Fatal Reckoning (Fatal #14)(79)
“Yes, that’s it exactly.”
“Who else were they close to at that time?”
“Well, Joe, of course, and Jake Malone, Paul Conklin, Roy Gallagher.”
“The councilman?”
“Yes, he graduated from the academy with the guys, but he didn’t last a year on the force. Said it wasn’t for him after all. After he left the job, he didn’t hang out with the guys as much as he had before, but he still came around from time to time.”
“What did he do for work after he left the department?”
“I’m not really sure. We didn’t see much of him after he quit, but he ran for council, and he’s been there ever since, as you know.”
Sam pulled out her notebook and made a note to check out Gallagher’s life after his short stint in the department. “I had no idea he’d been a cop or that he was friends with my dad and the others.”
“Roy wasn’t like the rest of them. He had lofty ambitions that went far beyond the mundane life of a beat cop. Steven used to say Roy was too good for the job. It was clear early on that he wasn’t going to last long on the force.”
Sam took notes as Alice spoke. “What about Conklin? What’re your recollections of him?”
“He was kind of a hot mess back in the day. He and his wife had one of those marriages that would be on reality TV nowadays. Always fighting and never caring who was listening, which made the rest of us so uncomfortable. They drank a lot, so much that we used to wonder how he managed to get up for work the next day. Then it all blew up—the marriage and the drinking. Your dad took him in for a time, helped him get sober and probably saved his career in the process.”
Sam took notes of everything she said. “What was the first wife’s name?”
“Jane.”
“Do you know where she is now?”
“I have no idea. After they split, I never saw her again. She wasn’t really close to the other wives. We kept our distance, because the two of them were no fun to be around. Truthfully, we wondered why she stayed with him. He thought nothing of going off on her in front of everyone, and she’d just sit there and take it, like she was so immune to his nonsense she barely heard him anymore. It was awful to witness.”
“Sounds like it.” Bad marriages, Sam had discovered, came in all shapes and sizes. Some were physically abusive, others emotionally abusive and still others were lacking in important elements that made it possible for two people to spend a lifetime together.
“What did you think of him specifically?”
“At the time, I thought he was kind of a bully. He’d get drunk and mouthy, and Jane was his favorite target. I understand that he changed a lot after he quit drinking. I wouldn’t know. I never socialized with him again after Steven died.”
“Conklin wasn’t one of the officers who stepped up for you after he died?”
“No, he wasn’t. Your dad was there the most, along with Joe and Jake and people like Norm Morganthau, who was the medical examiner and a friend of Steven’s from childhood. But Paul never came around after the shooting. Of course, he was there for the funeral and everything, but not particularly for me.”
“I’m trying to get my head around the timing of things. Maybe you can help me with that. The guys graduated from the academy, went to work for the department, got married, hung out together, et cetera. Steven was killed, Conklin’s marriage broke up, he got sober… Do I have the order correct?”
“Paul and Jane broke up before Steven was killed. I remember that very distinctly. Steven expressed relief to me that their toxic soup of a marriage was over. He used those words—toxic soup. I remember thinking it was an apt description.”
“Okay, the Conklins split, Steven was killed and then Conklin got sober?”
Alice thought about that. “Yes. Your mom was a saint to put up with all the time your dad spent with me during those first few years after I lost Steven. I know it caused a lot of problems between them, but I was so thankful for Skip’s steady presence that I never stopped to question how hard it must’ve been for Brenda to share him with me.” She paused and glanced at Sam. “Why does all of this matter now?”
“It’s not public knowledge yet, but Conklin has been arrested for holding back info relevant to my dad’s shooting.” Sam told herself that the arrest would make the news at any time now, and everyone would know.
Shock registered in Alice’s expression. “How could he do that? He and your dad were friends and colleagues for thirtysomething years.”
“We’d all like to know.”
“How did you find out?”
“A call to the tip line from someone who was on G Street that day and interacted with Conklin, who had claimed to not be there. We were able to track down a first responder who could also attest to Conklin’s presence.”
“That’s just astonishing.”
“Indeed, and it’s imperative that you don’t share that info with anyone. We’re building a case that we hope will finally lead to answers in my dad’s case.”
“I won’t say a word. I promise.”
“You’ve been really helpful. I appreciate it.”
“I’m happy to do anything I can to help you get answers for Skip. He was one of the best friends I ever had, and I’ll never forget him. In many ways, he put me back together after I lost Steven.”