“I concur.”
“Yet, when she spoke to Richard Sharpe, she gave you complete credit for the profile. She came up with several points during that conversation that we hadn’t even discussed, yet she drew on her experience and knowledge to reach conclusions that I don’t know that I would have made—and I’m fairly intelligent.”
Dillon smiled. “You certainly are.”
“On the one hand, she thinks like a cop. She has that edge. I’ve been around enough law enforcement to know. Yet, there’s something else. I can’t put my finger on it, and that’s why I asked her what makes her tick.” Max paused. “And you’re not going to tell me.”
“You already know the answers, you just don’t want to ask the questions, and I respect that.”
No more. He essentially dropped the subject. Did Max know? Maybe. She had some theories about Lucy, but she wouldn’t voice them. Because she did respect the rookie fed, and she hoped if their paths crossed again, she would have an ally.
“About John Caldwell.”
Dillon didn’t say anything else.
“You want me to talk to him.”
“Let’s just say I watched him closely and I’m concerned.”
Max had watched him as well, but she didn’t see anything but a rigid supporter of his wife.
“I’ll see what I can learn.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
Max didn’t have an opportunity to talk to John before the trial started Tuesday morning. She was riveted, however, by Dillon Kincaid’s testimony. While Monday had been an exercise in boredom, today was the reverse. She watched the jury as well—they, too, listened closely.
After the prosecutors established Dillon’s credentials, they asked him a series of questions related to the psychology of the killer. Since they’d already established the crime scene, the method, and the window of time that Blair Caldwell could have killed her son—which matched with the window the coroner also established—they focused on the mind-set of the killer.
“Considering your experience, do you have a profile of Peter Caldwell’s killer?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I submit exhibit Thirty-four B, Your Honor,” the prosecution said.
“With no objections, Dr. Kincaid’s profile will be included in the record.”
“Will you please summarize your findings?”
“The key fact that stood out to me is that Peter was not sexually assaulted in any way. This stands out because overwhelmingly, close to ninety percent of homicide victims under the age of fourteen are sexually assaulted or killed in a failed sexual attack. Right there that tells me that this crime was not sexually motivated. Another key fact is that over ninety percent of homicide victims under the age of fourteen are killed by someone they know—a friend of the family or a relative.
“There is one primary fact related to Peter’s death that tells me his killer is female. Peter was drugged with a benzodiazepine that, in the dose he was given, would have made him lethargic to the point of unconsciousness. Poison or drugs are a female weapon—when used as a murder weapon, virtually all these killers are women.”
“Dr. Kincaid,” the DA said, “have you reviewed the psychiatric evaluation of Mrs. Caldwell?”
“I have. As well as the recordings of her interviews with police.”
“Objection,” the defense said. “The psychiatric evaluation of Mrs. Caldwell did not indicate that she was capable of murder.”
The judge said, “Counselor, you may use your cross-examination to discuss the report already submitted into evidence. Overruled.”
“Dr. Kincaid, what was your conclusion based on your readings and viewings?”
“The original psychiatric evaluation was conducted several weeks after the murder and in my opinion should have less weight placed on it than the interviews conducted by first the police and then by the detective at the station, shortly after Peter’s death. The reason is that time slants bias. Meaning, a person’s recollection of events differ and they have a different emotional response over time. However, several things stood out during the initial interview. May I use the projector?”
The prosecution inserted a disk into the DVD player after submitting it officially into evidence. Evidently, Dillon had already spliced the recording to highlight the points he wanted to make.
“I’m going to show you three segments that tell me that Blair Caldwell lied to police.”
“Objection,” the defense said. “Dr. Kincaid is a psychiatrist, not a psychic.”
Laughter in the courtroom, but Max noted that only one of the jurors cracked a smile.
“Overruled,” the judge said.
“Go on, Dr. Kincaid,” the DA said.
Dillon played a short segment on the projector. In it, Blair was sitting in the interview room in Scottsdale with two detectives, one female and one male. She also had her lawyer with her.
The detectives asked Blair about the night her son was killed and specifically who she spoke to at specific times. Blair was clearly annoyed by the questions and almost flip in her responses.
Dr. Kincaid didn’t make a comment, but started a second segment. The detectives asked Blair about the home security system and whether they habitually had it on when someone was home. Again, her responses were filled with annoyance, as if the police were idiots to even be asking the questions. Yet, she answered them.
“Objection,” the defense said after the second brief clip. “Relevance. The transcript of Mrs. Caldwell’s interviews with police have already been entered into the record.”
The prosecutor said, “Your Honor, the point we’re trying to make will be clear momentarily.”
“Make sure it is,” the judge said. “Objection overruled. Dr. Kincaid, please get to your point.
“Yes, your Honor. One more clip.” He nodded to the prosecutor who began the tape again.
The last clip was the most damning.
On it, Blair was poised and almost regal. She was also belligerent with law enforcement and clearly looked down at them in how she spoke.
“Mrs. Caldwell, there’s a block of time you cannot account for. You can see why we’re suspicious. Tell us where you were and we’re done.”
“I cannot believe you’ve had me here for over an hour because you couldn’t find anyone who saw me for a few minutes at a party.”
Her attorney said, “Mrs. Caldwell has answered all your questions to the best of her ability. If you’re not going to charge her, you need to let her go.”
“We have a witness who says she saw you on the porch of the clubhouse at twelve thirty-five the night of the party. The witness said she told you that your husband had been looking for you and you said you were getting fresh air. Yet a group of businessmen were smoking cigars on the porch from approximately twelve ten until twelve thirty and none of them saw you.”
“I know who you’re talking about. Misty Vale. I was getting fresh air, and it wasn’t at twelve thirty-five—it was earlier. The businessmen weren’t on the porch, they were off to the side, on the patio.”