CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Bobby Taylor was removed from his small seven by ten cell, handcuffed, and escorted to the interrogation room where Det. Miller was already waiting. The room was painted a simple light gray, with an elongated faded wooden table, accompanied by two wooden chairs, which sat opposite each other across the table, and had obviously seen better days. There was a small electric-fan atop a scratched-up dull-white file cabinet in the far corner.
Bobby was seated after his cuffs were removed at Miller’s request; the attending officer stepped outside and closed the door. Now the two men faced each other as Miller thumbed through a file with Mary Achtenberg’s name on it. As Bobby fidgeted in his chair, Miller patiently read over the evidential statements and officer notes contained in the file.
Looking up slowly, Miller’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Bobby; whose innate response was to humbly look down; like a small child being chastised for some unspeakable transgression.
“So Bobby, what have you to say for yourself?” Miller began, speaking in a relaxed, comfortable voice.
Bobby tuned right into the tone of his words and immediately became less afraid. “I didn’t want to hurt her; it wasn’t my idea to attack her. It was him; he made me do it.”
“Him, and just who might this ‘him’ be? Was it the blond-haired man?” Det. Miller asked patiently.
“No, the voice in my head; he said to go there and force her into the house. I didn’t want to do it, he made me do it. I’m not lying, I swear, it was all his idea. He wouldn’t leave me along. He just kept at me until I couldn’t stand it any longer; I swear I’m telling you the truth.” Bobby rattled on.
“Settle down now, it’s going to be okay, just tell me who it was you’re talking about? What voice told you to assault Mary Achtenberg? Was it God’s voice you heard?”
“No, no, no…it was…something like Lee…or Leo…something, I don’t remember, he only said his name once, it was a man’s voice, he told me to do it.” Bobby was trembling and turning paler by the minute.
“So this male voice told you to attack Mary; why her?”
“I don’t know why, he just told me when to go and to wait for her behind her house. He said he’d tell me more after I got her inside the house.”
Miller studied Bobby’s facial expressions, wondering if he was insane or just delusional, “Are you in contact with this voice right now?”
“No, I haven’t heard from him since I got caught.” Bobby was now sweating profusely.
Miller was now thinking about what Beau Camp had said about a male voice that had spoken to him, “So you’re saying you don’t have a clue what this voice wanted you to do to Mary Achtenberg? Were you thinking of robbing her?”
“I don’t know what I was supposed to do…the voice hadn’t told me yet. That guy jumped me before I could find out.”
“Who was the man who jumped you?” Miller continued.
“I don’t know; I never saw him around here before. I figured he must’ve been new in town.”
“Bobby, Bobby, Bobby…you expect me to believe you grabbed Mary, and you have no helluva idea why? And some guy you claim not to know, fought with you to save her? Don’t feed me this crap son. You think I was born yesterday? You better fess up to what you were really gonna do, or you’re lookin’ at some hard time in the slammer; you hear me boy?” Miller was staring straight into Bobby’s bloodshot eyes.
“I swear to Jesus that what I’m sayin’ is the god’s honest truth sir.” Bobby’s pleading didn’t faze Miller; he’d heard it all before from better liar’s than him.
“Officer!” Miller had Bobby taken back to his cell; figuring he’d let him sweat for a while and bring him back tomorrow morning for round two of his questioning. Since Sherry gave him such a beating, he figured he’d let her have a crack at him.