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Carson nodded. “I’d typed it out and told Duncan it was important that he ask the question exactly as it was written and that he speak loud enough to be heard by anyone standing outside the door, including one of the victims, Kerra Bailey.
“He asked, ‘What the eff for?’ All I told him was that it would be in his best interest to do me this one tiny favor. After dropping a few more f-bombs, he said, ‘Whatever, dude.’” Carson looked at them in turn. “You could’ve fried an egg on the sheriff’s ass. What happened after I left?”
Trapper told him about the discovery of Kerra’s bag. “The deputy said it was found in a corner under the bed in Duncan’s trailer.”
“Anything missing from it?”
“A modest amount of cash and my credit cards,” Kerra told him. “Other than that, no.”
“Good to know,” Carson said. “At least I won’t be blindsided about it at Duncan’s arraignment. It’s scheduled for three o’clock this afternoon.”
“Plead not guilty,” Trapper said.
“There’s another way to plead?” Carson blinked several times as though astonished. Then, “Given the circumstances, the notoriety of his alleged victims, and Duncan’s record, the judge will set his bail a mile high. He’s gonna stay in jail.”
“He’ll be better off,” Trapper said. “If he were released, he probably wouldn’t live long.”
Carson’s brows shot up. “That statement begs elaboration.”
Trapper gave it some thought. “If you’d just shot and left for dead an American icon, would you hang on to the weapon? Duncan had all of north Texas to lose it in. Even if he wanted to keep it as a souvenir to sell on eBay at some future date, would he safeguard it under the seat of his truck?”
He gave them each a look before continuing. “He takes the money and credit cards from Kerra’s bag but stashes it where it could easily be found. Do you know a thief who holds onto a purse after he’s emptied it of valuables?”
He directed the question to Carson, who replied, “I’m not acquainted with any thieves. All my clients are innocent.”
“I was asking rhetorically.”
“My answer stands.”
“Back to what I was saying: Duncan is a cesspool, but I don’t think he’s stupid. If he was involved last Sunday, he wouldn’t still have the evidence in his possession. He’s hostile and pugnacious, but not the least bit nervous. Because he knows that even if the pistol and bag can be placed in that house last Sunday night, he can’t be. Not by the sheriff’s office, or the Rangers, or the big, bad FBI. And the reason he knows they can’t place him there is because—”
“He wasn’t there,” Kerra said.
“He wasn’t there,” Trapper repeated. “He was in his mobile home all night shagging his underage girlfriend. Which is a felony. But it’s not attempted murder.”
“My client was obviously set up.”
“He made a perfect candidate for it,” Trapper said.
“Set up by whom? Why?” Kerra asked.
“By whom, I don’t know,” Trapper said. “As to why, to cool down the situation. You can hear it talked about over dinner tables across the country. ‘They nailed one of The Major’s assailants, the othe
r is as good as got.’
“The media will move on to the next sensational story and so will the public’s interest.” He thought on it for a moment, then said grimly, “It also makes me look even more like a crackpot for exploring other possibilities.”
Kerra frowned. “I follow your logic, but why are you so sure that Duncan wasn’t man number two, the one who didn’t speak?”
“Man number two would never have repeated that question knowing you were just beyond the door.”
“Even if he wasn’t the one to ask it in The Major’s house?”
“At the very least he would have balked, fidgeted, altered his voice. I kept my eyes glued to Duncan. He had a ‘whatever, dude,’ attitude, but he asked the question without a qualm because it held no significance to him.”
“I could tell that when I first showed it to him,” Carson said. “Not rattled in the least.”
“Plead him not guilty on the attempted murder charge,” Trapper said, “but leave the lowlife behind bars. Fall guys often have short life spans. Not only will Duncan be safer in jail, if he’s shacked up with a juvenile, he belongs there. I’m sure Oklahoma would like to have him back, too.”
