Chapter 15: The Confessional

“Mr. Gabriel Hirsch?” Cassidy queried into her desk telephone.

It was 10:22am Thursday when Cassidy made the call to Mr. Hirsch. His number was part of the information that Ryan and Alexandra gave her the night before. Earlier that morning, Cassidy tried to convince Dt. Hale to bring Robert Guffey into the precinct for questioning, but Dt. Hale and Dt. Vera Washington did not like the idea.

“Investigation by lottery is not how we do things,” Vera belittled. “We don’t have the time to bring in everyone who was at that concert and shake them to see what falls out.”

“Robert Guffey has no known connection to Eric Calder,” Dt. Hale continued without the condescending tone. “You need to find someone with motive and opportunity,” he lectured. “That’s how we build a case. Bringing in random suspects from the hundreds we have would be a waste of valuable time,” he finished with finality.

“You have to narrow the list down to a few plausible suspects,” Vera continued to speak in a patronizing manner. “We can’t just go eenie-meenie-miny-mo and drag someone in on the hope that he or she is the killer.”

Cassidy took immediate offense to Vera’s tone, but she could not think of a counter argument. According to Ryan and Alexandra’s information, Gabriel Hirsch was the actual killer. Without a picture of him at the concert she had only one way to explain how she knew Gabriel Hirsch was at the concert—the truth. Telling her fellow detectives that a pair of vampires used their trance inducing powers to track down the Pier 17 Concert killer was not an option for Cassidy. The idea she came up with for that problem was to bring Robert Guffey in for questioning and have him implicate Gabriel Hirsch in the killing. When Dt. Hale passed on her plan, Cassidy concluded that she would have to do this on her own.

The investigation into the James Dryden murder was not going well. After several days of investigating, Dt. Hale and his team had yet to find evidence to support their supposition that Kathryn Wells Dryden hired someone to murder her husband. Out of desperation for a lead to help their investigation, Dt. Hale was granted a warrant to search Kathryn Dryden’s home on the basis that James Dryden was the victim of a hired assassin and that she had the most to gain from his death. Searching Kathryn Dryden’s house was something that Dt. Hale had been reluctant to do. He did not want to put Kathryn Dryden on the defensive. After a week of investigating and finding nothing to support their theory that Kathryn ordered the murder of her husband, he concluded that he had nothing to lose in ordering the search.

At half past eight that morning, Detectives Hale, Washington, Greene and Russo set off for the home of Kathryn Dryden along with a dozen uniform officers. Cassidy was instructed to stay behind and continue searching for the identities of the Pier 17 concert goers and background information on each of them. Cassidy decided that this was the time to work her plan. She hoped to gather evidence against Gabriel Hirsch before Dt. Hale’s return to the squad room. She told herself that she would try to get one or more of the four young men into an interrogation room and then trick them into giving evidence that she could present to Dt. Hale.

Robert Guffey was the first-person Cassidy called, and he was easy enough to convince to come into the precinct. Cassidy repeatedly used the words suspect and warrant when referring to him and any reluctance by him to cooperate with the investigation. She told him it would be a quick in and out to look at some pictures, and she assured him that he was not a prime suspect. When Robert Guffey arrived an hour later, Cassidy placed him in an interrogation room with a stack of Pier 17 Concert pictures. Before leaving the room, she instructed Robert to look through the pictures to see if he could recall anything strange about anyone in them. She deliberately left a uniformed officer in the room to discourage Robert from taking any incoming calls from Gabriel Hirsch. Cassidy started her phone call to Gabriel Hirsch seconds after leaving Robert Guffey in the interrogation room.

“Yeah, this is Gabriel Hirsch,” the voice on the other end responded. “Who is this?”

“Mr. Hirsch, I’m Dt. Tremaine—Manhattan South Homicide—13th Precinct. Sir, I need you to come into the station to answer a few questions.”

For Gabriel Hirsch, the fact that a Manhattan South Detective was calling him was not wholly unexpected, but it was shocking. In the call he received from Robert Guffey an hour earlier, he was told that Dt. Tremaine only wanted Robert to come into the 13th Precinct to look at some pictures. Robert assured Gabriel that he had told them he went to the concert by himself. Gabriel was hoping that his presence at the concert would remain unknown to the police. Dt. Tremaine’s call shattered that hope.

“Questions about what?” Gabriel asked hesitantly.

“Mr. Hirsch, you’re one of several dozen suspects in the stabbing murder at the Pier 17 concert a few weeks back,” Cassidy asserted in a flat voice. “We need you to come in to answer a few questions and to look at some pictures,” Cassidy added with a hint of insistence.

“Hey, I don’t know anything about that killing,” Gabriel countered slightly nervous.

“Robert Guffey told us that you, Harold Casey and Jeffrey Yates were at the concert with him,” Cassidy reported, feigning surprise. “Was he lying?” Cassidy asked in a mildly confused tone.

The report that Robert had divulged his presence at the concert shocked Gabriel. In the phone call he got from Robert, he said that he told the police he attended the concert alone. The thought that Robert had lied filled him with dread. His dread elevated to fear when he considered what more he may have divulged about what happened at the Pier 17 Concert.

“We also know that you and the victim attended the same high school, so that makes you a person of particular interest to us,” Cassidy continued after a moment of silence.

“Hey, I didn’t know the guy,” Gabriel nearly argued back. “He graduated three years before me.”

“Mr. Hirsch, we’ve found more than a dozen individuals peripherally connected to Eric Calder who were at the concert. You’re pretty far away from being a prime suspect, but you are a suspect. Everyone at that concert who was not on the stage is a suspect. And anyone known to be in the general vicinity of the victim at the time of the murder must be interviewed. We’re bringing in a dozen people a day,” Cassidy explained. “If you want, I can send a car around to pick you up,” she concluded aloofly.

“I told you; I don’t know anything about Eric Calder, and I didn’t see anything,” Gabriel insisted.

“You may have seen more than you know,” Cassidy instructed. “We have dozens of pictures, and we need you to look at them.”

Gabriel began to become aware that his efforts to dissuade Cassidy from interviewing him was not going to work. He also suspected that his desperation was beginning to show. He quickly changed his tact and calmed down.

“You know, I really don’t have time,” Gabriel returned nonchalantly. “And I didn’t see Eric Calder or anything to do with that.”

“Mr. Hirsch, you’re one of more than 200 suspects in a murder investigation,” Cassidy countered with a stern voice. “If you don’t come in voluntarily, then we will send a car out to bring you in for an interview, but that’s just more work for us for an hour of your time. Robert Guffey is coming in for his interview now, and I will be calling Harold Casey and Jeffery Yates when I’m done with this call. It doesn’t have to be today, but I do need to set up a time for an interview—today or tomorrow if possible.”

Gabriel hesitated to respond. The thought that Robert was on his way to the precinct at that moment unnerved him. He wondered what Robert might say without him there to hold his hand. His mind raced to find the correct course of action.

“I’ll come in today,” Gabriel assured. “I can be there in a half an hour to an hour. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine,” Cassidy agreed with indifference. “When you arrive give the desk sergeant your name and tell him you have a meeting with Dt. Tremaine.”

Gabriel quickly agreed to Cassidy’s instructions then disconnected the call. Seconds later, he was dialing Robert. After a dozen rings and no answer, Gabriel thought of sending Robert a text, but he backed away from that idea after considering the danger of putting anything in writing. His new fear was that Robert was deliberately avoiding his call. He did not know that Robert was sitting in a small room with a police officer watching and listening to everything he did and spoke.

After Gabriel gave up trying to reach Robert by telephone; thoughts and fears bounced around in his head as he tried to decide how to proceed. The thought of going into the police station to be questioned about a murder that he committed terrified him. He was also afraid of running away. He knew that running would identify him as the person who killed Eric Calder. He was terrified of the possibility that Robert would tell Dt. Tremaine that he stabbed Eric Calder, but his brain kept doubting that he would do that. Shortly after the killing, he explained to Robert, Harold and Jeffery why they would be charged as accomplices if he was ever exposed as the killer. He remembered them promising never to tell anyone about what he did at that concert. At the end of his short internal debate, Gabriel decided to trust that his fears were all for nothing. In just over ten minutes after taking Cassidy’s call, Gabriel Hirsch was in his car and driving toward the 13th precinct.

~~~~~Line Break~~~~~

“I’m sorry, detective, but I don’t remember seeing most of these people. And the ones I do remember didn’t seem to be doing anything unusual,” Robert reported to Cassidy.

“That’s alright. Let’s talk about something you should remember,” Cassidy broached with a faint hint of a smile.

“I told you, when the police started pouring in and questioning people, that was the first time I heard and saw anything about this killing. I left with the crowd. That’s all I know,” Robert insisted with a shrug.

“Well, tell me this, are you sure you went to the concert alone?” Cassidy gently challenged.

“Yeah, I told you. I just wandered in. It was a free outdoor concert,” Robert insisted.

“So, you and three of your friends from your job didn’t go there together?” Cassidy queried with a stern stare.

“I told you. I went there alone,” Robert nervously answered.

“That’s different than the story that Mr. Yates told us,” Cassidy countered with a dismayed looked.

“What did he say?” Robert asked in a panic.

“I’m interested in what you have to say,” Cassidy sternly advised. “Did Gabriel Hirsch kill Eric Calder?” She questioned in a flat monotone delivery.

“I told you. I went there by myself,” Robert insisted in a panicked voice.

“Are you sure you want to stick to that story?” Cassidy asked with a calculating frown.

“It’s not a story,” Robert insisted with discernible desperation. “That’s what happened.”

“So, Gabriel Hirsch didn’t take a knife that he kept in his boot and stab Eric Calder in the back?” Cassidy questioned with a sly shake of her head.

“No—I mean, I told you, I was there by myself,” Robert continued to insist with growing agitation.

“Well, this is my problem, Mr. Guffey,” Cassidy began in a soft voice. “I need to build a case against Gabriel Hirsch, and to do that I need witnesses. One witness is good—two is better. To accomplish that, I’m prepared to recommend reduced charges for an accomplice who testifies against Gabriel Hirsch. So far, Mr. Yates is the only taker of that offer. If I can get another accomplice to verify the same set of facts, that’s a strong case. Now, I haven’t spoken to Mr. Casey yet, but if he takes the deal, I doubt the D.A. will feel the need to offer a deal for a third accomplice.”

Robert was severely unnerved by what Cassidy said. His panic was evident. He devoted several seconds to panting in fear and pondering what he should say or do.

“Gabe doesn’t even know that guy. Why would he kill him?” Robert queried with a heavy undertone of fear in his voice.

“Well, Mr. Yates is telling us a different story about a girl in high school that Mr. Hirsch had a crush on in his freshman year and how Mr. Calder swooped in and snatched her up,” Cassidy casually explained. “Of course, he gave us details, like her name and the things that went on between them—the pregnancy.”

A noticeable expression of shock appeared on Robert’s face. Cassidy feigned indifference to his shocked expression.

“I can give details, but I need to hear those details from you,” Cassidy added with a fixed stare.

“I want a lawyer—I mean public defender; I want a public defender,” Robert huffed in terror.

“That’s a good idea,” Cassidy agreed with fake sincerity and while getting up from her chair. “And I will certainly get one in here for you,” she continued with an affirmative nod of her head. “Although, I don’t think he or she will get here before Mr. Casey,” Cassidy bluffed with a brief look at her watch. “But good luck with that,” she finished just before turning toward the door.

“Wait! What’s the deal—what’s the offer?” Robert pleaded at Cassidy’s back.

Cassidy stopped and turned to look at Robert with a mildly astonished expression.

“Let me get my lieutenant in here to spell it out for you,” Cassidy announced with a confident nod.

Cassidy promptly left without showing any indication that she was happy with Robert’s decision. As soon as she was out of the interrogation room, she hurried to Lieutenant Laughton’s office and explained the situation. Lieutenant Laughton quickly called the D.A.’s office and got the sentencing deal they were prepared to give Robert Guffey in exchange for his written confession. The deal was faxed to them. In less than twelve minutes after Cassidy left Robert Guffey, she and Lieutenant Laughton were walking through the doorway of his interrogation room shortly after its arrival. A video camera was set up in the room and turned on. Robert Guffey was then advised of the charges that would be filed against him and the sentences he would face with and without his confession. He was then given the paperwork on the plea deal and instructed to sign it. For nearly a minute, Robert Guffey agonized over the decision to sign the agreement or not, but in the end he did.

“This plea deal goes into effect after you provide us with a complete and accurate confession and you testify to the accuracy of your confession. If you lie or omit significant details, the agreement is void,” Lt. Laughton sternly advised. “Do you understand?”

Robert Guffey acknowledged his understanding and then reluctantly answered all of Cassidy’s questions in front of the camera. When Cassidy finished with her questioning, Robert wrote out and signed his confession. He was nearly at the end of his written confession when Cassidy got a call on her cellphone and went out of the room to take it. The call was from the precinct’s front desk. The officer reported to her that Gabriel Hirsch was in the lobby.

Cassidy did not want to meet Gabriel Hirsch without Robert Guffey’s confession in her hand and she instructed the front desk to have him wait. Cassidy then went back into the interrogation room and waited for Robert Guffey to finish writing his confession. It was ten minutes later when Cassidy came face to face with Gabriel Hirsch for the first time.

“Mr., Hirsch?” Cassidy greeted with a smile.

“Yeah,” Gabriel concurred as he rose from his seat.

Cassidy briefly stopped in front of him while holding her smile.

“Good, let’s get you started so that we can get you out of here as soon as possible,” Cassidy quickly spoke as she led him past the front desk.

As Cassidy continued toward her squad room, she apologized for the hurried pace and explained how they were interviewing as many as fifteen people a day, and we’re finding new faces almost daily.

“Speaking of new faces, did you do any photographing or recordings of the concert?” Cassidy stopped to query with a keen stare.

“No,” Gabriel answered with a shake of his head.

Cassidy accepted Gabriel’s answer with a quick nod, and then she continued walking. Everything Cassidy was saying and doing was her way of trying to put Gabriel at ease. When she entered her squad room, she led Gabriel toward her desk. As they moved toward the desk, two large, uniformed officers came up behind Gabriel. When he and Cassidy stopped, the two officers stopped. Cassidy turned to confront Gabriel while he nervously looked at the two officers.

“Gabriel Hirsch, you’re under arrest for the murder of Eric Calder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. Do you understand your rights?” Cassidy finished with a stern stare.

Gabriel was shocked by the sudden change in his situation. While he was in the midst of taking in what was happening, the two uniformed police officers handcuffed him.

“Do you understand your rights?” Cassidy asked again.

Gabriel was still in a state of shock. For a brief time, he looked at Cassidy with an astonished expression.

“I didn’t kill Eric Calder,” Gabriel pleaded with a hint of hysteria in his tone.

Gabriel continued to plead his innocence while the officers led him away to an interrogation room. He quickly demanded a public defender and was provided with one less than an hour later. Just under an hour after the public defender arrived, Gabriel Hirsch confessed to the murder of Eric Calder. His public defender had advised him against going to trial because of the D.A.’s possession of Robert Guffey’s confession. The public defender also warned him that Harold Casey and Jeffery Yates would likely testify against him in trade for lighter sentences. To avoid the longer jail term that the D.A. was threatening to pursue in a trial, Gabriel Hirsch wrote out and signed a full confession.

When Dt. Hale returned from his fruitless search of Kathryn Dryden’s home, he found Cassidy in Lt. Laughton’s office with an Assistant District Attorney. He quickly joined their discussion and learned that Cassidy had closed the Pier 17 stabbing murder and how she did it. The discovery that Cassidy had taken the action that he instructed her not to do was a surprise to him, but Dt. Hale felt compelled to not make an issue of it with her because of the celebratory mood in the office. He also felt some gratitude toward Cassidy for adding the arrest to the team’s total.

In the squad room, members of the other two detective teams told Detectives Greene, Russo and Washington about Cassidy’s single-handed collar of the Pier 17 murderer and his three accomplices. Cassidy’s three team members were amazed and confused; Dt. Vera Washington added a hefty helping of spite. When Cassidy came out of Lt. Laughton’s office and went to her desk, Russo and Greene softly applauded her. Vera gave her an angry glare.