He sat in an interrogation room with Joe Wilson from DCPD, Dr. Wentworth, and the two operatives from Intercontinental Detective Agency, Gita Ramana and Maria Theresa Diaz.
"We brought Milford here to identify you," Wentworth began. "We couldn't be sure you were the same person who got busted for bunko in Indianapolis. Without that history, Joe here couldn't get a search warrant for your office. Gita thought it might be you, but you lost a lot of weight so she couldn't be sure. Milford gave us a positive ID and that would have been enough to get a warrant and confiscate your computers. With the information on your computers, I feel fairly sure that we could have nailed you on that shadow web site. You might even have gotten a couple years. But then you decide to whack Milford which raised the ante considerably."
Garner sat impassively, so Wentworth continued. "What I don't understand is why you killed Milford. It was easy enough to connect him to you and the downside is much greater now. I thought you were a lot smarter than that."
"But, I didn't kill Milford," Garner protested. "You got me on bunko for the cyber scam. I'll confess openly to that. But I didn't touch Milford."
"Of course, you did," Wilson argued. "You saw Milford at the Syncopation Nation and knew he could identify you and blow the whistle. Gita saw you point him out to Rose, so we know that you recognized him. The way we piece it together, you followed him back to his motel, snuck up to him from behind and cracked his skull. You might be a master of bunko, but when it comes to murder, you are an amateur. You left clues all over the place. A ten year old playing cops and robbers could have tracked you down."
"What clues?" Garner protested. "How could I leave clues if I wasn't even there?"
"Well the big clue is your ugly stick. After you whacked Milford on the back of the head you just chucked it in the alley next to the building, like we would never look for it there. Your finger prints are all over it as are bits of blood, hair, and flesh from Milford."
"All that proves is that I touched the stick and it was the stick that killed Milford. It does prove that I killed him," Garner argued.
"And I suppose you have better explanation," Joe prodded.
"Sure, I do." Garner explained. "I used that ugly stick for protection when I had to walk home late at night from Syncopation Nation. I often lent it to Rose when she was working late in the lab. She probably left it in the lab and somebody picked it up. It's a nice stick. It's mahogany with an iron core. It's balanced perfectly. You can throw it or whack somebody with it. And it feels good in your hand. It wouldn't surprise me at all if some kid at the university didn't pick it and keep it. I haven't seen it for weeks."
"That's plausible," Joe conceded, " but you still need motive, and the only person in the entire District of Columbia who had a motive to kill Barney Milford was you. I'm afraid we've got you nailed on this one. I suggest that you work a deal and toss in your cyber con scheme to sweeten the pot." With that Joe Wilson got up and walked out leaving Garner to face Wentworth and the two ops on the cyber scam.
"OK, Garner," Wentworth began, "start explaining. You were just a novice when it comes to computers. You were barely able to get through that class of mine. You didn't build that web site and that maze of blind web sites and dark email servers. That took more expertise that you'll every have in your whole life. What I want to know is did Rose help you."
"No!" Garner protested, a little more forcefully than he had intended. "Rose had nothing to do with this."
"I'd like to believe that," Wentworth countered, "but how do you explain all those sophisticated features and blind alleys you had. We found it impossible to trace you until we actually had access to your computers. Even then it was no easy feat. How did you do it?"
"I had help," Garner admitted not wanting to give away any more than he had to.
"Who's help?" Wentworth demanded.
"A friend of yours," Garner began, slyly. He slid comfortably back in his chair, crossed his arms across his chest and smiled with great satisfaction. "A friend of yours," he repeated, "Franklin Verus Haggerty of the MOV."
Wentworth had been staring out the window feigning disinterest in what Garner was saying. With this revelation his head snapped back and his eyes bored holes through Garner. "Who did you say?"
"Franklin Verus Haggerty," Garner repeated sounding out each syllable with great satisfaction.
"How did you find Haggerty?" Wentworth pressed.
"Well, you told me to look for him so I did. And I found him. But he also found me and threatened to expose me if I revealed where he was. So instead we made a deal, a consulting arrangement of sorts. Haggerty helped me set up the masks and I cut him in for a percentage of the action."
"How did Haggerty know that you were giving him is fair share?" Wentworth asked.
Garner did not answer but grinned at Wentworth with a look that said, "You cannot possibly be so naïve as to ask that question."
"So Haggerty helped you with the setup and Rose had nothing to do with it. She didn't even help with the web site?" Wentworth pursued.
"Rose knew nothing about it," Garner lied. "It was just me and Haggerty."
"And why are you giving up Haggerty now," Wentworth pressed.
"Well, in the first place," Garner began, "the information he has on me is out, so he has no leverage. And in the second place, it doesn't matter if I give him up because you'll never find him."
"Well, that remains to be seen," said Wentworth gruffly. "We might put in a good word or two with Joe Wilson if you will help us get Haggerty."
Garner just shrugged. Everybody knew that Wentworth's offer was empty.
"Alright, we have enough for now," Wentworth said rising from the interrogation table. "Let's see what we can find on those computers."
Wentworth and Ramana got up and started walking out of the room.
"I'll catch up," said Maria, I still have a couple of questions for Garner.
When Wentworth and Ramana had left the room and closed the door behind them, Maria leaned forward and looked Garner directly in the eyes with a hard cold stare.
"You are a son of a bitch, Garner Bullis," she began. "You are a despicable, loathsome, lowlife son of a bitch. I used to believe in people until I met you. Now I look for the motives behind every action. I lost my innocence to you and nothing pleases me more than to see you get stuck with a murder wrap. I can't get even with you, but it gives me pleasure to know that you will never take advantage of another person."
"I don't hear you complaining about the money you made on the case," Garner replied callously.
"Don't give me that false bravado," Maria countered. "You aren't as tough as you think you are. And anyway I still see a ray of hope in you."
"And what ray might that be?" said Garner sarcastically.
"I think that Rose really did help you build that site and you are covering for her because you really care about her. For the first time in your life you are doing something decent. You are putting the concerns of somebody you care about in front of your own concerns. Maybe there is still some good somewhere in a deep protected corner of that black heart of yours."
Garner dropped all pretense and looked once again like an innocent little boy. "OK, OK," he conceded. "I'm not saying that Rose had anything to do with the web site nor will I. And you are right that I care a great deal about her. But I will never see her again because I would never let her see me this way. She will think that I just moved on without her. But I would rather have her think that than to know what I really am." A tear rolled down his cheek and his voice trembled. He was not at all used to honesty and it was not coming easily to him.
Maria nodded without speaking. Despite her deep cynicism she knew that he could not be faking this moment.
"Maybe you can do one little favor for me, just to show that you are a bigger person than I am." Garner said.
"And what might that be?" Maria asked with great suspicion.
"When the police are done going over my apartment, go there and open the top dresser drawer. In it are a few things of Rose's and a few things that she bought for me. Put them in a box and bring to me. I would like to keep them with me."
"And the rest of the stuff?" Maria asked.
"You can toss the rest of it," Garner replied, "none of the rest of it means anything."
"For the good you found in your heart with Rose, I will do this one favor for you", Maria said solemnly. With that she left the interrogation room and met up with Wentworth and Ramana.