As Garner thanked Cataldo and DePew, Barbara looked at Cooper for a long, uncertain moment. This was not going to get any easier for him.
Chapter Thirty-Four
O n Barbara North’s advice, Cooper had agreed to take a lie-detector test.
It would be conducted by Seattle Detective Jim Yamashita, who entered the room carrying his polygraph equipment in a hardshell case.
Soft-spoken and bespectacled, Yamashita was a reserved, slightly built man, who could be taken for an accountant rather than one of the country’s top polygraphists.
His hobby was cryptography.
His expertise was truth verification.
Over his sixteen years in detecting deception, he had pointed detectives in the right direction on countless major investigations. He also was involved in ongoing research to refine and improve his profession.
In court, Yamashita was a prosecutor’s dream.
Before starting, he met privately with Garner and Perelli to be briefed on their case. Then he prepared Cooper, explaining the process of a polygraph examination.
“The results of the examination are not allowed as evidence in court in most jurisdictions. So, this is really just a tool, Mr. Cooper.”
“I’ve explained that to my client, Detective,” Barbara said.
Yamashita smiled, then tried to put Cooper at ease with his machine-a new standard five-pen analog that he swore by. It would use instruments connected near Cooper’s heart and fingertips to electronically measure breathing, perspiration, respiratory activity, galvanic skin reflex, and blood and pulse rate, recording the responses on a moving chart as he answered questions.
Yamashita would pose the questions, then he’d analyze the results and give Garner and Perelli one of three possible outcomes: Cooper was truthful, untruthful, or the results were inconclusive.
“Please understand that I am aware and expect you to be nervous. Everybody is and I account for that.”
Then Yamashita asked Perelli to bring a more comfortable cushioned chair into the room. He seated Cooper in it and connected him to the machine. Yamashita started the examination with routine establishing questions, requesting that Cooper answer “yes” or “no.”
“Is your name John Randolph Taylor Cooper?”
“Yes.”
“Were you born in Kent, Washington?”
“Yes.”
“Did you serve in the U.S. armed forces in Iraq?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
There was a long silence as the five ink needles scratched the graph paper.
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Yes, in combat.”
“Answer yes or no, please.”
“Yes.”
“Do you reside under Interstate 5?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a job?”
“No.”
“Do you often visit the Compassionate Heart of Mercy Shelter?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Yes.”
The needles swept across the paper.
“Did you know Sister Anne Braxton, who worked at the shelter?”
“Yes.”
“Are you involved in any way in her murder?”
“No.”
“Do you possess knives?”
“Yes.”
“Do any of them come from the shelter?”
“No.”
“Do you possess tennis shoes?”
“You mean do I own-”
“Yes or no, please. Next question: Is today Sunday?”
“No.”
“Did you know Sister Anne Braxton?”
“Yes.”
“Did you harm her in any way?”
“No.”
“Do you possess tennis shoes similar to the tennis shoes in the photographs shown to you today?”
“Yes.”
“Did you wear them?”
“No.”
“Did you kill Sister Anne Braxton?”
“No.”
“Did you see a stranger at the shelter whom you saw argue with Sister Anne and cause her to be upset?”
“Yes.”
“Did you witness this stranger take a knife?”
“Yes.”
“Was it similar to the knife in the photograph shown to you today by the detectives?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever have any romantic feelings toward Sister Anne Braxton?”
“No.”
“Did Sister Anne Braxton ever make you angry, upset?”
“No.”
“Did you see Sister Anne in the hours before she was murdered?”
“Yes.”
“Did she speak with you?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever had reason to be in her town house near Yesler Terrace?”
“Yes.”
“Were you present in her building the night she was killed?”
“No.”
“Were you present in the alley behind the town house the night she was killed?”
“No.”
“Were you present in her neighborhood the night she was killed?”
“No.”
“Are you being truthful?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever have sexual fantasies about Sister Anne?”
“No.”
“Do you feel remorse about the deaths of your crew during combat?”
“Yes.”
“Do you blame yourself?”
“Yes.”
Barbara noticed tears rolling down Cooper’s face.
“Do you often hallucinate about that time?”
“Yes.”
Yamashita adjusted his glasses as he made notes, then returned to many of the same questions, repeating them.
“Have you ever been violent toward anyone?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever wished to harm anyone?”
“Yes, during duty-”
“Yes or no, please,” Yamashita made a note. “Did you ever wear the tennis shoes shown to you in the crime- scene photograph?”
“No.”
“Are you angry that Sister Anne was murdered?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know who killed her?”
Cooper hesitated for a moment.
“Do you know who killed her?”
“I think I know.”
“Answer yes or no, please. Did you ever kill a woman in combat?”
“Yes, but I-”
“Do you know the name of the person who killed Sister Anne?”
“No.”
“Do you hallucinate?”
“Yes.”
“Do you relive your combat action in which you kill those who killed your crew?”
“Yes.”
“Are you a danger to people?”
“I don’t know, please, I-”
“Did you ever threaten Sister Anne.”
“No.”
“Do you sometimes black out?”
“Yes.”
“Do you always remember your actions during a blackout?”
“No.”
“Did you kill Sister Anne?”
Cooper’s face was wet with tears.
“No. God, please no.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
D amn it. Damn this rain. Damn it.
Time was running out and Jason was losing it.
Seattle Police Headquarters took up half a block of downtown real estate at Cherry and Fifth. The twelve-story complex included the city’s municipal court building with its monolithic glass facade.
Tonight it was a fortress.
Jason was pacing in the pissing rain, desperate to talk to Grace Garner. He’d been shut down at every turn. No way were they going to let him inside and up to the Homicide Unit.
Not tonight.
He craned his neck to look up at the seventh-floor lights of the building. He knew Grace was up there with Perelli, likely working on Cooper.
But she wouldn’t answer her cell phone. Neither would Perelli, or Stan Boulder. He managed to squeeze a drip of information from Lynn Mann’s people at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
“Lynn’s definitely in Homicide with Gracie and this street guy, Cooper. It all flows from your story but you didn’t get it from me, pal.”
Damn it. That made it worse.
Were they questioning Cooper? Was he going to lead them to the killer?
Was Cooper the killer?
Maybe they were charging him?
Damn it, had he dropped the ball on the biggest story to hit the city in months?
Jason glanced at the time. If he was going to get anything in the first edition, it would have to be now. All right. An idea struck him. He reached for his cell phone to call back his source in Lynn Mann’s office.