“I might find it as fascinating as you do if I had nothing else to keep me busy, but I’m swamped, and I’m also not that motivated to save the life of some degenerate who gets his kicks torturing innocent girls.”

“Point taken. So, you’re certain he did it?”

“I haven’t read the transcript-it’s twenty-four volumes-but I read the statement of facts in the brief that was filed in the Oregon supreme court after he got the death sentence. The state didn’t have an open-and-shut case, but it was pretty strong.”

“What happened?” Ginny asked as she grabbed a second slice of pizza.

“Laurie Erickson was the daughter of Marsha Erickson, who was Farrington’s personal secretary when he was governor. I think she worked at his law firm before he was elected. Anyway, Laurie was a senior in high school and she babysat for Patrick, the Farringtons’ kid, on occasion. The Farringtons were going to this fund-raiser at the Salem Public Library. The library isn’t that far from the governor’s mansion.

“Patrick was two at the time and he had a bad cold. He was asleep when Laurie started to watch him. You know the first lady is a doctor?”

Ginny nodded.

“Well, Dr. Farrington had gotten some prescription medicine that Laurie was supposed to give the kid if he was coughing when he woke up. The governor and his aide, Charles Hawkins, went down to the limo while his wife was in Patrick’s room telling Laurie what to do with the medicine. Dr. Farrington testified that she told Laurie good night a little after seven P.M.

“This was in December, so it was already dark when the limo left for the library. The security detail at the mansion didn’t see anyone lurking around the grounds, but the mansion is an historic building that’s surrounded by woods. It was built by a timber baron in the 1800s on several acres and refurbished after a fund-raising campaign in the late 1990s. There are a lot of ways someone can sneak onto the grounds. There’s a guard at the front gate, another guard who patrols the grounds, and some security cameras, but the system isn’t state-of-the-art.”

“So the guards didn’t see anyone come to the mansion after the governor left?”

“Actually, someone did. Charles Hawkins, the governor’s aide, returned around seven-thirty to pick up a sheet with statistics for the governor’s speech that he had forgotten to bring with him. Hawkins parked in the rear of the mansion and entered through a back door that’s used by the staff. He had to pass by Patrick’s room on the way to his office. Mrs. Farrington asked him to check on Patrick. Hawkins testified that Laurie told him that Patrick was still asleep. After that he got the paper and drove back to the library in time to give it to the governor.”

“Did anyone see Laurie alive after Hawkins left?”

“No, he was the last person to see her, other than the killer, of course. When the Farringtons returned that night Patrick was still asleep but Laurie was nowhere to be found. The grounds and the woods were searched, but the police couldn’t find a trace of her. A few days later, hikers found her mutilated body in a state park, miles from the mansion.”

“What do the police think happened?”

“There’s an entrance to the basement in the rear of the mansion. It was open when the police searched the place, and traces of Erickson’s blood were found on a laundry chute that emptied into the basement. According to the medical examiner, Erickson was small and thin enough to fit down it. The cops think Little came through the woods and entered the house through the basement, knocked out Erickson, threw her body down the chute, and took her out the basement door.”

“That seems like a lot of work.”

“The guy’s crazy. He probably thought it was a good plan.”

“How would he know she was babysitting? He’d also have to know about the laundry chute and that it was big enough to accommodate someone Erickson’s size. How did he know the layout of the mansion?”

“I don’t know,” Brad answered, annoyed that Ginny was playing detective.

“Why did the police arrest Little for Erickson’s murder if no one saw him go into the mansion or leave with Erickson?”

“The big thing was the pinkie. He’d kidnap the girls, kill them, then cut off their pinkies after they were dead. The police think he kept them as souvenirs but they never found them. Erickson was missing her pinkie, and she’d been cut up the way Little had mutilated the other victims.”

“The case still sounds weak to me.”

“You’re right. I think Little would have had a good chance to beat it if it was his only charge, but Little was arrested for killing thirteen girls, and the state had a very strong case in several of the other murders. They didn’t prosecute Little for Erickson’s murder until he’d been convicted of two other killings. Then the prosecutor introduced evidence from those cases at Little’s trial for Erickson’s death. The MOs were so similar that they pointed to one person committing all of the crimes.”

“What’s going on with his other cases?”

“The Oregon supreme court affirmed so-barring a miracle in federal court-he’s going to be executed.”

Ginny looked confused. “If he’s going to be executed twice why is he appealing this case?”

Brad shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Is there a chance he’s innocent?”

“Who else could have done it?”

“Hawkins was the last person to see her alive,” Ginny said in between bites. “One of the guards could have crept up the stairs when the others weren’t looking. And if Little snuck into the mansion, so could someone else.”

“Some other serial killer who just happens to have an MO identical to Clarence Little’s?”

“Good point.”

“Anyway, none of that matters. I can’t reargue the facts in a habeas corpus case. I can only raise constitutional issues that were argued by Little in the habeas corpus hearing.”

“Why does Little think he should get a new trial?”

“He claims that he had an alibi for the night Erickson was murdered and his trial lawyer didn’t pursue it.”

“So he’s going with incompetence of counsel?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t have any case. The trial attorney testified at the hearing. He said that Little did claim that he had an alibi but wouldn’t tell him what it was. He says he kept pressing Little for more information but Little was always so vague that he couldn’t use an alibi defense.”

“What did Little say?”

“Not much. I read his testimony. He just asserted that he had given the lawyer enough information but he wouldn’t tell the judge where he was supposed to have been, and he fenced with the prosecutor. He comes across as real evasive in the transcript. The judge accused him of playing games with the court. He ruled that Little’s attorney was competent and that was that.”

“Are there any other issues?”

“Not that I can see.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

Brad shrugged. “I guess I’ll skim the transcript and read all this stuff just to be sure. The guy is on death row. I’ve got to leave no stone unturned, right? But I think I’m just spinning my wheels. I’ll do some research. I owe the client that. If I don’t find anything I’ll meet with Tuchman and tell her we should advise the client to drop the appeal.”

Ginny wiped her hands and mouth on a napkin. “I have a brilliant suggestion.”

“About the case?”

“No, about life. It’s almost nine and you look like shit. I think the Dragon Lady can wait a day to hear your views on Mr. Little’s case, but I don’t think you can last much longer without a beer. So, I want you to pack up your case file and escort me over to the bar at the Shanghai Clipper.”

Brad looked at his watch. He’d lost track of time and his enthusiasm for work.

“That is a brilliant suggestion. You must have been top of your class.”

“I did ace drinking law.” Ginny stood up. “I’ll get my coat and meet you by the elevator.”