Vignette 1
Four men sat in silence around a polished oval table. The room was quiet, sounds from the street muffled by the elevation, deep carpets and thick draperies at each window. A mantel clock ticked off the seconds. Silence had lengthened uncomfortably for three of the men; the fourth rested his case, in obstinacy, thought his companions, and was unmoved by their collective pleas.
Finally, the crown prosecutor tapped his fingers on the stack of papers in front of him, and grunted. "So, Detective Murdoch, you are refusing under any circumstances to press charges on Mr Gillies for your kidnaping and attempted murder? I find your behavior most peculiar and I am beginning to wonder if you have been affected psychologically by your ordeal…..And if you are even fit for duty, " he added for emphasis. He had hoped that a little blackmail would suffice to get the detective to change his mind, as logic and common sense failed so far. He was uncomfortable with the persuasion he was getting from the "powers that be" to widen the charges at the arraignment, but he also personally did not like to leave loose ends. He saw that the gambit made the Chief Constable and Inspector angry, but that it had no visible effect on the detective.
William replied calmly. "Gentlemen. I say again. The victim here is Dr Garland. It is his murder that requires justice. You have all the proof needed to convict James Gillies, and no additional charges will make any difference in the outcome or his sentence. The fact that he intended both Dr Ogden and myself to also die, considering he made sure that it would be difficult if not impossible to stop," he stumbled almost imperceptibly on the next words, "her…hanging, is still irrelevant to the case before you. James Gillies would use the additional charges and prosecution to make a circus out of the trial and deflect from his crime. It will indulge his need for attention and he will surely take the opportunity to mock the constabulary and the court, and drag Dr Ogden through the process. That should sway you, if nothing else." The detective looked deliberately at each man, one by one, and did not remove his gaze until the other man dropped his eyes, even Giles.
The prosecutor gathered his papers and stood. "I have half a mind to charge you and Dr Ogden with obstruction of justice, detective." He saw that got Murdoch's attention. "She said roughly the same thing about Gillies' kidnapping of her and burying her alive. She is declining at this time to testify." The detective seemed surprised. Apparently each of them had come to that conclusion independently. Interesting….
William started to react but the Chief Constable spoke first. "Detective Murdoch has a point, gentlemen. In my opinion, Mr Gillies' personal vendetta against the detective should be minimized to give the defense as little opportunity as possible to use it for purposes of distraction, or an appeal for that matter. Considering we have a filmed confession and written statements from Mr Gillies about his guilt in Dr Garland's murder, perhaps a trial can be avoided all together?"
The prosecutor was a chess player, who was used to maneuvering and feinting. "You know he will stall and appeal his conviction, regardless? He had to have had help in pulling off these elaborate plans. Those individuals will go unpunished if those crimes are not solved."
Now it was the inspector's turn to add something. Brackenreid said: "We are looking into it all most diligently. Gillies was very thorough, and has killed at least one of his helpers, possibly more. There is no statute of limitations on those crimes and they can be pursued independently …. After Gillies hangs."
Now it was a different three-against-one situation than just a few minutes ago, and the prosecutor, who considered himself a realist, sighed and unhappily capitulated. "All right, gentleman. I will speak to the judge and Mr Gillies' barrister. The arraignment is first thing tomorrow."