The Executioner's Song (36 page)

He went back to the porch.

When the Caffees got home, they discovered that Debbie was cov ered with blood. Chris had to take her into the other morn to change. Then Debbie wanted to make phone calls. She telephoned her morn, and Ben’s sister, and all her own brothers and sisters, and Ben’s friend, Porter Dudson, up in Wyoming. She just called and called. She would start crying and say, “Ben’s been shot and he’s dead.” It was like a recording.

Chris opened their sofa bed in the living room, and she and David lay there while Debbie sat in the rocking chair and rocked Benjamin.

Now, it was Gary on the phone. “Where’s John?” he asked.

“He should be there by now,” said Brenda.

“God, man,” said Gary, “he’s not.”

“Well, honey, calm down,” she said.

but

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“Cousin, is Johnny really coming out?”

Brenda said, “He’s coming, Gary.”

She had a flash. “Gary, what was the house number, 67 or 69?”

Gary said, “No, it was 76.”

“Uh-oh,” said Brenda, “I gave him the wrong one.”

“Will you :get it right this time?” he snapped.

“Okay, Gary,” she said meekly. “Johnny’s got the CB in truck, and I have one here. I’ll plug him into the right address. hang tight.” She took a breath, “If you feel kind of faint,” she “or kind of badly from the wound, why don’t you go out on the where the air is cool and take some deep breaths. Turn the light so Johnny can find you.”

“How stupid,” said Gary, “do you think I am?” Brenda said, “Excuse me, stay inside.” “All right,” he said. He still must trust her.

Soon as she hung up, she began to bawl again. It seemed wrong to do it this .way. But she called the police department, told them, “He’s getting very impatient.”

To Gary, who soon called again, she said, “Listen, I know in pain. Hang loose. Just stay put.”

Brenda was now patched in with the Provo, the Orem, and Pleasant Grove Police Chiefs, and she could tell from what the patchers were saying that the houses around Craig Taylor’s being quietly evacuated. The police were moving into position. of the Police Chiefs wanted to know which room Gary was in and told them, she thought he was in the living room. Was the light he wanted to know. She said she didn’t think so.

Just then Gary called back again. “If John ain’t here in utes I’m splitting.”

“My God, Gary,” she said, “are you on the run or somethin Gary said, “I’m leaving in five minutes.” She said, “Be careful, Gary. I love you.” He said, “Yeah.” Hung up.

To the police, she said, “He’s coming out. I know he’s got for God’s sake, try not to kill him.” Brenda added, “I

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Don’t fire. He doesn’t know you’re there. See if you can surround him.” She didn’t know if she was reaching anybody.

After the last call, Craig just talked to Gary through the screen in the window, until finally Gary said, “Stick your head out through the screen and let me see your face.”

Now, Gary shook hands with Craig and said, “Well, they’re never coming, so I’m leaving.” They shook hands, thumbs up, pretty good handshake, Gary still looking Craig in the eye. Then he went out to his truck. Craig turned the porch light off and watched him go down the road. ‘

For a while, Brenda got the play-by-play. Over the special chan nel on the CB a voice said, “Gilmore’s leaving. I can see the truck. He’s pulling out now. He has the lights on.” Then she heard he was heading down to the first roadblock. She didn’t know what happened next. He seemed to have driven around that first roadblock. He was out. He was loose in Pleasant Grove.

She heard somebody from the police say, “I’ve got to cut you off now.” Cut her off, they did. For an hour and a half. It was all of that before she knew what had happened.

Craig called Spence McGrath and said Gary was in trouble and might try to get over to his place. Craig thought the police were after him. Spencer said, “Wow, that’s kind of wild,” and got out his deer rifle, and had it lying right next to the door.

Lights shone through the window, and the cops were shouting at Craig Taylor, “Come out with your hands up.” They searched the house. Julie appeared in her bathrobe, but the cops weren’t all that COUrteous. They found Gary’s clothes, told Craig to drive down to Provo and give a statement. He was up all night.

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A SWAT team from Provo, five officers from Orem, and three from Pleasant Grove, a couple of County Sheriffs and some Highway Patrol

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had all met at the Pleasant Grove High School where an impromptu command post was established. Since there was every chance of a shootout, they had started cleaning out the area around Craig Tay lor’s house. It meant tiptoeing from door to door, waking people up, leading them out of the neighborhood — it took time. In the mean while, they set up roadblocks,

When the word came down that somebody was driving away from Craig Taylor’s in a white truck, everybody expected a vehicle come barreling through. What fooled them was that the white truck drove at a moderate rate of speed, slowed down, and went ri around. It hadn’t been that heavy a roadblock. Just a barrier one-half of the two-lane, with a police car parked to the side. the guy in the white truck had gone past, it was reported that he a goatee. Then it registered. That was him. Two of their vehicles off.

A couple of the cops stayed right where they were. They thinking this fellow might have been a decoy passing the in hopes everybody would chase him. Then Gilmore could walk ri

on out.

One trouble with a roadblock is that it could start a lot of: firing. So Lieutenant Peacock, who was running the operation the command post at the Pleasant Grove High School, had told people that if there was any doubt, they were to let a white vehicle through. Next thing, he got the news. The driver in the white did fit Gilmore’s description. Then Peacock could actually see truck, just a few hundred yards away from the high school, east toward the mountains on a street called Battle Creek Going along at no great speed, in fact. Maybe five or ten miles the speed limit, which was only 25 miles an hour there. radioed for a car to follow the truck, but when he heard that vehicles in the vicinity were tied up, he got into his unmarked car, a plain four-door ‘76 Chevelle, and proceeded after Within a few blocks he got near enough to see the truck again. he had been radioing in his position, another car driven by fell in behind.

The white truck made a right-hand turn and started going down an empty country road at the edge of Pleasant Grove.

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were just a few houses on either side, but he was heading back toward population. At that point, still another patrol car had gotten in line, and Peacock decided he now had sufficient assistance to make a stop on the truck. While the road they were on was not real wide, it would still be broad enough for three cars to get abreast. So, at that point, he radioed for the other two to come up on his left-hand side, and soon as they did, all three turned on their spotlights at once and their overhead revolving red lights.

On the PA system, Peacock cried out: “DRIVER IN THE WHITE TRUCK, STOP YOUR VEHICLE, STOP YOUR VEHI CLE.” He could see the truck waver, slow down, come to a halt. Peacock opened his door. He had a Remington. z-gauge shotgun in the front seat, but, instinctively, he came out with his service weapon.

The white truck had stopped in the center of the road. Peacock stood behind the protection of his open door. He could hear Ron Allen commanding Gilmore to put his hands up. Right there in the driver’s seat he was to put his hands up. Lift them so he could be seen through the rear window. The man hesitated. Allen had to give the order a third time before he finally raised his hands. Next Allen told him to put those hands outside the driver’s window. The driver hesitated again. Then he finally obeyed. Now he was told to open the door by the outside latch, Once that door was open, he was told to get out of the truck.

By now, Peacock had walked around in back of his Chevelle, and was standing behind the headlights, on the right-hand side of the road where it was dark. He had his weapon ready. He knew the sus pect couldn’t see him. The man’s eyes would be blinded by the lights of the car, In turn, the other officers were standing back of the open doors of their patrol cars.

On command, the man took two steps away from his vehicle. He hesitated. They told him to lie down on the read. He hesitated again. At that moment, his pickup truck started to roll away. He kept hesi tating. He didn’t know whether to run after the truck and set the emergency brake or to lie down. At this point, Peacock’hollered, “LET THE TRUCK GO. LAY DOWN IMMEDIATELY. LET THE TRUCK GO.” The man finally did as he was told and the white truck

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rolled farther and farther away from him and picked up speed going down that road which sloped all the way into town.

Slowly, gently, almost thoughtfully, it coasted off the shoulder broke through a fence, ran through a pasture, and came to rest in the field.

Now all three officers, weapons out, moved forward along blacktop. Peacock and the next officer were holding Service ons. The third had a shotgun.

When they reached the man, Peacock put his gun away, frisked him right there on the ground. Simultaneously, Officer began to read off the Miranda.

“You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer tions. Do you understand?” asked Allen. There was a nod. The didn’t speak.

“Anything you say may be used against you in a court

Do you understand?” asked Allen. A nod.

“You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to police and to have an attorney present during any questions now in the future. Do you understand?” asked Allen. A nod.

“If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for

without cost. Do you understand?” asked Allen.

The man nodded.

“If you do not have an attorney available, you have the right remain silent until you have an opportunity to consult one. Do

understand?” asked Allen.

The man nodded.

“Now that l have advised you of your rights, are you answer the questions without an attorney present?” asked

All the while, Lieutenant Peacock was putting handcuffs on “Be careful of that hand. It’s been hurt,” said the man.

Peacock fastened the restraints, turned him over, and be go through his pockets. The fellow had upwards of $200 in and small bills in various shirt pockets and pants pockets, and tainly had a wild look in his eye. “What am I going to do now?” his expression. “What’s my next move?”

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Peacock had the feeling that the prisoner did not make any move without looking for the possibility of escape. Even though he had him handcuffed, Peacock remained on guard. It was as if he was still cap turing the fellow. There was such resistance in the way this man hesitated whenever a command.was given. He looked like a wildcat in a bag. Temporarily quiet.

A number of people had begun to come out of nearby houses and they stood in a circle staring at the captive. Lieutenant Nielsen ar rived then in another police car and at that point, the prisoner spoke up suddenly. “Hey,” he said, pointing at Gerald Nielsen, “I’m not going to talk to anybody but him.”

They put him in the back seat of Peacock’s car and Nielsen got in and said, “What’s going on, Gary?” Gilmore said, “I’m hurting, you know? Can you give me one of those pills?” He pointed to the plastic bag where they had everything they took from his pockets. Nielsen said, “Well, we’ll take you down, get you taken care of.” They drove off.

For hours before this capture, Kathryne was spending a fearful eve ning. April had taken off again, and the weather had been hot beyond belief all day. They left the doors open, and the windows, and kept waiting for April to come back. Watched television. The tension in the house got so great they couldn’t even go to sleep. Nicole had come over with the kids and bedded down with them on the floor of their room because it was cooler, but Kathy and Kathryne were too keyed-up and just sat around talking, scared to death.

Then all of a sudden, a floodlight went right across the windows. My God, they didn’t know what was happening. A huge loudspeaker boomed in, a huge loudspeaker. “YOU IN THE WHITE PICKUP,” it shouted. Two words, “Crazy Gary,” jumped instantly into Kathryne’s mind. “Oh, my God, it’s that crazy Gary.” Then they heard the loud speaker say, “AT THE COUNT OF TWO, PUT UP YOUR HANDS,

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PUT UP YOUR HANDS.” A quieter voice said, “Get ready to up, if he doesn’t obey.”

At those words, Kathy and Kathryne hit the floor. They have been soldiers, they did it so instinctively. The bedroom with light. A police beacon was turning in a circle. When they to raise their heads they could see three policemen walking up road carrying guns. Then someone yelled, “They got him.”

Nicole woke up out of a crazy dream, and started scre. Kathryne was holding onto her, shouting, “Sissy, don’t go out You can’t go out,” which was all Nicole needed to break loose she was out and in the crowd that was standing on the road Gary on the ground. With all those lights on him, he didn’t know what was going on.

The police wouldn’t let Nicole up close. She stood a away looking at him, and one of the cops began to question who had just come out and asked, “Do you know him?” Kathryne said, “Yeah,” the cop said, “Well, he was right about your driveway when we got him. You were lucky.” Then another., said, “We think he killed the fellow last night too.” That’s when hit Kathryne. They still hadn’t found April.