Joey Beecher interview #2

Wednesday, July 15, 2020 – 9:21 a.m.

Participants:

• Detective Ted Armstrong
• Detective Sam Murphy
• Joey Beecher

Detective Murphy: You remember I'm Detective Murphy. This is Detective Armstrong.

Detective Armstrong: We're just going to keep you a few moments, and we'll probably send you home.

Detective Murphy: For the record, again, could you state your name and address?

Joey Beecher: My name is still Joey Beecher, and I still live at 1172 Magnolia.

Detective Armstrong: Have you put your place on the market yet?

Joey Beecher: What?

Detective Armstrong: A little bird told me that Philip Fontaine left you a lot of money. I figured you'd be buying a house that didn't need so much uptake.

Joey Beecher: That's news to me about the will.

Detective Armstrong: Mr. Fontaine never mentioned anything about the will? Didn't even show you a draft?

Joey Beecher: No.

Detective Murphy: Well, we've confirmed your two visits to The Roadhouse the night of the murder.

Joey Beecher: You've been following up on me?

Detective Murphy: This is a homicide investigation, Joey. Of course, we have. The only problem with your alibi is that it doesn't cover the time of the probable death.

Joey Beecher: I already told you. I left The Roadhouse to visit Mr. Fontaine. He didn't answer the door. I went back to The Roadhouse.

Detective Armstrong: Are you still maintaining he didn't answer the door?

Joey Beecher: "Maintaining"? He didn't answer the door.

Detective Murphy: And you expect us to believe that you didn't go in? I mean, on your own? What if he couldn't answer the door because he had a heart attack or had fallen down?

Detective Armstrong: What if he'd been stabbed and was bleeding to death?

Joey Beecher: There's no way I could have known Mr. Fontaine had been stabbed if he even had been by the time I got there.

Detective Murphy: Of course, there is. You could have gone in with your own key.

Joey Beecher: I explained to you before why I didn't.

Detective Armstrong: Let's go back to the will for a minute. How much is Mr. Fontaine leaving you?

Joey Beecher: I wasn't even aware I was mentioned in the will.

Detective Armstrong: You're his right-hand man. Heck, you're so important he even left you money in his will. Why wouldn't he say anything?

Detective Murphy: Was he afraid to give you a motive? Was there some reason he had to fear you?

Joey Beecher: No. Of course not. Maybe he just hadn't got around to it yet. Maybe that's why he wanted to talk to me that night.

Detective Armstrong: Then why wouldn't he open the door?

Joey Beecher: I don't know. Maybe the burglar had already come and gone. Maybe Mr. Fontaine couldn't answer the door.

Detective Murphy: What time was that?

Joey Beecher: Around 9:00. I didn't really look at my watch.

Detective Armstrong: I thought you said you had an appointment. If I remember correctly, you said you were running late. Wouldn't you have to know what time it was in order to know you're running late?

Joey Beecher: Slow down a second. I'm getting confused.

Detective Murphy: Well, always stick to the truth, Joey. It's a lot easier than trying to keep your lies straight.

Joey Beecher: I am telling the truth. Look, I know a little bit about applying pressure to someone. You guys are trying to force me to make a mistake so you can twist my words and use them against me.

Detective Murphy: Why would we do that?

Joey Beecher: Maybe you've got squat on this. Maybe you're just under pressure to produce something—anything. Joey's the perfect fall guy.

Detective Armstrong: Maybe we think you're guilty.

Joey Beecher: If you think I'm guilty, then arrest me. Otherwise, you're wasting your time.

Detective Armstrong: I don't have anything better to do.

Detective Murphy: So, Joey, what did you see when you went to the house that night?

Joey Beecher: Nothing. I got there. I knocked. I waited. I left.

Detective Murphy: You didn't see Ashley trying to sneak out of the house?

Joey Beecher: No.

Detective Murphy: Or Grant, maybe, climbing out a window?

Joey Beecher: If I had seen Grant, you'd be the first to know.

Detective Armstrong: But not Ashley. You know, withholding evidence during a murder investigation is a crime. Ashley's got more money to hire better lawyers than you do. You'd end up spending more time in prison than she does.

Joey Beecher: I didn't see Ashley either. I didn't see anybody.

Detective Murphy: But you heard something.

Joey Beecher: I did? What?

Detective Murphy: You tell me.

Joey Beecher: All I heard was my fist banging against the door. Nobody answered. I left.

Detective Armstrong: Joey, Joey, Joey. You are not being very helpful.

Joey Beecher: How can I be more helpful? I'm telling the truth.

Detective Armstrong: You'd better hope you're not.

Joey Beecher: What is that supposed to mean?

Detective Armstrong: Joey, if you didn't see anyone at the house during the time of the murder, that makes you the killer.

Joey Beecher: Now, hold your horses here. I was there, tops, 10 minutes. Hey, I know that crime— burglary didn't happen to happen within those 10 minutes. I watch enough TV to know better than that.

Detective Armstrong: Okay, Joey. If you don't want to cooperate, have it your way.

Joey Beecher: I am cooperating. I'm here, aren't I? I'm answering your questions. If you don't like the answers, it doesn't mean that I'm not cooperating.

Detective Murphy: That's a good point, Joey. We'll mention it to the D.A.

Joey Beecher: What do you mean, the D.A.?

Detective Murphy: I'm sorry. We're out of time. We'll have to talk to you again later.

Joey Beecher: Am I being railroaded?

Detective Murphy: You can't railroad the guilty, Joey.

Joey Beecher: Hey, are you going after me because I'm an easy one to go after? Why aren't you looking at Coleman? Hell, he hated Mr. Fontaine. Or look at that bimbo Philip had on the side. Why don't you look into that gigolo Mrs. Fontaine was messing around with or that no-good boyfriend of Raquel's. You don't know how many times I ran him off the property.

Detective Armstrong: For trying to sell dope to Grant?

Joey Beecher: Yeah. That hot-headed, little smart-mouthed crook.

Detective Murphy: But not for trying to break in.

Joey Beecher: No. But still—

Detective Armstrong: Next time, Joey.

Joey Beecher: Whatever. Whatever. You know, do whatever you've got to do. I always do.

Detective Murphy: Thank you. So do we. We'll talk again later.

Detective Armstrong: We'll be talking to you soon.

Interview ended – 9:31 a.m.