon up an indignation to match that of the two detectives. 'I could use some sleep.'

'You know, I'm getting damn tired of you two threatening my man here,' came a voice from behind Cowart. It was the city editor. 'Why don't you two detectives do some work on your own? All you guys seem to want is for him to provide you with all the answers.'

'Because I think he's got all the goddamn answers,' Shaeffer replied slowly, softly, her voice filled with menace.

For a moment, the room remained frozen with her words. The city editor finally gestured at chairs to try and slice through some of the tension that sat heavily in the room. 'Everybody sit down,' he said sternly. '"We'll try to get this sorted out.'

Cowart saw Shaeffer take a deep breath and struggle to control herself. 'All right' she said quietly. 'Just a full statement, right now. Then we'll get out of your way. How's that?'

Cowart nodded. The city editor interjected. 'If he agrees, fine. But any more threats and this interview is ended.'

Weiss sat down heavily and removed a small notepad. Shaeffer asked the first question.

Please explain what you told me in Starke at the prison.'

She was watching him steadily, her eyes marking every movement he made.

Cowart fixed his eyes back hard onto hers. It's how she looks at suspects, he thought.

"Sullivan claimed he'd arranged for the killings.' 'You said that. How? Who? What were his exact words? And why the hell isn't it on the tape?' He made me turn the tape machine off. I don't know why.'

Okay,' she said slowly. 'Continue.' It was a brief element to the entire conversation…' "Sure. Go ahead.'

Okay. You understand how he sent me down to

Islamorada. Gave me the address and all. Told me to interview the people I found there. He didn't say they'd be dead. He didn't give any indication of anything, just insisted I go…'

'And you didn't demand some explanation before heading down there?'

'Why? He wouldn't give me one. He was adamant. He was scheduled to die. So I went. Without asking my questions. It's not so damn unreasonable.' Sure. Go ahead.' 'When I first got back to his cell, he wanted me to describe the deaths. He wanted me to tell him all the details, like how they were sitting, and how they'd been killed and everything I noticed about the scene. He was particularly interested in learning whether they had suffered. After I finished telling him everything I remembered about the two dead bodies, he seemed satisfied. Downright pleased.'

'Go ahead.'

'I asked him why and he said, "Because I killed them." And I asked how he'd managed that and he replied, "You can get anything you want, even on Death Row, if you're willing to pay the price." I asked him what he'd paid, but he refused to say. Said that was for me to find out. Said he was going to go to his grave without shooting his mouth off. I tried to ask him about how he'd arranged it, but he refused to answer. Then he said, "Ain't you interested in my legacy at all?" He told me then to turn on the tape recorder. And he started confessing to all these other crimes.'

Lies tripped readily from his mouth. He was surprised at how easily.

'Do you think there was a connection between the subsequent confession and the murders in Monroe County?'

That was the question, Cowart thought. He shrugged. 'It was hard to tell.'

'But you think he was telling you the truth?'

'Yes, sometimes. I mean, obviously he sent me down there to that house knowing something was going to happen. So he had to know they were going to be murdered. I think he got what he wanted. But how he paid the bill…' Cowart let his voice drain away.