25
As they had planned, Alan Crowley’s parents met the well-known defense lawyer Lester Parker. A reluctant Alan accompanied them.
“Alan, let us go over what happened at the party,” Parker began. “Kerry Dowling was your girlfriend, wasn’t she?”
“Yes, she was.”
“How long were the two of you, um, in a relationship?”
“A year.”
“Is it true you two had a lot of arguments?”
“Afterwards we joked about them. Kerry was a flirt and liked to see me get mad. But we always made up.”
“What about the night of the party? Did you have a quarrel?”
“Kerry had had a couple vodkas. She never could handle any liquor well, even a glass or two of wine. So when Chris Kobel started flirting with her, she kept flirting back with him.”
“Had you been drinking?”
“Yes, I just had a couple of beers.”
“A couple?”
“Maybe three or four. I’m not really sure.”
Alan was very aware that his parents were now glaring at him.
“I understand you left the party before it was over. Where did you go?”
“I knew some of my friends would be at a local pizza restaurant, Nellie’s in Waldwick. I met them there.”
“Did you stay with them until you went home?”
“No.”
“Did you go directly to Kerry’s house from the restaurant?”
“Yes.”
“Where was she when you got there?”
“She was out on the patio in back of the house, cleaning up.”
“What did she say when she saw you?”
She didn’t say anything. I said, ‘Kerry, I’m sorry. I just want to help you clean up.’ ”
“How did she respond to that?”
“ ‘I’m tired. I’m getting up early in the morning. I want to go to bed now.’ ”
“Did you leave then?”
“I could tell that she meant it. She was yawning. So I said, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ ”
“What happened next?”
“She said, ‘Okay, let’s talk tomorrow.’ ”
“And what did you do then?”
“I gave her a hug and a kiss and went home.”
“What time did you get home?”
June jumped in. “We were in the bedroom. I looked at the clock. It was exactly eleven-fifty-one.”
A look of annoyance came over Parker’s face. “Alan, do you agree? Was it around eleven-fifty-one?”
“No, I think it was a little later.”
“It was exactly eleven-fifty-one,” June interjected. “As I told you, I was looking at the clock when Alan came in.”
There was a pause, and then Lester Parker turned to the Crowleys. “I wonder if you would mind waiting outside. The best way I can help Alan is if I hear the facts directly from him.”
When the door closed behind them, Parker said, “Alan, we have attorney-client privilege. Nothing you tell me will be shared with anyone. In any way shape or form, did you either hit Kerry or push her in the pool?”
“Absolutely not.” Alan’s expression and body language were fiercely defensive. “How would you feel if everyone in town thought you were a murderer?” he burst out. “How would you feel if your parents were so sure you were going to get arrested that they hired a hotshot lawyer to defend you? How would you feel if your girlfriend, who you really loved, got murdered?”
Alan’s lips quivered. Lester Parker studied Alan. He had heard many defendants plead their innocence and could often detect who was lying and who was telling the truth. He was still reserving judgment on Alan Crowley as he prepared to offer a defense for him.
“When did you learn that Kerry was dead?”
“About noon on Sunday. I was outside mowing the lawn and my cell phone was in the house. When I went in to get a bottle of water, I could see there were a lot of messages and texts. I read one of the texts and found out what happened. As I was reading the message, a detective came to the house and asked me to go down to Hackensack with him.”
“Did you tell him exactly what you’re telling me?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Alan, it must have been very scary for you to go down to the Prosecutors Office and get videotaped. Did you say anything in that interview that was not true?”
Alan hesitated.
“It’s okay, Alan,” Parker said. “You can tell me.”
“I told the detective I stayed at the restaurant with my friends the whole time and then I went straight home from there. I didn’t tell him I went to see Kerry on the way home.”
“Okay. Sunday morning you wake up. I understand your parents left early to play golf. You mowed the lawn until the detective came and you went with him to Hackensack. Did you go anywhere or talk to anyone after you got back from Hackensack and before your parents got home?”
Alan was silent for a moment. Parker put down his pen and said gently, “Alan, the only way I can effectively help you is if you are honest with me.”
“When I got back from Hackensack, I was freaking out. I needed somebody to back up my story that I went straight home from Nellie’s.”
“So what did you do?”
“I called one of the guys I was with. The two other guys were at his house. I asked them to back me up that I stayed at Nellie’s as late as they did.”
“Do you know if they’ve spoken to the police?”
“Yes, they have.”
“Okay.”
Alan gave Parker the names of his three friends and their contact information.
Alan said, “Look, I know I panicked, and I screwed up. And I know that by lying, I’ve made it worse. What can I do to start making things right?”
Parker looked directly at his client. “There are two things you can do. From now on, aside from your parents and me, talk to no one about the case. If anyone contacts you, refer him to me.”
Alan nodded.
“The other thing you can do is when you go home, tell your parents what you just told me. They’re going to find out anyway, so let’s get that difficult discussion behind us right away.”