A Deadly Game (31 page)

Ron also admitted having concerns about his son-in-law. His normally bright eyes were bloodshot and drawn; beneath his bristly white beard he wore a frown. He told Grogan that he was suspicious of Scott early on, but didn't want to believe he was involved. He felt the family should stand behind him until they had evidence to the contrary. Yet he admitted that Scott had been distant with him since Laci disappeared, and wouldn't make eye contact.

Grogan noted the couple's observations, but his main priority was installing the recording equipment on the home phones before Scott's next call. As he was setting up the wiring in the bedroom, the phone rang. It was Scott, calling to speak with Sharon. One of Sharon's friends had answered the cordless phone in the living room and brought it to the rear bedroom for Sharon.

Grogan quickly activated the recorder and handed Sharon the headset to the standard phone. "Hi Mom. Scott."

"Hi, Scott," Sharon replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the detective. "Why are there signs at the center that we're supposed to close today?"

"I don't know, is it closed?" Sharon asked, holding back her emotions.

"You don't know why?" Scott asked.

"No. I haven't talked . . . nobody's called me. I haven't heard anything."

"Huh," Scott sighed. "How are you doing?"

"Not very good today. Not having a good day."

"Well," Scott began.

"No, it's been a real rough day today," Sharon continued. "Scott, we've seen some photos of you with another girl. Is there somebody you've been seeing?"

"No," Scott replied. "Yeah, the police have a very ..."

Before he could finish, Sharon interrupted. "Well, we've seen the photos and it's you with this other girl."

"Uh, huh," Scott said noncommittally.

"So what's that all about?"

"Well, I'll sit down with you and talk to you about it."

"Well, are you seeing somebody else or not?" Sharon asked. "Is that why you're not coming forward or ..."

"No." Scott insisted.

"You're not seeing anybody?" Sharon probed.

"No." Scott lied again. "Is that why Brent called me this morning?"

"In the photos you're by a Christmas tree, Scott, and ..."

"Yeah." Scott offered no explanation.

"You guys are kissing and you're trying to tell me that you're not seeing somebody else?"

"We'll, we'll sit down, okay Mom?"

Scott tried to tell his mother-in-law that the alleged affair was just a theory originating with police. Even as Sharon described the photos, Scott continued to deny the obvious.

"When are we gonna sit down and talk?" Sharon demanded.

"Well, I'll see ya definitely today," Scott told her.

"Are you coming over here?"

"Yeah," Scott agreed.

"No," Sharon shot back. "And don't come over here because that's not a good idea to come over here."

When I first learned about this conversation, I wondered why Sharon did not corner Scott at the house and, figuratively, pummel him for information. On reflection, however, it's clear how useless that would have been. Scott was a consummate liar; nothing Sharon might have done would change that.

When Grogan emerged from the rear bedroom, he saw that Buehler was in the living room showing photographs of Scott and Amber to the group gathered there.

As Laci's family grappled with the devastating news, Scott was in his car, dialing Stacey Boyers's mother, Terry Western, who helped run the volunteer center.

"Why is the center closed today, Terry?" Scott asked when she answered the call.

Terry said that Kim Peterson had told her about the article in the National Enquirer claiming that Scott had a girlfriend. She said they were all "devastated."

"I know the police have this theory, and they have asked me a bunch of ..." Scott asked.

"I hope to God it isn't true," Terry replied. Scott let out a sigh, then thanked Terry for being straight with him. "I wish that people would tell me about the fucking National Enquirer thing," he fumed. It was ironic; Scott was thanking Terry for her honesty, even as he lied to everyone else.

In a later conversation with another friend from the volunteer center, Scott again denied the affair. When the woman told him that she believed him, Scott didn't correct her. Concerned only about his image, he allowed her to end the conversation by writing off the allegation as a "National Enquirer article."

A little while later, Scott checked his voice mail. Jackie Peterson had phoned to suggest that Scott highlight Laci's pregnancy on the missing persons posters and on the Laci Peterson website. Scott deleted the message before it was over, a gesture that wasn't lost on the officers. He then listened to a second message from an NBC reporter calling with questions about "reports of a girlfriend."

"Yeah, right, bitch!" Scott said before deleting that message, too.

The third message on Scott's voice mail was from Brent Rocha.

He'd finally gotten his hands on the Enquirer article, and advised Scott they needed to talk about "why these things were coming out in the press."

Scott deleted this one, too.

As Scott erased his brother-in-law's message, Brent was calling again. This time Scott answered.

"Do you have a minute?" Brent asked.

"What's up with the article?" Scott inquired.

Brent described the Enquirer article, confirming that it included pictures of Scott with a woman. He mentioned the article's contention that Scott had taken out a hefty life insurance policy on Laci, and insinuated that this was a motive for murder. "Is it true?" Brent asked in a controlled voice.

"No," Scott replied.

"No life insurance policy?" Brent questioned.

"I mean, we have one of those whole life policies, you know that is a retirement fund as well," Scott stated. "But the FBI has ..."

The call was lost.

Brent tried back several more times, reaching Scott's voice mail each time. A few minutes later, Scott phoned him back. He told Brent that he had been trying to find the article but had been unsuccessful.

"Well apparently there are pictures of you and the girl together. So we know that's true, right?"

"Yeah, there was an encounter," Scott admitted.

"Knowing that, what can you tell me about my sister to make me understand that you are telling the truth and that I can still support you?" Brent queried.

"You know how happy we were together and that never changed or wavered," Scott replied. He insisted he had nothing to do with Laci's disappearance.

Brent asked if Scott thought that "that girl" had anything to do with Laci going missing?

"She didn't," he defended her. "She couldn't have. She didn't know about Laci."

Scott's certainty on this score raises an interesting question. In truth, he barely knew Amber-yet after only four dates and a number of phone calls, he was sure that she had nothing to do with Laci's disappearance. How could he be certain that his mistress had nothing to do with his wife's fate-unless he knew the real story? Brent asked if Scott was happy about the baby coming. "Absolutely," Scott assured him.

"They are out to nail you right now," Brent commented. "Of course they are."

Despite public suspicions to the contrary, police detectives aren't usually interested in arresting the wrong man. Yet today police conspiracies are a common defense. O. J. Simpson's claim that the LAPD wanted to frame him was ludicrous, but it succeeded at trial. Maybe Scott thought the tactic would work for him, too.

Brent told Scott that the family had been standing behind him, but now they were unsure what to believe. He said the article also mentioned spots of blood found on Scott's kitchen floor and in his truck, as well as cement in his shop that he used for "anchors or something."

Scott acknowledged that he'd made a boat anchor with the cement, and that he put some of the material on the driveway. He said police asked him a lot of questions about the cement.

"The police already questioned you?" Brent asked.

"Yes," Scott replied, though he added that he'd never heard about the blood spots. He told Brent he could look at the warrant that police served on his house, which itemized everything that was taken. Police took a sample of one suspected spot from an exterior door that tested negative for the presence of blood.

"Okay," Brent said.

"If that helps you to know how unfactual this article is in lots of respects," Scott added.

"Hey, it's coming from the Enquirer, so who knows what this is saying," Brent said.

Scott pointed to a prior Enquirer article that featured an interview with an eyewitness who claimed he saw Scott putting a body in the back of his truck. Brent admitted that he'd read that, too.

Scott said it was embarrassing and wrong that the paper talked about an encounter with "this girl."

"So, that part is true, huh?" Brent asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Scott admitted.

"So, you don't think she had anything to do with it?" Brent asked a second time.

"You know Laci and I are happy together," Scott said.

"You know every time I saw you together ... I told you, Scott, the day after she left, she loved you so much, she totally adored you. ... Is there anything else like this person, this woman, that might throw us off or catch us off guard?"

"You know, this was the only thing like that," Scott said.

"What do you think happened to her?" Brent asked.

Scott told his brother in law he believed that someone who knew Laci's routine "pulled over and grabbed her," or "it could have happened down in the park."

If Brent Rocha had been relatively even-tempered with Scott, Sharon Rocha was far more confrontational.

"Scott, this is Sharon, are you there?" Sharon said, adjusting the police department's headset. "Scott, pick up the phone if you're there. I need to talk to you ..."

"Yeah," Scott replied.

"Where are you?" Sharon inquired.

Scott started to answer, but Sharon interrupted him. "Well, since you've managed to lose all of my confidence in you, what I want to know is, where is my daughter at, Scott?"

"I wish I knew, Mom. I wish I knew where she is."

"You do know," Sharon snapped. "You do know where she is and I want you to tell me. Where is Laci and her baby? Where did you put them?"

"Where is my wife and our child? I don't know," Scott replied.

"You killed my daughter, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't, Mom," Scott said.

"Yes, you did, Scott. And I want to know, just let me bring my daughter home, okay? That's all I want. I don't want anything else from you. I want you to tell me where my daughter is. I want to bury my daughter. Now would you tell me where she is, Scott?"

Scott spoke over his mother-in-law. "Don't know where she is. I want my wife ..."

"Stop lying," Sharon insisted. "I'm tired of your lies. You have looked me in the eye ... for weeks and been lying to me. You have looked me in the eye for years and been lying to me. Now where is she?"

"I wish I knew," Scott said.

"You do know," Sharon shot back. "Stop lying. For once in your life take some responsibility and tell the goddamn truth. Where is my daughter?"

"I want her home, Mom and ..."

"Shut up," Sharon commanded. "Don't tell me such stupid things. You tell me where she is. Where did you put her?" Sharon paused to catch her breath. "Scott, tell me where she is."

"I'm sorry ..." Scott interrupted, but Sharon continued to rail.

"And you can run away . . . you can go do whatever the fuck you want, but tell me where my daughter is."

"I'm sorry," Scott started again.

"I have every right to know where you put Laci," Sharon insisted.

"We all have a right to know where Laci is ..."

"Quit lying to me," Sharon yelled into the receiver. "Don't bullshit me. You tell me where she is."

"We all want her home."

"Shut up," Sharon demanded. "You are such a fucking liar. You make me sick, Scott. Where is Laci? I want to be able to bury my daughter. Now, tell me what you did with her."

"I want her and our child home ..."

"Oh shut up. You're disgusting. Do you know there's not a person in this town who wants to see your face? Now you tell me where she is and then you can get the hell out of here. Tell me where she is. I want my daughter, Scott. That's all I want from you. I don't care what happens to you."

Scott tried to say something, but his mother-in-law continued to rage. "Mom, we all want her back."

"Oh God, you are disgusting," Sharon retorted, then turned to Ron. "Do you have anything to say to him?" She handed Ron the phone.

"If you've got anything left in you, Scott, you better tell us where she is," Ron commanded.

"I wish I knew, Ron. We all want her back," Scott repeated.