Ren nodded. I do think hes innocent. There was one thing that was slightly odd, though: the show was a panel format and there were three Innocence Project lawyers on it with her, one of whom was from Innocence Project Northwest which covers the area where the Kevin Dunne murder happened but there was definitely some tension between this lawyer and Alice Veir when the presenter suggested they collaborate.
So, let me get this straight Alice Veir a strong, smart woman is a lone wolf, said Paul. He gave Ren a meaningful look.
Ren laughed. Screw you, man.
Ren went to her desk and looked up the Innocence Project Northwest. She found Emma Ridleys contact details and called her direct line.
Emma, my name is Ren Bryce, Im with the FBI Im in Tate, working on the Caleb Veir disappearance
Yes, said Emma. Im familiar with that. How can I help?
Its actually about his aunt, Alice Veir, said Ren. How do I put this? Were looking at every possible angle here, and whether this could be connected to anything that Alice Veir was working on. I watched the show you and Alice appeared on together, and I was wondering if you were aware of any particular reason that Alice had not come to you with the Anthony Boyd Lorden case?
Emma let out a breath. Well, she didnt need to come to us I went to her.
Oh, said Ren.
Yes, said Emma. Before Alice Veir ever got involved, we reached out to Lordens original lawyers, and asked them if he would agree to us taking a look at his file, and he did. I studied Kevin Dunnes autopsy report very carefully. I consulted with a forensic anthropologist, who offered an alternative as to what happened to Kevin Dunne that it was not, in fact, a homicide.
Holy shit. Really?
Yes, said Emma. Dunne had signs of two separate head traumas, but according to the anthropologist, they could also have been caused by him being struck from behind by the side-view mirror of a high vehicle, like an SUV or a pickup: this would have accounted for the skull fracture at the back of his head where he was hit by the mirror, and the skull fracture at the front of his head from when he hit the ground. Dunne was dressed in dark clothing, it was late at night: yes, it would have been a freak accident, but its a very strong possibility. Because Lorden confessed, the autopsy photos werent analyzed in any great detail, and even if they were, I think the idea that it was an assault was so ingrained in peoples minds that there would have been a reluctance for opinion to shift. We see that a lot: we see, for example, victims families still insisting that whoever was convicted for their loved ones murder was guilty, even after DNA evidence has exonerated them.
Its too much for people to bear that they may have contributed to someones life being destroyed, said Ren.
Exactly, said Emma.
Did you talk to Alice Veir about your theory? said Ren.
Well, yes, said Emma. What happened was that by the time I had received the report back from the forensic anthropologist, Alice Veir had approached Lorden and taken on his case.
So, he didnt reach out to her?
No she approached him, said Emma.
And how did she react to your findings? said Ren.
She shut me down completely, said Emma. I thought Id made this amazing breakthrough, I was so excited, but she ruled it out completely, she said absolutely not, that she still believed that Dunne was the victim of an assault, just that it wasnt at the hands of her client.
Did she look at your evidence? said Ren.
I sent it to her, said Emma, but I didnt hear anything back. I tried her a few times, but I had no luck. And then we were doing that show together. Awkward...
Do you think it might have been an ego thing? said Ren. That shes not the type to want help?
I dont know, said Emma, but shes an intimidating lady, so I didnt want to push it. I dont get it, though its excellent for her client. If Alice is only focusing on the confession being false; well, juries have a real hard time understanding why a person would make a false confession. When I started out doing this, it was the one thing that my family and friends found really hard to understand about my world why someone would confess to a crime they didnt commit. Now, though, my mom is online finding cases she wants me to take a look at, looking out for confessions, checking out who might have been coerced.
Good for her, said Ren. Emma would you mind emailing me that evidence?
Sure, said Emma. No problem. Itll have to be Monday, because Im in court all day and then out of town for the weekend.
Thats no problem, said Ren. And if you could keep this confidential...
Of course, said Emma. I really feel for Lorden. Im not sure that Alice Veir is going about this the right way. We have a lot of resources here, and were happy to help. She doesnt seem interested.
37
Ren went back into the CARD team and Ruddock and told them about her conversation with Emma Ridley.
Well, said Paul, see what the evidence says. Maybe their expert is mistaken or its a flimsy argument.
Ren nodded. Yeah I cant see Alice Veir taking too well to someone whos not doing a flawless job that could have been what the tension was all about: Emma Ridley thinking shes nailed something, Alice Veir begs to differ.
Paul nodded.
How are you getting on with the middle school dance night follow up? said Ren.
Nothing so far, said Paul.
Nothing from me, yet, said Sylvie.
Well have footage from the traffic cams, and any CCTV or private cameras in the area called in, said Ruddock.
One of the young Tate PD officers stuck his head in the door. He was holding a remote control.
You might want to come out and see this, he said.
The news was on and the anchor, a handsome guy in his mid twenties, was very excited about his next story, flagged by the photo of Caleb Veir in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
In a dramatic twist in the investigation into the disappearance of Tate boy, Caleb Veir, he said, the Veir family home came under attack late last night. Speaking outside his home, John Veir, father of the missing boy, had this to say:
This is devastating for my wife and me, as you can imagine. Our son is missing, were suffering through that, and then this happens. The only thing that Im grateful for is that my wife wasnt here at the time, and that no one was injured, or that the house didnt go up.
Mr Veir, said the reporter, youve said yourself that theres been speculation on the Internet that you were somehow involved in the disappearance of your son. Would you like to take this opportunity to address those rumors?
Mr Veir, said the reporter, youve said yourself that theres been speculation on the Internet that you were somehow involved in the disappearance of your son. Would you like to take this opportunity to address those rumors?
John nodded. Yes. Id like to make it clear to anyone whos watching that I had nothing to do with the disappearance of my son, I love my son very much, and I just want him home. Those kind of rumors can cause real damage to people, and they can distract from an investigation. My wife and I want all law enforcements resources to be focused on finding our son, not on looking at me as a suspect. Thank you.
It returned to the studio. Sources close to the investigation are saying today that there could be a link between last nights attack and missing Black River Correctional Institute inmate, Franklin J. Merrifield, who escaped from BRCI just twenty-four hours before Caleb Veir was last seen. John Veir, as we know, is a corrections officer at that prison. Merrifield was eighteen months into a thirty-five-year sentence for robbery, homicide, rape, and...? He paused. Arson. A photo of Merrifield appeared in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Merrifield was last seen wearing his orange BRCI prison jumpsuit, but may now be dressed in civilian clothing. He has a history of violence, and should be considered extremely dangerous. If you do see him, do not approach him, but contact Salem PD on their tips line: 555-45-95-25.
Mute that, said Ruddock to the officer.
Who leaked the Merrifield connection? said Ren.
Me, said Ruddock. He smiled. Im thinking if Merrifield finds out that his name is being connected to a murdered boy, a missing one, and an arson attack, he might be very willing to come forward to clear his name. I dont think it matters that he was in prison when Aaron died. That could have been organized through an associate...
Go, Ruddock.
I need to talk to Alice Veir about Merrifield, said Ren.
She went to her desk and called her.
Alice? Its Ren Bryce here. Are you familiar with the missing inmate from BRCI Franklin J. Merrifield?
Pause. Yes, said Alice. I believe he attacked Johns house last night.
Do you? said Ren.
Well, it certainly makes sense to me, said Alice.
Even without any evidence? Youve changed your fucking tune. Theres no evidence pointing to him, said Ren. But, of course, we have to explore it as a possibility, which is why Im calling you. Has he ever reached out to you about his case?
Pause. Why would he do that?
Well, Merrifield claims hes innocent, hes just lost an appeal, and youre a lawyer working on a high-profile wrongful conviction case. He knows your brother from BRCI
No, Merrifield has not approached me.
Definitive, yet unconvincing.
Ren paused. How is the Anthony Boyd Lorden case going?
Silence.
I watched the news program you appeared on, said Ren.
Its progressing, said Alice.
Ren waited.
The whole thing was a travesty, said Alice.
What do you think happened that night? said Ren.
I believe that Kevin Dunne suffered a serious assault, but that it was not carried out by my client.
But youre not offering an alternative killer? said Ren.
Thats not my job, said Alice. There is no physical evidence linking my client to the assault, and his confession is not worth the paper its written on. Did you know there have been three hundred and twenty-nine exonerations based on DNA testing since 1992, and one thousand six hundred and eight exonerations identified by the National Registry of Exonerations since 1989 when DNA was first used in US courts? Did you know that of that number, thirteen per cent of those adults had falsely confessed, but that that percentage rose to forty-two per cent in the case of juveniles? Forty-two per cent!