The Confession Read Online Free PDF Page B

stopped by this morning, just left actually, and he claims to have some rather severe medical problems. He’s been seen at St. Francis.”
    “What’s the favor, Keith?” Dr. Herzlich asked, as if he were staring at his wristwatch.
    “If you’re in a rush, we can talk later.”
    “No, go ahead.”
    “Anyway, he claims to have been diagnosed with a brain tumor, abad one, glioblastoma. Says it’s fatal, says he’ll be dead soon. I’m wondering how much of this you can verify. I’m not asking for confidential info, you understand? I know he’s not your patient, and I don’t want anyone to violate procedures here. That’s not what I’m asking. You know me better than that.”
    “Why do you doubt him? Why would anyone claim to have a brain tumor when he really doesn’t?”
    “He’s a career criminal, Doctor. A lifetime behind bars and all that, probably not sure where the truth is. And I’m not saying I doubt him. He had two episodes of severe headaches in my office, and they were painful to watch. I’d just like to confirm what he’s already said. That’s all.”
    A pause, as if the doctor were looking around for eavesdroppers. “I can’t pry too deep, Keith. Any idea who the doc is here?”
    “No.”
    “All right. Give me a name.”
    “Travis Boyette.”
    “Got it. Give me a couple of hours.”
    “Thanks, Doctor.”
    Keith hung up quickly and returned to Texas. He continued with the factual summary:
    Nicole disappeared on Friday night, December 4, 1998. She had spent the evening with girlfriends at a cinema in the only mall in Slone. After the movie, the girls—four of them—ate pizza at a restaurant that was also in the mall. Entering the restaurant, the girls chatted briefly with two boys, one of whom was Joey Gamble. Over pizza, the girls decided to meet at the home of Ashley Verica to watch late-night television. As the four girls left the restaurant, Nicole excused herself to use the ladies’ room. Her three friends never saw her again. She called her mother and promised to be home by midnight, her curfew. Then she vanished. An hour later, her friends were concerned and were making calls. Two hours later, her red BMW was found where she’d left it in a parking lot at the mall. It was locked. There was no sign of a struggle, no sign of anything wrong, no sign of Nicole. Her family and friends panicked, and the search began.
    The police immediately suspected foul play and organized a massive effort tofind Nicole. Thousands volunteered, and through the days and weeks that followed, the city and county were scoured as never before. Nothing was found. Surveillance cameras at the mall were too far away, out of focus, and of no benefit. No one reported seeing Nicole leave the mall and walk to her car. Cliff Yarber offered a reward of $100,000 for information, and when this sum proved ineffective, he raised it to $250,000.
    The first break in the case came on December 16, twelve days after her disappearance. Two brothers were fishing on a sandbar in the Red River near a landing known as Rush Point, when one of them stepped on a piece of plastic. It was Nicole’s gym membership card. They poked through the mud and sand and found another card—her student ID issued by Slone High. One of the brothers recognized the name, and they immediately drove to the police station in Slone.
    Rush Point is thirty-eight miles due north of the city limits.
    The police investigators, led by Detective Drew Kerber, made the decision to sit on the news about the gym membership and ID cards. They reasoned that the better strategy was to find the body first. They conducted an exhaustive, though futile, search of the river for miles east and west of Rush Point. The state police assisted with teams of divers. Nothing else was found. Authorities as far away as a hundred miles downriver were notified and asked to be on the alert.
    While the search of the river was under way, Detective Kerber received an anonymous tip