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CHAPTER53
Back in the chief’s office, Gabe queued the tape up for Detective Heflin, then pressed Play. The first part was D.K. Hill identifying who he was, where they were, and who he was interviewing, and why. The why was the crash involving the Pope family; the who was a local mechanic named Bart Sterling.
Hill:In the course of your employment, did something happen August4, 1995?
Sterling:I was approached by Ira Hoffman to do some work on a car.
Hill:Did you know Mr. Hoffman?
(muffled noises)
Hill:Answer yes or no.
Sterling:Yes, I’ve worked on his cars in the past.
Hill:But you were fired.
Sterling:Yeah, I got caught drinking on the job and got canned.
Hill:Did Hoffman talk to you about getting canned?
Sterling:Yeah, he said he could get me my job back. He could make the firing go away. All I had to do—
(static, muffled noises)
Sterling:Hoffman wanted me to fix a car. He, uh, he wanted me to make it so the steering would fail... andthe brakes. He, uh—
(muffled noises)
Hill:Do you know whose car it was he wanted you to work on?
Sterling:Yeah, his business partner, Mr. Pope.
Hill:Did Hoffman tell you why he wanted you to work on Pope’s car?
Sterling:He said he wanted to teach him a lesson, get him banged up a bit.
Hill:Did he say why?
Sterling:He didn’t have to. No one likes Pope.
Hill:Did you work on the car?
(seconds tick away)
Sterling:Yeah, I did. I made so he’d go a little ways; then the steering would fail; then the brakes would fail.
(seconds tick away; sobbing starts)
Sterling:I’m so sorry. I never meant for his wife and kid todie. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
Heflin stopped the tape. “You’re kidding me.”
Gabe shook his head. “I’m not. The forensic examination of the vehicle after the crash is here as well. There are affidavits filed by witnesses who said Hoffman was having an affair with Pope’s wife and that he and Pope argued constantly over how the company should be run.” Gabe showed him the rest of what he had.
Heflin shook his head. “It’s been buried all this time.”
“Hill enclosed a letter explaining why. Shortly after this interview, Sterling was murdered in county lockup. Hill himself was threatened by Greeley. He gave in to the pressure and buried everything.”
