“Sullivan,” Carter said. “You’re next.”
Sullivan walked up to the desk. He was shaking slightly.
“Okay,” Carter said. “Let’s make this easy. What were you doing the instant that Freeman was shot and killed?”
“I was reading a poster,” Sullivan said.
“A poster?” Carter asked
“Yeah. I wasn’t all that interested by the rat trap. I’d already seen something like it before. I actually noticed the poster while Elliott was talking to us about the trap. When Elliott left the basement, I walked away from the trap to go read it. It has something to do with World War II. It’s over there.
Sullivan pointed to a far wall. There was indeed a large poster with large amounts of writing on the wall.
Carter nodded.
“Stewart and Anderson both claim to have been observing the trap when the shot went off,” he said. “Was this true?”
Sullivan nodded.
“Howard claims to have turned around upon hearing a noise. Was this true?”
“I didn’t see him turn around. But I saw him looking at the trap.”
“Okay. Now, what I need to know is simple. Did you know Freeman personally before his death?”
“Yes. I worked with him at the hotel."
“How long did he work there before his death tonight?”
“About three and a half years.”
“Did the two of you get along?”
“Yes, we did…at first."
“And then what happened?”
“He tried to steal from me."
“A paycheck, if I’m correct.”
Sullivan got a surprised look on his face.
“Yeah, how did you know that?"
“Freeman told me.
“Oh, of course."
“So, when he tried to rob you of your paycheck, you never told anyone about it?”
“That is correct.”
“And why didn’t you?”
“If I would have told anybody about it, he would’ve probably gotten fired. I know he needed the job. He owed a large amount of money to Stewart. I just decided to give him a second chance.”
“But you didn’t trust him after that night, did you?"
“No, I did not. From that day forth, whenever I got my paycheck, I stuffed it in my pocket instantly. I also told my wife about what happened, and now she doesn’t trust him, either. She actually already didn’t trust him because of his past drug addictions and arrests.”
“That makes plenty of sense. Now I must ask: were you ever afraid to work with Freeman?”
Sullivan took a deep breath.
“At first, I was,” he said. “I was because of his history. But then once I got to knew him, I wasn’t so much. I got along well with him. But then, there came the day he tried to steal my paycheck…”
“…and you started to feel afraid of him again.
Sullivan’s fingers started to twitch
“Yes,” he said. “Yes, I admit it. The day he tried to steal from me, I started to fear him.”
“What did you fear?”
“I didn’t think it would be like him to steal. Or, at least, not like his typical self. His typical self is when he isn’t on drugs. I was starting to worry that his addiction was coming back.”
“Freeman has been sober for about four years."
“I was still worried. Everyday, I had a feeling that the next day I would arrive at work and would see him on a drug rampage. I actually used to have nightmares about it.”
“So you never actually felt safe working with him?
Sullivan shook his head. “Not at all. That’s why I hardly ever made eye contact with him or talked to him. I just didn’t have the nerve to.”
Carter cleared his throat.
“It’s possible for somebody to not feel comfortable working with another certain person. And they become so uncomfortable that they just want that person to go. So they decide to murder that person.”
Sullivan became wide-eyed.
“I would never kill anybody!” he said.
“You are the fourth suspect,” Carter said. “And the fourth suspect to deny being the murderer."
“I’m being honest! I didn’t kill Freeman. Not only is murder wrong, but I know the consequences. I would never want to take those risks. I have a family.”
“You seem to care very much about your family.
“They are the first thing on my mind. And the first thing in my heart. Whenever I am at work, I always look forward to coming home. Giving my wife a kiss. Giving my kids a hug. It feels great."
“Mmmmm."
“I’m going to be perfectly honest. Whenever I give my daughter a kiss goodnight, I feel upset because a day of her life is gone forever. I also feel that way with my son. It’s hard to watch my children grow. And yet, I want to watch my children grow. I want to be with them everyday as they get older. They will only be children once, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible.”
Carter nodded.
“If I went to prison, then I wouldn’t get that time with them. Just thinking about that breaks my heart. My daughter tells me that she loves me everyday. And I want to show her that I love her back. So I never do anything that would take me away from her or the rest of my family. That especially includes murder.”
“You may care so much about your family,” Carter said. “But do you at all care about the fact that Freeman is dead?"
“I never said I didn’t care about him,” Sullivan said. “He may have problems, but that is no reason for him to deserve to die. I am sure he has family. And it actually hurts me knowing that his family will be upset hearing about his death.”
“Okay, then. I just want to be absolutely sure about one thing: You aren’t the one who killed Freeman?"
“I am not. As I said, I love my family too much.
“Very well, than,” Carter said. “You are free to go.”
Sullivan stood up. But before he left, he said: “My children are probably at home in bed, upset because their Daddy never gave them their goodnight kiss. That thought crushes me.”
Carter could not help but think about his own child. How many years had it been since Dennis told his father that he loved him?580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sxsAoveI4
and then Add to home screen.