informed David Chapman of the change in representation on Sunday afternoon and had obtained his audiotape of his initial interview with James Barr. Chapman had been happy to hand it over and wash his hands. She had played the tape to herself a dozen times Sunday night and a dozen more that morning. It was all anyone had of James Barr.
Maybe all anyone was ever going to get. So she had listened to it carefully, and she had drawn some early conclusions from it.
'Listen,' she said.
She had the tape cued up and ready in an old-fashioned machine the size of a shoe box. She pressed play and they all heard a hiss and breathing and room sounds and then David Chapman's voice: 'I can't help you if you won't help yourself. There was a long pause, full of more hiss, and then James Barr spoke: They got the wrong guy. They got the wrong guy, he said again.
Then Helen watched the tape counter numbers and spooled forward to Chapman saying:
Denying it is not an option. Then Barr's voice came through: Get Jack Reacher for me. Helen spooled onward to Chapman's question: Is he a doctor? Then there was nothing on the tape except the sound of Barr beating on the interview room door.
'OK,' Helen said. 'I think he really believes he didn't do it. He claims as much, and then he gets frustrated and terminates the interview when Chapman doesn't take him seriously. That's clear, isn't it?'
'He didn't do it,' Rosemary Barr said.
'I spoke with my father yesterday,' Helen Rodin said.
'The evidence is all there, Ms Barr. He did it, I'm afraid.
You need to accept that a sister maybe can't know her brother as well as she'd like. Or if she once did, that he changed for some reason.' There was a long silence.
'Is your father telling you the truth about the evidence?
' Rosemary asked.
'He has to,' Helen said. 'We're going to see it all anyway. There's the discovery process. We're going to take depositions. There would be no sense in him bluffing at this point' Nobody spoke.
'But we can still help your brother,' Helen said, in the silence. 'He believes he didn't do it. I'm sure of that, after listening to the tape. Therefore he's delusional now. Or at least he was, on Saturday. Therefore perhaps he was delusional on Friday, too.' 'How does that help him?'
Rosemary Barr asked.
'It's still admitting he did it.'
'The consequences will be different. If he recovers.
Time and treatment in an institution will be a lot better than time and no treatment in a maximum security prison.' 'You want to have him declared insane?'
Helen nodded. 'A medical defence is our best shot.
And if we establish it right now it might improve the way they handle him before the trial.' 'He might die. That's what the doctors said. I don't want him to die a criminal.
I want to clear his name.' 'He hasn't been tried yet. He hasn't been convicted.
He's still an innocent man in the eyes of the law.'
'That's not the same.'
'No,' Helen said. 'I guess it isn't.'
There was another long silence.
'Let's meet back here at ten thirty,' Helen said. 'We'll thrash out a strategy. If we're aiming for a change of hospitals, we should try for it sooner rather than later.'
'We need to find this Jack Reacher person,'
Rosemary Barr said.
Helen nodded. 'I gave his name to Emerson and my father.' "Why?" 'Because Emerson's people cleared your brother's house out. They might have found an address or a phone number. And my father needed to know because we want this guy on our witness list, not the prosecution's. Because he might be able to help us.'
'He might be an alibi.'
'Maybe an old army buddy, at best'
'I don't see how,' Franklin said. 'They were different ranks and different branches.'
'We need to find him,' Rosemary Barr said. 'James asked for him, didn't he?
That has to mean something.'
Helen nodded again. 'I'd certainly like to find him. He might have something for us. Some exculpatory information, possibly. Or at least he might be a link to something we can use.'
'He's
Maybe all anyone was ever going to get. So she had listened to it carefully, and she had drawn some early conclusions from it.
'Listen,' she said.
She had the tape cued up and ready in an old-fashioned machine the size of a shoe box. She pressed play and they all heard a hiss and breathing and room sounds and then David Chapman's voice: 'I can't help you if you won't help yourself. There was a long pause, full of more hiss, and then James Barr spoke: They got the wrong guy. They got the wrong guy, he said again.
Then Helen watched the tape counter numbers and spooled forward to Chapman saying:
Denying it is not an option. Then Barr's voice came through: Get Jack Reacher for me. Helen spooled onward to Chapman's question: Is he a doctor? Then there was nothing on the tape except the sound of Barr beating on the interview room door.
'OK,' Helen said. 'I think he really believes he didn't do it. He claims as much, and then he gets frustrated and terminates the interview when Chapman doesn't take him seriously. That's clear, isn't it?'
'He didn't do it,' Rosemary Barr said.
'I spoke with my father yesterday,' Helen Rodin said.
'The evidence is all there, Ms Barr. He did it, I'm afraid.
You need to accept that a sister maybe can't know her brother as well as she'd like. Or if she once did, that he changed for some reason.' There was a long silence.
'Is your father telling you the truth about the evidence?
' Rosemary asked.
'He has to,' Helen said. 'We're going to see it all anyway. There's the discovery process. We're going to take depositions. There would be no sense in him bluffing at this point' Nobody spoke.
'But we can still help your brother,' Helen said, in the silence. 'He believes he didn't do it. I'm sure of that, after listening to the tape. Therefore he's delusional now. Or at least he was, on Saturday. Therefore perhaps he was delusional on Friday, too.' 'How does that help him?'
Rosemary Barr asked.
'It's still admitting he did it.'
'The consequences will be different. If he recovers.
Time and treatment in an institution will be a lot better than time and no treatment in a maximum security prison.' 'You want to have him declared insane?'
Helen nodded. 'A medical defence is our best shot.
And if we establish it right now it might improve the way they handle him before the trial.' 'He might die. That's what the doctors said. I don't want him to die a criminal.
I want to clear his name.' 'He hasn't been tried yet. He hasn't been convicted.
He's still an innocent man in the eyes of the law.'
'That's not the same.'
'No,' Helen said. 'I guess it isn't.'
There was another long silence.
'Let's meet back here at ten thirty,' Helen said. 'We'll thrash out a strategy. If we're aiming for a change of hospitals, we should try for it sooner rather than later.'
'We need to find this Jack Reacher person,'
Rosemary Barr said.
Helen nodded. 'I gave his name to Emerson and my father.' "Why?" 'Because Emerson's people cleared your brother's house out. They might have found an address or a phone number. And my father needed to know because we want this guy on our witness list, not the prosecution's. Because he might be able to help us.'
'He might be an alibi.'
'Maybe an old army buddy, at best'
'I don't see how,' Franklin said. 'They were different ranks and different branches.'
'We need to find him,' Rosemary Barr said. 'James asked for him, didn't he?
That has to mean something.'
Helen nodded again. 'I'd certainly like to find him. He might have something for us. Some exculpatory information, possibly. Or at least he might be a link to something we can use.'
'He's
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