Raising Caine E3

A team of police officers and forensic experts return to the crime scene with shovels and earth scanning equipment. Within three hours they discover the remains of an adult body. Careful extraction extends through the remainder of the day. After the exhumation, police question Eve.

“Do you care to tell us who’s buried in your backyard and how he wound up there?” asks Detective Larson.

Eve does not offer up additional information, saying, “I prefer to answer questions with my lawyer, Mr. Meyer, present.”

“You can make that phone call. Tell him that you’ll be in custody at the police station.”

Richard Meyer now finds himself juggling two related clients. One might actually be innocent. The other, he is learning, may be responsible for additional crimes. When he arrives at the police station, the mysteries unravel.

“I’m here to see my client, Eve Kirkland,” he tells the clerk.

The desk officer informs him that she is notifying the lead detective. Larson tells Meyer what he’s found.

“Bodies are piling up in the morgue from the Kirkland household. I realize you may desire some time with your new client to get your panties on straight. But I’m gonna need answers to tough questions fast!”

“Understood, give me a few moments to gather bearings with my client before making a statement,” Meyer replies.

In a private consultation room, attorney Meyer speaks to Eve Kirkland. “Even with plausible explanations, your case may be indefensible. You can’t keep everybody in the dark regarding what happened at your residence.”

“We should have moved,” she mutters.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Brandon Kirkland—Armand’s father—was abusive to him. I should have packed up my children and left him.”

“Wait. Are you revising your statement to implicate a decedent found in your backyard?”

“It’s like Genesis 4:10 says, ‘The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.’

“There was a scuffle while attempting to protect Armand. It resulted in Brandon’s accidental death about eight or nine years ago.”

“Why didn’t you phone the police back then?”

“I was a younger and more foolish bride. Fear of going to prison led me to cover up even my innocence.”

“I’m going to be candid with you, Ms Kirkland. There are too many holes in your story. Both old and new injuries were found on Armand’s body. You earlier planned to plead guilty to taking Armand’s life. The police will want to add the death of Mr. Kirkland to your charges. Are you pleading guilty to both murders?”

“I’m just so tired of being the sole protector and provider. As long as Caine goes free, I’ll do the time. Yes, I’ll plead guilty.”

Flaming Sword

Eve enters the interrogation room along with her attorney. “This meeting is being recorded. Are you ready to make a truthful statement, Ms Kirkland?” Detective Larson asks.

Attorney Meyer preempts the confession. “My client would like to stipulate that her cooperation is predicated upon the release of her son, Caine.”

“Your request is noted. But any deals are based on the validity of the information your client offers. We have enough evidence to charge Ms Kirkland and her son with first-degree murder and possible conspiracy.”

Eve offers a new explanation. “During postpartum depression, I became physically abusive with my youngest son. His father tried to protect him. During a scuffle, Brandon fell and hit his head on the edge of a table. So I buried the body.

“I can’t explain without proper treatment, but for some reason my abuse of Armand continued. I depended upon Cain to intervene as a protector. But he was afraid to struggle with me.

“I had an episode of anger the night before you discovered Armand’s body. His death was an accident. But I arranged for Caine to discover the body when he came home from school.”

Agasp with the tidy confession, Larson responds, “Assuming the forensics match your signed statement, I will urge the district attorney to drop charges against Caine.”

Meyer suggests that his client may qualify for a defense of temporary insanity. But Detective Larson discourages it. “Temporary insanity doesn’t last nine years. Nor does it include burying evidence and staging crime scenes. With such a plea, there would be a jury trial and any deals are off the table.”

The judge hears motions and drops charges against Caine who enters foster care. Eve pleads guilty to child neglect, abuse, and double second-degree murder charges. Collective sentencing leaves her in prison for the rest of her life, barred from contact with her son and the outside world.

While in foster care, Cain receives psychological counseling. In this story told through his eyes, as an adult, he pursues a career in forensic pathology.

The End

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