sitting?”
“She went back to the playground.”
“Why would she do that if she’d left it because some creep had scared her.”
“Maybe he was gone, the … creep.”
“What did you do after she left?”
“I went to the playground. There’s a little hill that looks down on the playground. I sat there.”
“On the ground?”
“Yes.”
“How long did you sit there?”
“Few hours, I guess.”
“That’s a long time.”
“I wanted to see him. I told you that.”
“The man who’d scared Cathy.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted to spot this guy.”
“Yes.”
“Why, Jay?”
“So I’d know who he was.”
“Why would you want to know that?”
“So I could watch him.”
“Watch him,” Cohen repeated. “Watch this guy.”
“Yes.”
“The fact is, you’ve been seen hanging around the playground quite a few times, right, Jay?”
“I need to keep an eye on the children.”
Cohen had heard this before, but now he thought of a way of turning Smalls’ answer back toward him, pressing it toward his guilt like the tip of a blade. “An eye on the children. You keep a protective eye on the children in the playground?”
Smalls looked at Cohen warily, like a man who’d suddenly felt an invisible noose tighten around his throat. “I know you don’t believe me.”
“Well, you have to admit, it’s a little hard to swallow, Jay. I mean, you got this guy hanging around Dubarry Playground. He’s creepy enough so that he scared Cathy Lake. But the thing is, nobody but you has evermentioned this guy. Why do you think that is, Jay? Don’t you think that if a lone man were hanging around the playground, someone besides you would notice him? Think about it. You got all those mothers who sit there, watching their kids on the swings and monkey bars. Don’t you think one of those mothers would have noticed some creepy guy in the playground?”
“I guess.”
“But no one did, Jay. No one noticed this guy you think maybe scared Cathy. But there was a guy people did notice. That guy was you, Jay. Several mothers identified you. We showed them pictures, and they picked you out as a guy they’d seen in the playground.”
“I never go in the playground.”
“That’s right, you don’t. But you hang around it, don’t you? You sit on that hill and you watch the children, isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you do that, Jay? Why do you hang around that playground?”
“I told you. Because they’re all in danger.”
“Yes, they are in danger, Jay,” Cohen said. “They’re in danger of you.”
“No, not me.” Smalls shook his head firmly. His voice took on a strangely inconsolable tone. “I wanted to save her.”
“Cathy Lake?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s say that’s true, Jay. You wanted to save Cathy. Cathy in particular, right?”
“Yes.”
“But why Cathy Lake in particular? You must have seen other little girls in the park all the time. But you noticed Cathy, didn’t you, Jay? You noticed her in particular.And you knew that if you noticed her, someone else might notice her too.”
“Someone did,” Smalls said in a pinched voice.
“This other man that no one else noticed,” Cohen said, recalling the many hours he and Pierce had wasted trying to find anyone else who’d seen a man in the playground, a man who’d “noticed” Cathy Lake. “We tried to find this guy, you know. We asked everyone we could find. The cops who patrol the park and the playground. The people who bring their children there. No one noticed anyone but you hanging around the playground, Jay.”
“Cathy noticed him. She was scared of him.”
“Okay, let’s talk about the day Cathy was murdered. You saw her that day too, didn’t you?”
“She was running away. It was raining, and she just ran by.”
“But you saw her, right?”
“I told you I did.”
“And you recognized her as the little girl you’d seen. Before.”
“Yes.”
“What was she wearing that day?”
“A
“She went back to the playground.”
“Why would she do that if she’d left it because some creep had scared her.”
“Maybe he was gone, the … creep.”
“What did you do after she left?”
“I went to the playground. There’s a little hill that looks down on the playground. I sat there.”
“On the ground?”
“Yes.”
“How long did you sit there?”
“Few hours, I guess.”
“That’s a long time.”
“I wanted to see him. I told you that.”
“The man who’d scared Cathy.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted to spot this guy.”
“Yes.”
“Why, Jay?”
“So I’d know who he was.”
“Why would you want to know that?”
“So I could watch him.”
“Watch him,” Cohen repeated. “Watch this guy.”
“Yes.”
“The fact is, you’ve been seen hanging around the playground quite a few times, right, Jay?”
“I need to keep an eye on the children.”
Cohen had heard this before, but now he thought of a way of turning Smalls’ answer back toward him, pressing it toward his guilt like the tip of a blade. “An eye on the children. You keep a protective eye on the children in the playground?”
Smalls looked at Cohen warily, like a man who’d suddenly felt an invisible noose tighten around his throat. “I know you don’t believe me.”
“Well, you have to admit, it’s a little hard to swallow, Jay. I mean, you got this guy hanging around Dubarry Playground. He’s creepy enough so that he scared Cathy Lake. But the thing is, nobody but you has evermentioned this guy. Why do you think that is, Jay? Don’t you think that if a lone man were hanging around the playground, someone besides you would notice him? Think about it. You got all those mothers who sit there, watching their kids on the swings and monkey bars. Don’t you think one of those mothers would have noticed some creepy guy in the playground?”
“I guess.”
“But no one did, Jay. No one noticed this guy you think maybe scared Cathy. But there was a guy people did notice. That guy was you, Jay. Several mothers identified you. We showed them pictures, and they picked you out as a guy they’d seen in the playground.”
“I never go in the playground.”
“That’s right, you don’t. But you hang around it, don’t you? You sit on that hill and you watch the children, isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you do that, Jay? Why do you hang around that playground?”
“I told you. Because they’re all in danger.”
“Yes, they are in danger, Jay,” Cohen said. “They’re in danger of you.”
“No, not me.” Smalls shook his head firmly. His voice took on a strangely inconsolable tone. “I wanted to save her.”
“Cathy Lake?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s say that’s true, Jay. You wanted to save Cathy. Cathy in particular, right?”
“Yes.”
“But why Cathy Lake in particular? You must have seen other little girls in the park all the time. But you noticed Cathy, didn’t you, Jay? You noticed her in particular.And you knew that if you noticed her, someone else might notice her too.”
“Someone did,” Smalls said in a pinched voice.
“This other man that no one else noticed,” Cohen said, recalling the many hours he and Pierce had wasted trying to find anyone else who’d seen a man in the playground, a man who’d “noticed” Cathy Lake. “We tried to find this guy, you know. We asked everyone we could find. The cops who patrol the park and the playground. The people who bring their children there. No one noticed anyone but you hanging around the playground, Jay.”
“Cathy noticed him. She was scared of him.”
“Okay, let’s talk about the day Cathy was murdered. You saw her that day too, didn’t you?”
“She was running away. It was raining, and she just ran by.”
“But you saw her, right?”
“I told you I did.”
“And you recognized her as the little girl you’d seen. Before.”
“Yes.”
“What was she wearing that day?”
“A
Similar Books
