"I'm ... I think.. ."
"Go ahead. Say it."
"I'm sure it's her. The one that got killed. And ... and that's the murderer, too, because he jerked her back.
They weren't hugging."
"They weren't?"
"No, no. "Cause he was grabbing her and she was pulling away and he.. ."
"What? jerked her back?"
"Yeah. Like that. A jerk, so she spinned around. And that's when I seen her."
"Did you see anything shiny, Gary? It would probably have been right then.
In that split second."
"Shiny?"
"We know there was a weapon."
"Boy, I don't..
"You don't see a weapon? We haven't found the weapon, yet. We don't know what he used to kill Sandy."
"Oh."
"So, look at his right hand. Most people are righthanded. It would probably be there."
Gary concentrated real hard, running the picture forward and backward while Downes waited quietly. He could see Sandy. She looked scared.
"What have you got, Gary?"
Gary's eyes opened. "Nothing more," he answered groggily. He was getting tired.
"But you know it's the killer and Sandy?"
Gary nodded. "I could see she was scared."
"Really', You didn't say that before. That's good. See, we're making progress. How are you holding up?"
"I'm hungry."
"Do you want a Coke and a burger?"
"A burger would be good."
"Let's take a break. Then, we'll try again."
An hour and a half later, Dennis Downes was frustrated and Gary Harmon looked exhausted. Gary's eyes were bloodshot and his hair was in disarray from the times he had run his fingers through it. The remains of a greasy hamburger, an empty can of Coke and several paper containers for coffee littered the tabletop. They had been over and over Gary's walk by the entrance to Wishing Well Park and Gary still would not give any more details.
Downes knew he ha reached a dea end with his current approach. He was thinking of giving up when an idea occurred to him.
"Straight across from me," Gary mumbled sleepily. "I know he's taller than she is, but I still can't see enough.
I'm sorry, Sergeant."
"It's okay, Gary. Don't apologize. You've given us our first clues and you've also given me an idea. A way to break through to the truth. Would you be willing to try one more thing before you go home?"
"I'm awful tired, but if you think I can help, I'll try."
"Terrific, Gary. Now, let me tell you my idea. If this doesn't work, we'll call it a night. Have you seen people on TV who can predict the future or read minds?"
Gary nodded.
"Those people are called psychics and some of them help the police. If there's a murder, you give them an object that belonged to the murdered person and they can project their supernatural mind into the mind of the killer through this object and find a missing body or see who did the killing through the dead victim's eyes.
Based on what I've seen you do, I suspect you have a very developed supernatural mind. I want you to use it to help me out."
"Gee, Sergeant, I've never done anything like that," Gary said. He was beat. All he wanted to do was sleep.
He didn't even think he had a supernatural mind.
"I'm not surprised you haven't used your supernatural mind," Downes said. "You didn't even know you had these powers of the subconscious mind, until tonight."
Downes stood and stretched. "We're gonna need something of Sandy's for this. You sit here while I get it.
Do you want another burger or some coffee?"
"That would be good."
Downes left the interrogation room and went next door. Becky O'Shay looked as if she was ready to fall asleep. Sitting next to her was Don Bosco, a short, squat man dressed in tan chinos and a short-sleeve shirt. Bosco had monstrously hairy forearms and bush eyebrows.
y There was even an extra-thick growth of black hair on the psychologist's ears.
"What was that all about?" Bosco asked when Downes entered the room.
"Just an idea I want to try," Downes said.
After he explained his plan, Downes asked, "What do you think, Becky?"
"I think he's covering up. You've got him admitting he saw the murder. We need to have him slipup on a detail that will prove he committed the murder.
I say, go for it."
"Do you see any problems, Don?" Downes asked.
Bosco looked troubled. "I think it could get riskyharmon is reacting like someone who's mentally handicapped..
"He's not that dumb."
"I don't know," Bosco answered hesitantly "And, even If he's of normal intelligence, he's awfully tired.
He's going to be susceptible to suggestion. You have to be very careful not to lead him. Even telling him that he will be able to see things with his psychic powers is suggestion."
"Okay. I'll be extra careful. Don't worry."
Gary held the picture of Sandra Whiley in one hand and her Crusader's Cross in the other. He was leery of holding the dead girl's jewelry, but Downes assured him the object would heighten the psychic forces.
"Okay, Gary, close your eyes and relax like you did before."
Downes waited in silence as Gary tilted his head back.
After a moment, his head sagged sideways until his cheek almost touched his shoulder. Gary's head was swimming. Fatigue loosened his grip on the Crusader's Cross and the chain slipped out of his hand and dangled just off the floor.
Can you feel the cross in your hand?" Downes asked.
"Uh huh."
"Good. Gary, I'm going to teach you a trick you can do with that cross because of your special powers. It's a trick us ordinary folks can't do and it's called 'projection transfer." That's Sandy's cross. She was wearing it when she was killed. I want you to project your supernatural mind into that cross and tell me what Sandy saw and what the killer saw. Let yourself go."
Gary let his mind run loose but the picture on the screen was scrambled.
"Do you see Sandy?" Downes asked.
"I'm starting to see them more along. You know, after I walked by," Gary said in a voice so heavy with fatigue that his words were slurred. "She ... she's ... He's holding her."
"All right," Downes said, suddenly excited. "This is what we want."
"He's hanging on to her."
"Like she's trying to get away?"
"Yeah. It seems like she slapped him."
"Sandy fought back?"
"Uh huh. And then ..."
"Yes, Gary. Concentrate. Use your powers."
"His right hand. It's like it was going down."
"Dropping or ... ?"
"Like he was hitting her."
"This is what we want. This is it, Gary. Now, we know he grabbed her and pulled her back and she whipped around. That's what you saw as you passed by.
Then she hit him and he hits her with his right hand.
Now I want you to look for one more thing. At this point, the unknown man is hitting her. It had to be with something. Something in his right hand.
What is he using? It's very important. I want you to look at his right hand through Sandy's eyes and tell me what you see."
Gary concentrated as hard as he could. What would it be? Then he remembered what the two women said at the wedding about the girl's face being chopped up.
What was it they said the killer used?
"I'm trying, but I can't picture it."
"If anyone can, you can, Gary. You have a power that no one else has. You are the man with the power."
Gary opened his eyes. "It's almost there, but.. ." Downes thought about the location of the head wounds. He stood up.
"Picture it, Gary," he said, unconsciously moving his right hand up and down. "Tell me what's in his hand."
Gary closed his eyes and recalled the autopsy photograph that Bob Patrick had shown him, just before he used the black light. Then, he remembered what the lady at the wedding had said.
"It's shiny," he said suddenly.