Chapters (65)
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty–one
- Twenty–two
- Twenty–three
- Twenty–four
- Twenty–five
- Twenty–six
- Twenty–seven
- Twenty–eight
- Twenty–nine
- Thirty
- Thirty–one
- Thirty–two
- Thirty–three
- Thirty–four
- Thirty–five
- Thirty–six
- Thirty–seven
- Thirty–eight
- Thirty–nine
- Forty
- Forty–one
- Forty–two
- Forty–three
- Forty–four
- Forty–five
- Forty–six
- Forty–seven
- Forty–eight
- Forty–nine
- Fifty
- Fifty–one
- Fifty–two
- Fifty–three
- Fifty–four
- Fifty–five
- Fifty–six
- Fifty–seven
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgments
- Also by Becky Masterman
- About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-up
“Abbot Franklin, I’m coming to this late and I have no right to advise you. But if I were you, I’d keep this just between us for now. Let me do a little investigating and see what turns up. Don’t even talk to the brothers about it, for their own safety. Can you do that?”
“I can.” He sounded somehow absolved of sin and receiving his penance.
“Does Rabbi Norwitz care if I stay here a bit longer?” I asked.
“Are you Jewish?”
“You might say I’m everything and nothing.”
He nodded as if he understood better than I did. Patted my hand and said, “They’re Reformed. I’ll let him know on my way out.”
I eased up the yellowed and hardened tape that might have been applied over fifty years ago. If this thing was authentic, I would be the only person alive who knew the complete truth of what had happened. As I started to read, I could hear the voice of the writer in my head. The voice sounded true.
Forty–three
Hickock’s Confession
First of all, I have to begin by saying that some of this is repeated from my official confession, but that is necessary. It is impossible to tease out the facts that are not yet known from the official story, some of which is true and some of which is a lie. What with the stories that Perry and I told to Agents Nye and Duntz, then the one to Agent Dewey, and then the official confessions we signed, and me telling my story to another journalist, and the one I wrote myself, and what was told to a man named Truman Capote who wrote what he says will be called In Cold Blood (he is very famous for other books) plus God only knows what he actually wrote … well, you get the picture. Now I am going to “tell it straight.”
The letter attached to this account explains the purpose of me telling the whole truth now. I am putting it behind a sketch Perry did of me and giving it to the priest who is coming to hear my confession. This part will explain what really happened with the Clutter family in 1959, and also what I know about the Walker family.
Sometimes I think Perry took the chance because, if it goes into the book, it will be like a letter sent to the boy, sort of a love letter, that Perry is protecting him. I don’t know what happened between Perry and the boy, but I want to go on record that I have always behaved as one hundred percent normal, not like a queer or as a pedophile.
But I should start closer to the beginning.