The Volcano That Changed The World (23 page)

“Okay,” Mark said
refocusing. “What about the other plagues? Some of those only affected the Egyptians and not the Israelites. Natural disasters like the Thera eruption don’t discriminate. How do you explain the other plagues directed only at the Egyptians?”

Brennan leaned back in his chair
and said, “I have ideas explaining those plagues, too, but would like to verify a few items first. Before those discussions, I’d also like to show you my field site. I’d like you to observe what I saw when I realized that there were two Thera eruptions. Why don’t we spend the night here in Alexandria and leave first thing in the morning? Do you mind exploring the city the rest of the afternoon on your own while I do some additional homework?”

“Not at all.”
As he said this, Mark wondered what his chances were of getting in some diving during the remainder of the afternoon.

Chapter Sixteen

Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.

—
Will Durant

Tallahassee, August 1998

Professor Bolton agreed to meet Detective Carter at the police station on East Seventh Avenue. Carter’s desk was in a bullpen with other detectives; today, the room was organized chaos. Several break-ins had occurred overnight and the other detectives in the room were in full response mode, making phone calls, returning from the victims’ homes, and having impromptu discussions about the evidence collected. Carter used all this activity as an excuse to conduct the interview in one of the official interrogation rooms. It was more private—and more intimidating, he thought.

“
Thank you for coming in today, Dr. Bolton.” Carter greeted Bolton with a nod when he arrived.

“Did
I have a choice?” Bolton asked gruffly.

Carter smiled
, agreeing, “Probably not.” Bolton’s question revealed that he knew who was in charge. That would be helpful during the questioning.

Consistent with the dialogue, nei
ther man offered his hand in greeting.

“Please follow me
; we’ll go somewhere quieter,” Carter said above the office chatter, leading the way to the interrogation room. Bolton followed. Carter closed the door behind them and offered Bolton an uncomfortable wooden chair. The room was still, a noticeable contrast to the bullpen they had just left.

Once both
were seated, Carter casually asked, “Do you mind if I record our conversation? It’s more convenient than having to capture everything in notes.”

Bolton
grudgingly agreed. “If it’ll make this interview go faster, I’m all for it.”

“Thank you, Dr.
Bolton. I’ll do my best to speed this along.” He clicked on the tape. Bolton intently studied Carter.

Carter
leaned back and looked through his notepad, organizing his thoughts, and then looked up again at Bolton.

B
efore Carter had a chance to say anything, however, Bolton asked in an accusatory tone, “Are you having an affair with my wife?”

The question smacked
Carter like a two-by-four board across the side of his head. Desperately, he tried to maintain his composure, hoping no outward signs were visible of the flinch his insides had just made. Attempting a matter-of-fact tone and a response that was not too rapid or too delayed, he said as calmly as he could, “We’re not here to discuss me. We’re here for you to answer my questions.”

Bolton ignored him.
He leaned toward Carter and hissed, “I’m sure you know my wife has left me. Before she moved out, one of my neighbors told me that a man fitting your description was frequently seen at my house, with
my
wife.”

Carter was dumbfounded.
He was losing control of the interview and it hadn’t even begun.

Bolton
leaned even closer. With a smirk, he added, “I’ll tell you something, Detective Carter. I’m conducting my own investigation.” Pausing, he said with self-righteous indignation, “And when I have the proof I need that you’ve been screwing around with my wife, your career here in Tallahassee will be over.” Leaning back, he added, “And, let me be clear, Detective, thanks to you, Priscilla will not get a dime from me.”

Carter could no longer remain calm and detached
. His voice raised, he lit into Bolton. “That’s enough, Dr. Bolton. First of all, I don’t take threats well. I would advise you not to try and bully me. It won’t work. Second, you are here to answer my questions; not vice versa. Are we clear on that?”

Bolton smiled
with satisfaction and simply nodded. He leaned further back in his chair.

With much difficulty, Carter
reined in his emotions. Despite his concern with Bolton’s attack on his career and with the threat against Priscilla, he knew he needed to refocus and proceed. He needed to regain control of the interview. He couldn’t let Bolton get the better of him.

A
gain he consulted his notes. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to say calmly, “Now, let me see if I have this correct. You accompanied Ms. Shadron Taylor to Dean Miller’s office when she accused Dr. Malloy of being the father of her unborn baby. Is that right?”

Bolton seemed surprised. “When I agr
eed to come in for this interview, I assumed it was a follow-up on the attempted murder of Dr. Malloy. I don’t see how Ms. Taylor’s baby has anything to do with that.”

Normally Carter did not explain himself to a witness, but he decided a little leeway was appropriate
this time. “By her announcement, Ms. Taylor has become a person of interest in the Malloy case. A jilted lover, especially one who is pregnant, gives that person motive for murder.”

By focusing on Shadron, Carter hoped Bolton would not see who
the real target of his investigation was and that he might remain more cooperative. “Would you please answer my question, Professor?”

“F
irst of all,” Bolton said, “Shadron is no more involved with the attempted murder of Dr. Malloy than I am. As for the day of her announcement…”

Bolton puffed out his chest like the hero he pretended to be. “
As her teacher, I was there to offer her moral support. It wasn’t easy for her to tell the truth to Dean Miller. I was there to help her in any way I could. I felt I had an obligation to the poor girl. Malloy must pay the consequences for what he did.”

“When was the last time you saw Ms. Taylor?”

Thinking a moment, Bolton answered, “I…I haven’t seen Shadron for several days now.

Bolton seemed surprised by his own answer. Carter knew that Shadron
had returned to her home in Panama City in an attempt to escape the press and the new twist her pregnancy story was about to take.

“How well do you know Ms. Taylor?”
Carter asked, now watching Bolton closely.

Bolton was
annoyed by the question. “Why do you ask?”

“Dr. Bolton, this interview process works best if I ask the questions and you answer them.
”

Again, he tried to put Bolton at ease
and deflect suspicion. Playing to the man’s ego, he said, “Given your influential position in the community, I value your opinion. I’m trying to establish Ms. Taylor’s credibility. How well you know her will help me in that assessment. Now, please answer my question.”

Carter noticed that Bolton
looked to his right while thinking about his answer. “I don’t know her all that well. She was in one of my classes, was having trouble and I helped her improve her grade. Through that process, we developed an acquaintanceship.”

Carter smiled to himself. H
e still believed his method of detecting a lie was almost foolproof, and he knew Bolton was right-handed from watching him sign into the department log. That meant what he had just said was a lie and inconsistent with what Shadron had told him. It was time to spring his trap. “Are you sure you weren’t closer than just acquaintances?”

Bolton shot up from
his chair. “What are you implying, Detective?” He practically yelled the question.

Remaining calm, Carter said, “Let me remind you again, I ask the questions. Now
please sit down and answer my question.”

Bolton slowly lowered hims
elf, trying to contain his rage. Through gritted teeth, he responded, “Like I said before, we were just acquaintances; nothing more. Satisfied?” Then he added, “Why is the Tallahassee Police Department so interested in my relationships anyway?”

I
nternally, Carter smiled. This guy can’t help himself. He has to show his emotions—and always ask questions, trying to get the last word.

Taking a moment, he allowed
Bolton to stew in his cauldron of deceit. He then said matter-of-factly, “I interviewed Ms. Taylor. Would it surprise you to learn that she changed her story about Dr. Malloy being the father?”

Now it was Bolton’s turn to try and hide his reaction to surprising news
—that he no longer had control of Shadron; that she had turned on him. He failed. He looked nervously around the room like a caged animal but remained silent. Small beads of perspiration emerged on his forehead.

Carter could almost see the wheels of Bolton’s mind turning, trying to figure out where this interview was headed
and what Shadron had said. After a brief pause, Carter continued, “She no longer accuses Dr. Malloy of being the father. Do you want to know who she now says the father is?”

Bolton
continued looking around the room. He appeared to have trouble catching his breath. “No,” he managed somewhat defiantly.

Now
Carter leaned in, closing the space between them, saying, “Too bad, because I’m going to tell you anyway.”

Carter leaned back in his chair and
looked at Bolton directly into his eyes, forcing the man’s attention. “She says that you, Professor, are the father.”

Bolton
abruptly stood and erupted. “That’s a lie. The bitch is lying.” Spittle shot from his mouth. With fists clinched, his large frame was shaking.

“What happened to your ‘moral support’
for Shadron?” That question was for Priscilla.

“She’s lying. I am not the father and you can’t prove otherwise.”
Calming slightly, he sat down, removed a handkerchief, and patted his brow. He put the handkerchief back in his back pocket.

Now Carter smiled outwardly.
“Your neighbor was correct; I was at your house. Do you want to know what I was doing there?”

Bolton sneered, “I already have a pretty good idea.”

“I was collecting hair from your brush next to your sink. Can you figure out why?” Carter was enjoying this.

Bolton remained silent, fuming.

Carter couldn’t help himself, he said tauntingly, “Come on, Professor, an educated man like you, surely you know what I did with your hair.”

Bolton’s face was beet
red, his fists still clinched looking like he was ready to strike at any moment. “Priscilla should never have let you in our house. I will get even for her lack of loyalty.”

“You can’t blame your wife for this. That credit goes to you. Because of your actions, I had a court order.” Hesitating, he asked, “Have you figured it out yet?”

Bolton glowered at Carter, but said nothing.

Carter continued, “
I ran DNA tests on your hair so I could compare the results to a sample from Ms. Taylor’s unborn child. Do you want to know what those tests showed?”

Wi
thout waiting for a response, Carter concluded, “The DNA tests prove that Ms. Taylor was not lying and that you, Professor Bolton, are the father of her child, not Mark Malloy.”

Like the low rumble of an approaching jet, Bolton began to speak
increasing in volume with each word, “I am educated; I’m a scientist. I know that laboratory tests can be wrong—results can produce false positives.”

His voice
continued to crescendo. “I also know that laboratory tests require quality assurance and quality control, especially for use in a court of law.” In a grand fortissimo, he yelled, “I will fight these tests. They will never be allowed in court!”

Carter
had to give Bolton credit for his grand bravado, even though it was empty. He waited until Bolton calmed down, and then said, “Dr. Bolton, I’m not a stupid cop. I followed proper protocol when collecting the samples. For the baby, the sample was collected in the hospital and the lab assures me the tests were valid. In fact, duplicate samples were run for you and the baby, yielding identical results.”

Bolton stood and began to
pace quietly.

Carter
thought Bolton was now behaving like a caged and wounded animal. He decided to deepen the wound. “The city attorney has reviewed the lab results and sees no problem admitting them as evidence. We also have an eyewitness, Ms. Taylor, who will testify that you fathered her child. She will further testify that you bullied her into lying about Dr. Malloy being the father.”

He paused, and
then twisted his verbal knife even deeper. “This is what we call an-open-and-shut case of slander and, more importantly, obstruction of justice.” This wasn’t exactly true but Carter hoped it would make Bolton more receptive to his next line of questioning.

Bolton said nothing and
kept pacing, but at a slower rate.

Finally, Carter asked, “Do you understand
what I just said?”

Bolton returned to his chair and sat, his entire
large body trembling.

To Carter’s surprise, Bolton
slumped over and began to cry. Choking back tears, he mumbled, “This will ruin my career. This will ruin my career.”

“What about Dr. Malloy’s ca
reer? You didn’t mind ruining his when you coerced Ms. Taylor to lie.” Perhaps he was piling on, but Carter’s ire at Bolton drove him forward.