Page 8 of Death on Riddle Road
“He’d served his sentence?How many years did he get?”
“Life.”
“Parole?But—?”
“He requested and received compassionate release.”
“Compassionate—?”
“He was dying.”
CHAPTER FOUR
I probably gapedat him.I know my brain gaped, so it was likely my face did, too.
Part of my mind recognized Clara did not express surprise or confusion at this new fact.But most of it grappled with my own surprise and confusion.
The murdered man was a convicted murderer.
A convicted murderer who was dying.
A convicted murderer who was dying when he was murdered.
“Just to be sure...Teague, you aren’t saying he was dying in the broad sense that all living creatures are heading toward a point when they will no longer be living, are you?”
“No.I’m saying dying in the sense that he had a fatal disease and was given a few weeks to live.He was in hospice.”
“They let him out of prison because he was dying?”
“It happens sometimes.”
My thoughts backtracked.“Compassionate release, you said.”
“Yeah.And sometimes it really is from compassion.”
“Other times?”
He lifted one shoulder.“Sometimes political—”
“Not this time,” Clara said.“If politics had entered into it, Derrick wouldn’t have been convicted in the first place,” Clara said.
“Agree the release wasn’t political.”Stopping there made it clear Teague didn’t agree with the rest.“Judging by calls the department’s getting — even though we had nothing to do with the decision — his early release is not a popular move, even with the guy now dead.”
Before Clara could do verbal battle from afar with those anonymous callers, I asked, “If not political, were there other reasons for his getting a release?I mean, besides compassion.”
“Practical.Some prison facilities don’t have much by way of hospice treatment.Better all-around if the dying prisoner’s family can assume responsibility for hospice care.”
“Responsibility for the care and the cost?”
“Yeah, there is that.First consideration is public safety.In this case, since he was nearly bedridden, certainly confined to the facility, it wasn’t like he was going to kill anybody in the time he was out.”
“No.But hewaskilled himself.”
“True.”Teague was calm, but not casual about this.
Me?I was still trying to sort my thoughts.“Why would someone murder a person who was about to die anyway?”
“Good question.In fact, an excellent question.”
