For the most part, he had raised her himself. Under his watch, Anna had done well in school and gone on to college. Then Daniel came into her life.
Sullivan admitted he had never had anything personal against the young man. Daniel just seemed too quiet, too unsure of himself. As a former military man, Sullivan had imagined his daughter with someone steadier, maybe another serviceman.
But Anna fell hard for the young software engineer. When the couple announced they were getting married, Sullivan objected strongly. There were arguments. Anna cried. Daniel tried to explain himself.
In the end, the wedding went ahead anyway. Sullivan swallowed his pride, attended, and hugged his daughter. But he said he had carried a bad feeling about the marriage from the start.
Walsh listened and took notes. Then he asked about their last conversation. Sullivan let out a long breath and said Anna had called him the morning of June 17.
She cheerfully told him they were heading to the cabin and invited him to come by. He had refused, saying he was busy. In truth, he simply didn’t want to see his son-in-law.
Anna had sounded disappointed and hung up. As it turned out, that was the last time he ever spoke to her. At that point Sullivan fell silent and clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened.
The muscles in his cheeks tightened again. Walsh decided it was time to move to the central issue. He asked where Sullivan had been that night, June 17 into June 18.
Sullivan repeated what he had said before: he was home alone, drinking and watching television. He still couldn’t name a specific program. He flatly denied leaving the apartment or driving anywhere that night.
Walsh leaned back in his chair and played what he thought was his strongest card. He asked about the large dark sedan seen at the Reeds’ cabin at two in the morning. At that, Sullivan looked up sharply and met his eyes.
He said firmly that it was not his car. He admitted he had no alibi, but insisted he was not involved. Walsh then took a photograph from the file—the one showing the remains beneath the broken concrete.
Without a word, he placed it in front of Sullivan. The man looked at the image, turned away, and covered his face with both hands. His shoulders shook with quiet sobs.
Walsh gave him a minute, then removed the photo. It was time for the final question. He asked directly whether Victor Sullivan had killed his daughter and son-in-law.
Sullivan lowered his hands. His face was wet with tears. He answered clearly that he had loved Anna too much to ever harm her. On that note, the interview ended, and he was taken back to his cell.
Walsh stepped outside, lit a cigarette, then put it out after three drags. He worked the mint in his mouth and replayed the interview in his mind. By every sign, the grieving father had sounded sincere. Still, Walsh wasn’t ready to let go of his doubts…
