“Well, I was a reporter.”
Scott’s face twitched then and his manner became more formal.
“I see. In that case, Mr. Wonicke, I’m going to have to ask you . . .”
“No! No, please. I’m not a reporter anymore. And I’m not here because of that. I’m just telling you how I met her.”
Scott nodded, but his manner was guarded.
“So you met her. You interviewed her?”
“Yes. Her and some of her neighbors. And her mother.”
Their coffee arrived, together with a slice of walnut cake that would have defeated even a hungry schoolboy. Scott picked up his cup and eyed Pete over the rim.
“So far, you haven’t told me anything that sets you apart from the rest of your profession, Mr. Wonicke.”
“I guess . . . well, I believe her. I think she’s innocent.”
Scott put his cup down, folded his hands on the table.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t think she’s capable of murder. Especially the murder of her children.”
“Based on?”
“Excuse me?”
“Have you met many murderers? I met a woman a few years ago who drowned her grandson because she believed he was possessed by Satan. I assure you, she was far more personable and charming than most people in this room.”
Scott’s smile never faltered and his eyes continued to twinkle at Pete above his coffee cup.
“So what makes you so sure that Mrs. Malone is innocent?”
Pete flushed, realized he was clenching his jaw. Maybe Scott intended to needle him, to get something out of him. If so, it was working. He tried to stay calm. To focus on Ruth.
“Okay, I see your point, Mr. Scott. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I don’t think she’s guilty based on the evidence the police seem to have on her.”
Scott put down his cup and nodded.
“Now you’ve got me interested, Mr. Wonicke. Because now you may be offering me something I don’t currently know. I assume you got this information in a way that’s completely legal and aboveboard?”
“Some of it I got through interviews. Some of it I overheard.”
“Hearsay, I’m afraid. But potentially useful, depending on what was said.”
Pete gave him the gist of the conversations he’d had with Quinn and with Devlin, their view of Ruth. Scott ate a forkful of cake and listened in silence.
“Mr. Scott, I think they’re going to attack her morals on the stand. Make her out to be a . . . to be the kind of woman who’s capable of killing her kids.”
Scott nodded. “So I would assume.”
Pete flushed and looked down. Ran his finger around the edge of his saucer and wondered what he was doing there. Why he was wasting his time on a guy who seemed to get a kick out of patronizing him.
And then Scott said quietly, “But you’ve confirmed what I needed to know. You’ve met Devlin in a social setting. And you know more about my client than I do right now. All of which is helpful.”
Pete looked at him and he was smiling again, but this was a real smile with warmth in it. Suddenly Pete wanted to help him, and not just for Ruth’s sake.
“Mr. Scott, I think . . . She’s not the only person the police should be looking at.”
He told Scott about Lou Gallagher. What he’d learned from Bette. What he suspected.
“He’s done this before—made a woman he was involved with get rid of a kid. He has a history of violence. The cops should at least be talking to him.”
Scott frowned at him. Stroked his chin as though he was thinking. There was a long pause and then he said, “That’s interesting, Mr. Wonicke, but the state’s case is all about Mrs. Malone. The police think she’s guilty. So it’s Mrs. Malone I must concentrate on.”
He stood and excused himself to make a phone call and Pete leaned back in his chair, glanced idly around the room and noticed a copy of the Herald discarded on a nearby table.
MALONE MOTHER SHOPS FOR DRESSES AS KIDS LIE DEAD
By Staff Reporter Tom O’Connor
QUEENS, Nov. 17—Mrs. Ruth Malone, who was arrested yesterday on charges of strangling her son Frank Jr. and her daughter Cindy, was shopping for clothes just hours after her children were killed, it was revealed today.
The day after reporting her children missing, and less than 24 hours after little Cindy’s body was removed from the weed-strewn lot where it was found, her mother was seen by witnesses at a local clothing store.
A police source said, “We thought that Mrs. Malone had gone shopping for groceries or perhaps personal items—although with family and neighbors rallying around, there was no real need. But we were shocked when she was seen entering a ladies’ dress shop.”
The source went on to say that the attractive cocktail waitress had purchased items from Debonair Doll, a small boutique on Main Street that opened three years ago.
The owner of the store told this reporter that Mrs. Malone bought two dresses, pantyhose and a new hat.