CHAPTER 25
EAST HAMPTON, NEW YORK
Elise Campbell and Rita Klees were leaning against the detective’s Mini Cooper, finishing their Starbucks coffees as Christine De Palma pulled into the gravel parking lot of the Cobblestone Nursery at 7:30 A.M. on the dot.
“Thank you for meeting us this morning,” said Rita as De Palma climbed out of her Mercedes SUV and came over to greet them.
She was an attractive, petite woman in her late forties. Her medium-length brown hair was pulled back in a bun and her face bore only a hint of makeup. She wore a green Barbour jacket, a gray cashmere sweater, tan jodhpurs, and a pair of green Wellington boots. “Of course. You said this had to do with Sheryl and Charlie’s accident?”
“It does,” replied Klees as she introduced Elise. “I’d like you to meet Elise Campbell of the United States Secret Service.”
Campbell stepped forward and the two women shook hands.
“Is it okay if we speak inside?”
“Certainly,” replied De Palma. “Follow me.”
Pulling a large brass ring from her pocket, De Palma found the correct key, slid it into the lock, and opened the front door. She flipped on the lights and deactivated the alarm. The room was cold and smelled of damp earth. After locking the front door behind them, she led the women through another door and across a small landscaped court to a vintage greenhouse.
Inside, the temperature was much more agreeable. The air smelled of flowers and other fresh greenery. De Palma flipped a series of switches and somewhere a fountain began to bubble. In the center of the greenhouse was a cast-iron table with matching chairs.
De Palma pulled one out and motioned for the ladies to sit. “The greenhouse beats meeting in my cramped office any day of the week.”
“Mine too,” replied Klees.
“So what can I do for you?”
“First of all,” stated Elise, “I want you to know that this is all completely off the record and has nothing to do with the East Hampton Police Department. I asked Rita if she knew you and she offered to introduce us.”
“Okay,” said De Palma, drawing the word out.
“As Sheryl Coleman’s business partner,” Elise continued, “you could have had grounds to bring a wrongful death claim. Why didn’t you?”
De Palma was a bit taken aback. “Am I suspected of having done something?”
Campbell smiled and shook her head. “No. Not at all. I’m just curious.”
“What does this have to do with Sheryl and Charlie’s death?”
“Mr. Coleman’s parents began a civil action, but then dropped it. Supposedly, there was some sort of settlement.”
“There was nothing supposed about it,” replied De Palma. “Stephanie Gallo had been trying to get them to drop that suit from day one, but Charlie’s father wouldn’t quit. He hated Alden and he said no amount of money in the world could get him to back down.”
“He told you that?”
De Palma nodded. “He probably shouldn’t have, but we’re like family, even more so after Charlie and Sheryl and the kids were killed.”
“So what happened to change their minds?”
“Apparently, they had just gotten through the first set of questions they wanted the defendants to answer—”
“Interrogatories?” asked Elise.
“That’s right,” she replied. “Gallo and Alden’s attorneys kept trying to outmaneuver the Colemans with continuances and that kind of garbage and I think Herb and Janet realized just how many years they could be in court over it. The suit definitely wasn’t going to keep Alden from getting elected, which is something I think Herb secretly wanted. Finally, Gallo made the Colemans an offer they couldn’t refuse.”
“May I ask how much?”
“That, I don’t know. All I know is that they had turned down multiple offers from Gallo up to that point. According to Herb, she handed them a blank check and told them to fill in any amount they wanted.”
“Seriously?”
De Palma nodded.
“How about you? Were you ever offered a settlement?”
“I don’t think I was ever even a lawsuit contender in anyone’s eyes. When Sheryl was killed, along with Charlie and the kids, I inherited her full share of the business. I didn’t have a reason to sue.”
“So Stephanie Gallo never approached you? You never heard from any of her people?”
“No, why? Are you trying to tell me I should sue?”
Campbell put up her hands. “No not at all. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Then I’m confused. Why are you here?”
It was a good question and one Elise had spent the night on Rita Klees’ pull-out sofa bed trying to find an answer to. “What if there is more to this story than any of us know?”
“Like what?”
“What if someone that night did do something that led to the accident?”
De Palma placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Agent Campbell, do you have any evidence to support that?”
Elise took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure? Now I’m really confused. Why are you even talking to me? Why aren’t the East Hampton police following this up?”
“It’s complicated,” offered Rita.
De Palma looked at her. “We’re not only talking about the death of my business partner, we’re also talking about the death of my best friend. Those children were my godchildren. We were family, so if you know something, I want to hear it.”
Klees took her time and explained the limitations of pursuing a criminal investigation exactly as she had for Elise the night before.
“So if there is some sort of evidence from that night that’s being suppressed,” stated De Palma, “I’m the only one who can bring a civil suit to punish the person or persons responsible?”
“If there is such evidence,” said Campbell, “then that’s correct.”
Christine De Palma sat back in her chair and was silent for several moments. “I always thought Gallo offered Charlie’s parents the money to avoid the embarrassment of a trial. I never took it as an admission of guilt.”
“We don’t really know what her motivation was,” cautioned Elise.
“But you believe there’s something more to what happened that night or you wouldn’t have come all the way out here to talk to me.”
“That’s correct.”
“So what exactly do you think happened?”
“I think someone made a very big mistake and has tried to cover it up. But to find out who it was and how big a mistake they made, I need your help.”
“This could be all smoke and no fire, though. You want me to go through all the hassles and the risks of mounting a lawsuit against not only Stephanie Gallo, but also the president of the United States just because you have a suspicion that something may have happened?”
Elise shook her head. “You don’t have to mount anything. All I need to do is to say that you’re considering a lawsuit.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all. If my suspicion is wrong, you’re not out anything. But if I’m right, you get your friends and your godchildren the kind of justice they deserve.”
For several moments, there was only the sound of the fountain. Finally, De Palma spoke. “Tell me what you need me to do.”