Panic filled his eyes.
"Turnaround and put your hands behind your back.”
"I don't understand. What's going on?”
"You're under arrest for the murder of Ray Coleman.”
Stephen swallowed hard, thought about his options for a moment, then decided his best course of action was to comply.
His client’s eyes rounded.
Stephen stood up and assumed the position.
I slapped the cuffs around his wrists. "You have the right to remain silent…”
I escorted him out of the cubicle and through the bank.
Curious patrons stared.
I walked him through the foyer and down the steps to a patrol car and stuffed him in the back.
Deputies searched his desk, but didn't find a weapon.
Deputy Clark drove the perp to the station.
We left the bank and searched Stephen’s apartment in the Trident Tower. In the nightstand by the bed, we found a .22 Ruger with a suppressor attached to the threaded barrel. There was no doubt in my mind the ballistics would match. The lab had already ruled out Bobby Boyd’s gun.
At the station, we filled out after-action reports, then paid Stephen a visit in the interrogation room. With a somber look on his face, he knew he wasn't getting out of this one.
I set his empty pistol on the table in an evidence bag.
Stephen’s eyes fixated on it for a moment, and he swallowed hard.
It was tragic. I almost felt bad for him. What happened to his sister was horrible.
"I don't think there's really anything to discuss at this point," I said. "You killed Ray Coleman. You thought he was responsible for your sister's death.”
The muscles in his jaw flexed. "He is responsible for my sister's death.”
I shook my head and told him the truth.
He didn't believe me.
"No,” he said. “That's not possible. Ray Corbin was the Bay Strangler.”
I showed him a picture of Earl Maddox. "That'sthe Bay Strangler."
Stephen looked at it for a moment. "Who's that?”
"That's the man who killed your sister. Not Ray Coleman.”
A look of dread filled his eyes, and his skin went pale. Mists of sweat sprouted on his forehead, and he swallowed. "I want an attorney."
It wasn't going to do him any good at this point.
JD and I pushed away from the table and walked to the door. A guard buzzed us out, and we joined the sheriff in the hallway.
Daniels had a grim look on his face. "We’ve got a little problem.”
