“They won’t let me see Richard, and he’s been in there for three hours, Bruce,” Gretchen said.
“Mr. Falk knows he’s free to go,” Reyes interjected evenly. “He’s been told several times.” He reached out to shake Bruce’s hand. “Detective Raul Reyes.”
It felt like a betrayal when Bruce shook it back.
“But you know how Richard is, Bruce…” Gretchen began. In point of fact, Bruce probably did not think of Richard as charming at all. “He gets to chatting with people he’s just met and—he’s probably forgotten all about a performance we need to be at for Oppy.” Gretchen was aware this all sounded ridiculous under the circumstances, but much better to talk about their granddaughter’s opening assembly than to mention that she was afraid Richard had forgotten he was in a police station.
Bruce put a hand on Gretchen’s arm in a way that felt both patronizing and comforting.Quiet, dear. Let the men sort this out.
“I need to see my client. Right now,” Bruce said. “You and I both know that we left ‘voluntary’ behind a long time ago, Detective. That’s a custodial interrogation, plain and simple. Anything you’ve gotten out of him is going to get tossed out anyway.”
Gretchen felt such a rush of gratitude. Bruce Barone to the rescue! Who would have thought?
Detective Reyes narrowed his eyes at Bruce for a moment. Finally, he nodded. “Right this way.”
“Have a seat, Gretchen,” Bruce said. “This won’t take long.”
Richard Falk Police Interview
3:47 a.m., September 12
Q.You okay if we record?
A.Sure. I just want to help.
Q.You’re welcome to have a lawyer.
A.I don’t need a lawyer. Like I said, I just want to find out what happened to Frankie. It would also help to know why you’re searching my apartment, though.
Q.Can we just go over a few basic things first?
A.Okay, sure.
Q.How is it that you know Ms. Callahan?
A.We traveled to Africa—well, not to Africa. We climbed Kilimanjaro as part of the same expedition.
Q.When was that?
A.Four weeks ago…maybe five.
Q.And you didn’t know each other before this trip?
A.No. We met there. I was with my college friends.
Q.How long was this trip?
A.Ten days.
Q.And have you been in touch since you’ve been back?
A.We’ve stayed friends. There was an accident on the climb. One of my friends died. It’s helped to talk to people who were there.
Q.I’m sorry to hear that.
A.Thank you. It was awful. And now…Is Frankie really dead?
Q.Yes, I’m afraid so. She was murdered in her apartment. It was an extremely violent scene. Crime of passion, it looks like.
