“I started my legal career in the Multnomah County district attorney’s office. I was an excellent prosecutor with an almost perfect record of convictions. Within a relatively short time, I was the lead prosecutor in the section that handled capital cases. Most of the men and women I prosecuted ended up on death row, and I never regretted exacting justice for the victims of heinous crimes.”
Melville took another deep breath. “Thirty years ago, I prosecuted Jose Alvarez for the murder of Margo Prescott. They were students at Randolph College who met because they were rock climbing enthusiasts. She was premed, and he was studying engineering, and they were in the early stages of a relationship. On the evening of the murder, several witnesses saw the couple have a heated argument. Around ten o’clock, Prescott’s roommate returned from a date and found Margo Prescott bludgeoned to death.
“The police canvassed for witnesses. Archie Stallings, another Randolph student, testified at Alvarez’s trial that he was passing Prescott’s dorm around nine when he saw Jose run out. He thought there was blood on his shirt.
“The police questioned Jose. He said that he and Prescott had argued because she wanted to break up with him. He was certain that she was being pressured by her family, who are wealthy, because she was dating a poor son of Mexican immigrants. He admitted that he had run out of Prescott’s dorm around nine, buthe denied killing Prescott. He said that he wanted to talk to her and found her dead.
“The detectives asked Jose why he hadn’t called them. He said that he had grown up in a neighborhood where the police were seen as enemies, and he was afraid he would not be believed because he was Mexican.
“The crime lab found a bloody handprint on Prescott’s body and linked it to Jose. The lab also determined that one of Alvarez’s shirts had Prescott’s blood on it. Jose said he was in shock when he saw Margo’s body. He tried to revive her and got her blood on his shirt. The detectives were convinced that Alvarez was guilty. They arrested him, and he was charged with aggravated murder.
“I was also convinced that Jose was guilty, but I offered him a plea deal because he had never had any problems with the police before and was a model student. He refused the offer and went to trial. I didn’t think Jose’s public defender was very well prepared, but the trial was clean with no appellate issues.
“The key witness in the case was Archie Stallings, the charming son of affluent parents. He was a great witness. A jury found Jose guilty, and he was sentenced to death. There have been multiple appeals in state and federal court, and there was a moratorium on death sentences for several years, so Jose is still alive.”
Melville took another deep breath, and Robin could see that talking about the case was an ordeal.
“A year or so after the Alvarez case, I left the DA’s office and went into private practice with Lawrence Trent. I’d known Larry since high school, and I enjoyed working with him and the other people in the firm. I found that I had a knack for personal injury work, and I did quite well. I also took on the occasional criminalcase. One of the people who hired me was Archie Stallings, who had been charged with rape.”
Melville paused, and Robin suddenly saw where this was going. When her host continued, he looked sick.
“The police interviewed several women who testified that Stallings had tried to force himself on them. Some of these incidents happened after Margo Prescott was murdered. But two happened before she was killed. More important, one witness, Debra Porter, said she was a friend of Margo Prescott and that Margo had told her that Stallings had come on to her at a party and had tried to force her into a bedroom, but was prevented when another student intervened. That student was Jose Alvarez. None of this came out at Jose’s trial.
“I won a motion on Stallings’s behalf to keep out the testimony of the women. Then I won Stallings’s trial. After the acquittal, Stallings and I went back to my office, where he confessed that he had killed Prescott and that Alvarez was completely innocent.
“Stallings said he had met Prescott outside her dorm. She was upset because she had broken up with Jose. Stallings pretended to be sympathetic, and they went to her room so she could vent. When they were in Prescott’s room, Stallings tried to get her into bed. When she resisted, he hit her. She threatened to tell the police, and he panicked and beat her to death so she couldn’t incriminate him.
“Stallings told me that he left Prescott’s room just as Jose was coming up the stairs. He hid until Jose was in Prescott’s room. Then he left the dorm and waited to see what would happen after Jose discovered the body. When he saw Jose run out of the dorm, he called nine-one-one anonymously. Stallings told me that heincriminated Alvarez because he was jealous that Prescott was having sex with a Mexican, but had rejected him.
“As you know, the attorney-client privilege made it impossible for me to tell anyone what Stallings had told me in confidence without his consent. I begged him to let me tell the authorities that Jose was innocent, but he told me he’d have me disbarred if I did, and he’d deny ever telling me that he’d killed Prescott. I was consumed by guilt. I became depressed and retired. I just couldn’t practice law anymore.”
Tears welled up. Melville tried to compose himself and failed.
“The accident… It happened soon after…”
Melville took a deep breath, and Robin waited patiently.
“There is a curse on anyone who lives in Black Oaks, and God visited that curse on me when he took my Katherine away and left me like this. To atone for letting Jose Alvarez rot in prison while I knew he was innocent, I’ve tried to save other innocent defendants, but even my few victories haven’t brought me peace. Then I learned that Stallings had died from a heart attack, and I decided to try and save Jose. That’s why I brought you here. I want you to do what I can’t. I want you to save Jose’s life.”
When their meeting ended, Frank Melville gave Robin two large suitcases. One was filled with a copy of the files from the Alvarez case and a confidential memo detailing everything Melville knew about it. The other suitcase contained the multivolume transcript of the trial.
Robin rolled the suitcases to her room and started reading the case file. She was partway through the police reports when there was a knock on her door. Robin put down the report she was reading and said, “Come in.”
Sheila Monroe opened the door.
“I’ve been sent to escort you to dinner,” she said, flashing a warm smile.
“Thanks. All I had to eat was a sandwich Nelly brought me, and I’m famished.”
Sheila’s smile disappeared. Robin was certain that Monroe had something on her mind and was trying to decide whether to tell her what it was.
“I know you’re not supposed to talk about the reason Frank sent for you, but does it concern the Alvarez case?” Monroe asked.
“I can’t answer that question.”
Sheila nodded. “I understand. But if that’s why you’re here, you’ve got to help him. He’s never told me what happened, but he’s obsessed with Alvarez.”
Monroe paused again. Robin waited for her to continue.