| |
Gil was sitting with Karen at the State Police barracks in Northampton. They were in the observation room adjacent to the interview room where Mark Breen was being interrogated by Detective Devane. Karen whispered to Gil, “That lawyer has a nice suit. He’s probably not a public defender.” Karen wasn’t permitted to be in the interrogation room because she was the kidnap victim.
Detective Devane started the video recorder, stated who was present, and read Mark his rights. “Mr. Breen, you are being questioned because we think you hurt Mr. Gil Novak while he was riding his motorcycle. We think you set some fires, and we think you kidnapped Detective Karen Tindall of the Greenfield Police Department. Did you do these things?”
Mark looked at his lawyer who nodded to him. Mark said, “Yes.”
“May I call you Mark?”
His lawyer nodded to him, and he said, “Yes.”
“Thank you, Mark. Why did you hurt Mr. Novak?”
Mark looked at his lawyer who again nodded. “Gil Novak is helping the police put my mom and auntie in jail.”
“Why would your mom and auntie go to jail?”
“They found Julian’s skeleton.”
“Why would your mom and auntie go to jail because they found Julian’s skeleton?”
Mark looked flustered. He looked at his lawyer, who shook his head. “I don’t know,” said Mark.
“Did someone tell you that they would go to jail?”
Mark looked distraught and yelled out, “I don’t know!”
Detective Devane let Mark calm down for a little while and asked, “Mark, would you like something to drink?”
Mark looked at his lawyer, who nodded his head. “Mountain Dew.” He pronounced mountain with a strong t. The lawyer requested water, so Devane suspended the interview and got drinks.
Once Mark had a chance to gulp down some soda, Detective Devane restarted the interview. “Mark, where did you get the rope that hurt Mr. Novak.”
“From Mo.”
Gil looked at Karen, who looked at Gil and shrugged.
“What is Mo’s last name?” Devane asked.
Mark shrugged.
“Please answer in words for the recording.”
Mark said, “I don’t know. His name is Mo.”
“Is Mo your friend?”
Mark looked flustered again. “I don’t know.”
“Did Mo tell you how to put up the rope to hurt Mr. Novak?”
“Yes.”
“Is Mo a man or a woman?”
Mark croaked out something like a laugh and said, “Mo is a man.”
“How did you know where and when to put up the rope?”
“Mo told me.”
“What was going to happen to Mr. Novak when you put up the rope?”
Mark looked at this lawyer who nodded. “Mr. Novak would get hurt real bad.”
Detective Devane looked up at the one-way mirror, and Karen texted Phillips to work with the staties to find Mo.
“Why did you set the fires?” Devane asked.
Mark looked flustered. “It would keep the police busy, and they wouldn’t have time to take Mom and Auntie to jail.”
“Who told you that?”
“Mo.”
“Where did you get the cans of gas?”
“They weren’t cans. Cans are metal.”
“Where did you get the containers of gas?”
“Some from the shed and some from Mo.” Mark downed more Mountain Dew.
“What does Mo look like?”
Mark looked confused, then looked to his lawyer. The lawyer nodded. “He wears black jeans and a blue hoodie.”
“Is he tall?”
“He’s shorter than me.”
“Does he have white skin?”
“No, he has skin-colored skin, like mine.”
“Does he have long yellow hair?”
He chuckled. “No, he has brown curly hair!”
“Does he talk like you?”
“No, he has a lower voice.”
“Where does he work? In an office?”
“No, he drives a truck like me.”
“Why did you kidnap Detective Tindall?”
“She wants to put Mom and Auntie in jail.”
“How did you put her to sleep?”
“I sprayed her face with motor spray.”
“What is motor spray?”
“The stuff you spray in the weed whacker to get the motor to start.”
“How did you know how to put her to sleep?”
“Mo said.”
“Why did you take Detective Tindall’s pants off?”
Mark smiled to himself briefly a couple of times. “She pooped in her pants.” He snorted.
“Why did you let her go?”
“She said her kids needed her.”
“Where can we find Mo?”
Mark looked confused. “I don’t . . . I don’t know. He just shows up at work sometimes.”
“Does he have any friends that you know?”
“Jupe. Jupe the cop is his friend.”
Karen ran out of the room with her phone.
Detective Devane said, “I think we’re done for now. Thank you. This concludes the interview with Mark Breen.”