Wallowski sat opposite Charlie Morris and his state appointed defence attorney feeling fully confident for the first time all week. She placed a thick file on the table in front of him. And then she looked him right in the eyes. Charlie was no expert in facial expressions, but he didn't have to be to read the 'gotcha' look in her eyes.
"He knows we've got him", Cal spoke to Gillian in the observation room, his voice picked up by Wallowski in the earpiece she wore. "Start with the photos, no preamble", he continued, this time speaking to the detective in the other room.
Wallowski opened the file, pulling out a series of photos. She began with the basement. Then the back of the car. Then the photograph of Claudia Kabuso's body.
"You did an apprenticeship at a building site a few years back before taking your office job at a small legal firm, didn't you Charlie?"
His reaction, for a fraction of a second before he covered it, could only be described as 'oh shit'.
"Well that's a yes", came the glib response to the slip from Cal. Wallowski would have to be careful not to respond to the mouthy Englishman's commentary in the next room.
"You did a really good job on that basement. It has everything you'd need to keep a hostage. Not really an apartment for someone who's free to come and go… Charlie, Claudia Kabuso's DNA was found in the back of your car and in your basement."
He returned to smug now. No doubt planning to stick to his story about Caleb taking the car, like he did when he took Amy.
"Your DNA was found on Claudia's body."
"He's trying to think of an excuse, hit him with the next one quick", said Cal.
Wallowski produced a photo of Max and another one of the baby, from the file next. Then a lab report.
"We were able to use that DNA sample, matched to the sample we took when you arrived here, to run a paternity test on these two children, found in your basement."
Charlie swallowed involuntarily, the blood draining from his face.
"You want to hazard a guess what the results were?"
"They're Caleb's."
"No."
"Tell him a story now Shaz. Give him our version, see how he reacts," Cal was ready for this to end now. He wanted to see this monster locked up.
"How'd it happen, Charlie? You saw Claudia one day when you visited your brother, decided you liked her? Saw her a few years later and decided to take what you wanted? Huh?"
Charlie was beginning to agitate. Squirming in an effort to keep himself quiet.
Wallowski went on. "You prepared the basement to keep her locked up, like your own personal dungeon. Then you tracked her down and you took her. And you raped her. For years, you tortured that poor woman. And you got her pregnant. And then when it happened again, she had a difficult birth. And then she got an infection, and she died. So you dumped the body, but you didn't know what to do about the kids. And before you had time to come up with a way to get rid of them, Caleb went and took the first person he saw who had a passing resemblance to Claudia. He tried to replace their mother. What were you gonna do with her then, huh Charlie? Were you gonna rape her the way you-"
"Got him", Cal said a split second before Charlie Morris's dam burst and he poured out the full story.
Yes, he had taken Claudia Kabuso. His brother had known her briefly and had developed an obsessive crush on her. He talked about her for years. Charlie spotted her one night when he was kerb crawling. He had picked her up that night. That's when he decided that he would be doing her a favour by taking her off the streets and could do himself and his brother a favour in doing so.
Charlie spent six months renovating the basement. He never said a word to Caleb, wanting it to be a surprise as much as not trusting his brother to stay silent. Then he tracked Claudia down again and requested her services for his brother for the evening, but it would have to be back at his place. He led her to the basement, and never let her leave.
And that was that. Before long, she became pregnant. Charlie was sure that Caleb was Max's father. He claimed that although Caleb was reluctant to engage in any abuse of Claudia, Charlie goaded him until he gave in. He said that Caleb was "an idiot" and a "baby", but he insisted that he had to "be a man". Caleb did as he was told, as he always did when Charlie told him to do something. Max looked more like Caleb. He was timid like Caleb. Charlie was adamant that there was no way the boy could be his son. The DNA test showed he was correct.
Wallowski showed him then that the lab results showed the baby was his. Charlie deflated a little at that. He made one last effort to spin a story.
"She wanted it. She wanted me. It was consensual."
"Bullshit", said Cal.
"Bullshit", said Wallowski, simultaneously.
Charlie was flustered now. He was beginning to panic and trying not to let it show.
"So the second baby came along, after you kept her and her son prisoner for a few years. Why didn't you take her to a hospital when she got sick?"
"How could I?"
"How could you not? You say it was consensual? Why couldn't you help her?"
For the second time he deflated.
"I didn't realise how bad it was. I didn't know."
Gillian detailed through the earpiece how impossible it would be to miss the seriousness of what Claudia likely experienced, allowing Wallowski to catch Charlie out once more.
"I didn't think she would die."
"And when she did? What then?"
"Caleb took her and dumped the body."
"I've spoken to Caleb. I don't think he would have been able to come up with that plan, never mind find a place to take her. Not by himself."
"He knew enough to find that girl. Why couldn't he find a ditch to dump a body?"
"I never said the body was in a ditch."
Fear. Clear as day, he showed fear. It felt condescending to tell her, but Cal fed the information to Wallowski anyway.
"You dumped the body. And when she was gone, Caleb tried to do what he thought was the only thing he could do. He didn't know how to take care of those kids, and you didn't want to. So, he tried to replace their mom."
Charlie was resigned to the reality of his situation now. He wasn't ready to give in, but he knew that it was over. His lawyer requested a break then, ready to advise him to cooperate in order to barter for the lowest possible sentence.
He made a full confession an hour later. They interviewed Caleb once more after that. His lawyer giving him similar advice and the knowledge that Charlie had made a full statement of confession led him to tell the full story as he saw it. The stories were similar enough and the police were satisfied then that they had enough to process.
The two brothers were charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, rape, third degree murder, false imprisonment of minors, and child neglect.
Once it was done, and the brothers were led away in handcuffs, there was no sense of relief for anyone. There were no winners in this case. But at least justice might be served. Gillian would advocate that Caleb was unfit to serve time in a regular prison and should instead go to a special facility. Charlie Morris would serve the rest of his days in a federal prison.
