Page 7 of The Accomplice
Something had caused a change in Peltier’s tactics for Carrie Miller’s defense. There had been a development which had meant he couldn’t try the case. I was sure of it. No lawyer would pass up a trial like this.
‘What was the last pre-trial motion ?’ I asked, fixing my stare on Peltier.
The question caused the skin around his eyes to tighten.
‘Prosecution motion for inspection and seizure of a number of files from Mr. Peltier’s office,’ said Kate. ‘All the files and papers pre-dated Mrs. Miller’s arrest, am I right ?’
Peltier nodded, slowly.
I swallowed the last of the coffee. Denise, who was standing behind the assembled group, folded her arms. She knew me well enough to tell when my brain was finally kicking into life.
‘We’re not getting off to the best of starts, Mr. Peltier. You haven’t lied, but you haven’t told us the whole truth either. That stops. Right now. I’m going to ask you some questions. If you lie, this meeting is over and you can take your case along with your expensive suit into the street. Do I make myself clear ?’
‘I was intending to divulge everything once you had agreed to take the case, and then our conversation would fall under attorney-client privilege,’ he said, with a smile.
He had been holding back, and this was a decent excuse. Attorney-client privilege is the basis of the profession. Anything your client tells you directly, or through another party, is private. You don’t reveal it to anyone, and no one is allowed to ask you about it or look at your notes or any client documents. For the DA to get access to Peltier’s files there must have been a damn good reason.
‘What led the DA’s office to your old files ?’ I asked.
‘Payments detailed on bank records, from Carrie Miller to my firm, for legal advice,’ he said.
That was the truth. No question about it.
‘What was in the files ?’
‘To give that information I am breaking attorney-client privilege …’ he began.
‘It’s already broken if the DA has the files. What were they looking for ?’
‘They were looking for any information in my possession that implicated Carrie Miller in the murder of six of the Sandman’s victims.’
Another honest answer. And something I had anticipated.
‘And what did they find ?’ I asked.
He answered straight away. No hesitation.
‘They found notes I’d made of a number of meetings with Mrs. Miller. And her diaries, which she wished me to hold for her. Before you ask, those meetings were about potential divorce proceedings on the grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment. Mrs. Miller told me that she suspected her husband was a serial killer.’
‘She knew ?’ asked Kate.
‘She did notknow. Shesuspected,’ said Peltier, gently.
‘And she did nothing about this, is that right ? She didn’t go to the police ?’ asked Harry.
‘No, she did not. There were several clauses in the prenuptial agreement which would have been triggered by a police report if the allegation turned out to be false, that is. If the allegation were made and not proven, Mrs. Miller would forfeit her right to a share of the marital property and assets. In other words, she would be throwing eight million dollars away with a phone call.’
‘Eight million, that would’ve been her share from the divorce ?’ asked Kate.
Peltier nodded.
‘This changes the case,’ said Harry. ‘The DA can give the jury eight million reasons for Carrie to keep her mouth shut and help her husband escape the police.’
Harry was right. Carrie Miller couldn’t make the case that she knew nothing of her husband’s crimes, all she could say is she wasn’t sure. She would have a hard time convincing any jury of that fact.
There were a lot of serial killers who carried out their crimes while happily married. Far as I could remember, none of their wives knew or even suspected them. None of them were charged as an accomplice. Every talking head, on every news channel, was discussing this case. Oprah did a special on it, even though Carrie refused to appear on the show. The question on everyone’s lips was –How could you not know you were married to a killer ?In some ways, we engage with stories like these because we want reassurance. That there was some clear sign or indication that these men were killers, and their wives ignored it. The public want to know that they would’ve spotted the signs, that they would not have been so easily duped. In reality, the wives of killers never suspect a thing.
That’s disconcerting on a number of levels.
