Страница 8 из 72
“All right,” Ted said into the phone. “Call this number when you have the information. If I’m not here, ask for Sheriff Brady.”
Having put that in process, Joa
“You didn’t eat, did you, boss?” Jaime asked.
“Not since lunch,” Joa
“That’s what Delcia thought,” he said with a grin. “She claims pregnant women need to keep up their strength. How about you, Ted? Hungry?”
“Not really,” he said, but once Joa
As Jaime sat down at the table, Joa
“I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, Ted,” Jaime ventured. “What can you tell us about him?”
Ted Chapman took a deep breath. “I’ve known Brad for a long time,” he said. “Before I broke away to start the Cochise Jail Ministry, I spent years working for the Arizona State Prison Ministry. Gi
“Most convicts are con artists one way or the other. They’re like politicians. They’ll say anything to suck you into believing that their version of things is the gospel. Brad wasn’t like that. He was always a straight shooter, but tough enough that no one messed with him.”
Jaime looked up from taking notes. “What was he in for?”
“Second-degree murder,” Ted answered. “He got twenty-five-to-life for killing his wife back in the late seventies. It happened out in Sierra Vista, or maybe it was just near there, I don’t remember which.”
“I’ve asked Maggie from Records to get us the file,” Joa
“I don’t remember his wife’s name, but she was pregnant at the time of her death,” Ted continued. “He was drunk and evidently functioning in a blackout when it happened. I don’t believe her body was ever found.”
“They got a conviction with no body?” Jamie asked. “That’s pretty unusual.”
Ted nodded. “There was enough blood found in Brad’s vehicle and on his body to make a pretty good case that she was dead. And with her pregnant, I guess feelings were ru
“How long ago did Evans get out?”
“Three or so years ago. When I first met him, I would have to say he was what they call a dry drunk-an alcoholic who wasn’t actively drinking but who hadn’t done anything about working on the underlying issues. I helped him get into the program. You know anything about the twelve steps?”
Joa
“There are twelve steps to recovery. One of them involves making amends to all the people you may have harmed. Once Brad got into the program, he wrote a letter to his former mother-in-law, asking her forgiveness, but nothing changed her mind about him. She was at the last meeting before the parole board set him loose, and she was still adamantly opposed to their letting him out. Still, once he was on the outside, Brad stayed with AA, and he’s one of the ones who really worked his program. He was serious about it. That’s why I thought he’d be so good working with the guys in the Papago Unit as a kind of peer counselor. And he was.”
“You have no idea where Brad’s former mother-in-law lives now?”
“No,” Ted answered.
“Do you have any idea about Brad’s friends or associates?”
“Not really. I’m guessing the people he was closest to will be the ones he was working with at the prison, maybe some of the guards, but they wouldn’t know him nearly as well as the inmates he was counseling.”
Jaime nodded. “We’ll get down there tomorrow and talk to them. It’s a start. Can you think of anything else?”
Ted shook his head. “Pride’s a terrible thing,” he said bleakly.
“Why do you say that?” Joa
“Because when Brad went missing, I was convinced he had fallen off the wagon. I was terribly disappointed in him, mainly because I thought it would reflect badly on me. The first thing that went through my head when I saw him uptown in the morgue was that at least he wasn’t drunk. It makes me ashamed to think that idea even crossed my mind. What kind of person would think that way?”
“Lots of them, Ted,” Joa
“When was he last seen at work?” Jaime asked.
“Tuesday. He had Wednesdays off.”
“All right, then,” Jaime said. “That’s about it.”
“I can go, then?” Ted asked.
“Sure,” Joa
Jaime waited until Ted Chapman had left the room. “So you win the prize, boss,” he said. “John Doe turns out to be an ex-con with alcohol problems. I believe you called that one right on the money.”
“But we still don’t know who killed him,” Joa
There was a light knock on the conference-room door. Maggie Mendoza came in carrying a computer printout. “This is what the Department of Corrections has on Mr. Evans,” she said.
Joa
Joa
“Wait a minute.” She turned back to Jaime. “What’s the wife’s name?”
Jaime picked up the papers and sca
“Where are the homicide records from 1978?”
“In storage up in the old courthouse,” Maggie said. “Why?”
“I need one,” Joa
“Do you need it tonight?” Maggie asked. “If you do…”
Joa
“We really do need it tonight,” Joa
“All right,” Maggie agreed. “I’ll go get it, but it may take time. Those files aren’t in the best of order.”
When Maggie left the conference room, so did Joa
“Thanks,” he said. “Thanks so much.”
“Who was that?” Joa
“Rich Higgins,” Jaime answered. “The guy Ted Chapman called. Rich is human resources director for Arizona State Prison System Jail Ministries.”
“So we have a next of kin?”
“Her name’s A