L.A. Dead

Chapter 24

On Saturday morning, Stone arrived at the Bel-Air house, entering through the utility entrance, as usual. Marc Blumberg arrived moments later, and since Arrington was not quite ready, they had a moment to talk.

"Where do we stand on bail?" Blumberg asked.

Stone took an envelope from his pocket. "First of all," he said, handing Blumberg a check, "here is your half-million-dollar retainer."

"Thank you very much," Blumberg said, pocketing the check.

Stone displayed the remaining contents of the envelope. "I also have a cashiers check for five million dollars, made out to the court, and five others for a million each, so we can handle any amount of bail up to ten million dollars immediately. If more is required, I can write checks on Arrington's account for another five million."

"I like a lawyer who comes prepared," Blumberg said. "Now, at this meeting, I don't want you to say anything at all."

Stone shrugged. "All right."

"It may get rough, and you may feel the need to come to Arrington's rescue, but allow me to make the decision as to when that becomes necessary. If we can get through this questioning without either of us having to speak, then we'll have won our point."

"I understand. If they arrest her, though, she's going to have to spend the weekend in jail. We're not going to get a judge for a bail hearing on a Saturday."

"Let me worry about that," Blumberg said. "And if, for any reason, we can't get bail, I'll arrange for her to be segregated at the county jail."

Arrington walked into the room, wearing a simple black suit and carrying a small suitcase. "Good morning, all," she said, and held up the bag. "I've brought a few things, in case I have to stay."

Stone was relieved that he had not had to suggest that to her.

"Let's go, then," Blumberg said. "I've hired a limo to take us all in comfort. We'll go out the back way, and we'll enter the courthouse through the basement parking lot."

The three of them joined Blumberg's associate, Liz Raymond, in the long black car and departed the property by way of the utility gate, unobserved. The ride to the courthouse was very quiet.

On reaching the courthouse, they drove into the underground garage and stopped at the elevators, where detectives Durkee and Bryant were waiting.

"Hello, Sam, Ted," Blumberg said, shaking their hands. Stone ignored them.

The group rode upstairs in the elevator, walked down a hallway, and entered a large conference room, where the district attorney and two of his assistants, a man and a woman, awaited, along with a stenographer. Blumberg introduced the D.A., Dan Reeves, and the two ADAs, Bill Marshall, who was black, and Helen Chu, who was Asian. No hands were shaken.

"Please be seated," Reeves said, and they all sat down around the table.

"As I understand it," Reeves said, "you are here to surrender Mrs. Calder."

Blumberg held up a hand. "Before any charge is made, I request that you question my client. It's my belief that, when you are done, you will see that an arrest is unnecessary."

"All right; do you have any objection to a stenographic record being made?"

"None whatsoever. I'd also like to volunteer my client for a polygraph; you choose the examiner."

"Yes, I saw your press conference," Reeves said dryly. "Shall we begin?"

"By all means."

Reeves dictated the names of those present and started to ask his first question, but Blumberg interrupted.

"I'd like the record to show that my client is here voluntarily and is willing to answer all questions."

"So noted," the D.A. said. "Mrs. Calder, you understand you are here because you are a suspect in the murder of your husband, Vance Calder?"

"I understand it, but I don't understand it," Arrington replied in a calm voice.

"Beg pardon?"

"I mean, I accept your characterization of my visit here, but I don't understand why I'm a suspect."

"That will become apparent as we proceed," Reeves said. "Mrs. Calder, please recount the evens as you recall them on the evening of your husband's death."

"I have only one memory of that evening," Arrington said. "I remember being shown my husband's body as it lay on the floor of the central hallway of our house. Apart from that single image, I have no recollection of anything between midafternoon the previous day and the following morning, when I woke up at the Judson Clinic.*

Blumberg spoke up. "For the record, Dr. James Judson, an eminent psychiatrist, is available to testify that Mrs. Calder is suffering from a kind of amnesia, brought on by the shock of her husband's violent death."

"So you have no recollection of shooting your husband?" Reeves asked.

"I would never have shot my husband," Arrington replied, "but I have no recollection of the events of that evening."

"So you don't know if you shot him?"

"I know that I would never do such a thing."

"But you don't know."

"Asked and answered," Blumberg said. "Perfectly clear."

"Mrs. Calder, is it possible that, while delusional, you might have shot your husband?"

"I have never been delusional," Arrington replied. "My doctor has explained to me that my amnesia has nothing to do with delusion."

"Have you ever threatened to kill your husband?"

"Certainly not."

Reeves took a small tape recorder from a credenza behind him and placed it on the table. "This is an excerpt from an interview with a friend of yours, Mrs. Beverly Walters."

"An acquaintance, not a friend," Arrington replied.

Reeves pressed a button.

"I told Arrington," Beverly Walters' voice said, "that I had it on good authority that Vance, during the filming of his last picture, was sleeping with his costar, Charlene Joiner, on a regular basis. She pooh-poohed this. I asked her if she would divorce Vance, if she found out that it was true. She replied, and these are her exact words, 'I wouldn't divorce him, I'd shoot him.' And this was two days before Vance was killed."

Reeves stopped the machine. "Do you recall this conversation with Mrs. Walters?"

"Yes, I do," Arrington replied.

"So you admit having said that you would not divorce your hus-band on learning of his adultery, but shoot him, instead?"

"I spoke those words in jest, and Mrs. Walters took them as such. We both had a good laugh about it."

"But you don't deny having said that you would shoot your husband?"

"Mr. Reeves, how many times have you said, in jest, that you would kill somebody, maybe even your wife? This is common parlance, and we all do it. I had no evidence of adultery on my husband's part. I regarded him at that time, and still do, as a faithful husband."

"But Mrs. Walters had just told you that she, quote, 'had it on good authority' unquote, that your husband was actually committing adultery with his costar, Ms. Joiner."

"Mr. Reeves, I would never accept Beverly Walters' word about such a thing. She is an inveterate and vicious gossip, who enjoys stir-ring up trouble, and that is why she is an acquaintance, and not a friend of mine. If her husband were not an occasional business associate of my husband, I would not see her at all."

"But she said she had it on good authority."

"'Good authority,' to Beverly Walters, is something she heard at the hairdresser's or read in a scandal sheet. Did you ask her to substantiate this rumor she was spreading?"

Reeves didn't reply.

"I assure you that if I were a murderous person, I would have been much more likely to shoot Beverly Walters than my husband."

Stone had to suppress a smile.

"Mrs. Calder, did you and your husband ever fight?"

"Occasionally-perhaps rarely would be a better choice of words."

"Physically fight?"

"No, never."

"I will reserve the right to present evidence to the contrary at a later date," Reeves said. "That concludes the questioning," he said to the stenographer. "Thank you; you may leave us now."

The stenographer took her machine and left the room.

Stone was surprised that Arrington's questioning had been so brief, and that no further evidence against her had been offered.

"Mrs. Calder," the district attorney said, "you are under arrest on a charge of second-degree murder. Please stand up."

Arrington stood, and the two police detectives began to handcuff her.