[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
events of July 3, 1974. But Paw? He was a sturdy old man, but would
he have been capable of all the actions the confession described?
Tedford figured that was highly unlikely. Paw was as puzzled as the
detectives were. Of course, if he had died of an overdose, he would
not have been able to refute the confession.
If the D.A."s office believed that Paw was the real killer of his son
and daughter-in-law, then Tom would get a new trial and would quite
probably be freed. And who, Tedford asked himself, had the most to
gain if such a thing came to pass? Tom Allanson certainly. Tom had
sent frequent letters to his grandparentsright up until May-urging them
to trust Pat. But as far as any hands-on action, Tom couldn't have
poisoned Paw if he had wanted to; he was locked up tight in Jackson
Prison, and had been for months.
"Do you remember ever signing any papers for Pat?" Tedford asked Paw
quietly. "Anything at all?"
Paw scratched his head. He explained that he and his wife had trusted
Pat; she had been good to them after Tommy went to prison.
"Did you ever go to a bank on Washington Road with Pat?"
Harris asked.
Paw strained to remember. "Yeah, seems like I did. Pat wanted me to
sign some papers-in front of a notary lady." He could not remember
actually going into the bank, but he recalled Pat had wanted him to
sign some business papers. He hadn't hot hered to read the papers.
Sergeant Tedford turned to Hamner and Reeves, Paw Allanson's
attorneys.
"When did you say you got this envelope?"
"Mrs. Allanson-Pat Taylor Allanson-came into the office one day in
April," Hamner replied. "I couldn't tell you the exact date. She told
us that Mr. Allanson wanted us to have it."
This didn't jibe with what Pat had told the East Point detectives as
she wept in the shadow of the wisteria vine on Paw Allanson's porch.
Both Tedford and his partner had been impressed with her sincerity, her
pain, and her helplessness.
"During earlier conversations with Pat," Tedford wrote in his follow-up
report, she told us that Mr. Allanson's attorneys were in his hospital
room when he had had his last heart attack. This is when Mr. Allanson
this statement. Pat said she took notes during this converhad given
sation, and then, when Mr. Allanson was released from the hospital,
Page 179
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
she had typed another statement from her notes and Mr. Allanson had
signed it. The copy of the statement obtained from Dunham McAllister,
Pat's attorney, is exactly the same as the original obtained from
Hamner and Reeves, and could not be exactly alike if she had typed hers
from notes.
Hamner and Reeves are sure that they have never taken a statement from
Mr. Allanson in the hospital or anywhere else.... [B]ased on this
information, this statement is believed to be a forged document....
Tedford suspected other false documents might be tucked away here and
there. f le made a note to check into the elder Allansons' wills. Paw
was in no immediate danger of dying, although he would be in the
hospital for some time. The doctors still couldn't pinpoint just what
had brought on his collapse and week-long coma.
Jean Boggs was a determined woman. She didn't know yet about the
confession, but she did not believe for a moment that her father had
tried to kill her mother, nor did she believe he was suicidal. Paw was
too bullheaded to give up on life, and he 1: had taken exquisite care
of her mother for a decade. He would never leave her behind willingly,
and he would never hurt one hair on her head.
Paw seemed as puzzled as jean was by his condition. He had been truly
amazed to find that he had not had a stroke. He shook his head in
bewilderment at the thought that he had "overdosed."
He wanted to find out what was wrong with him as much as jean did.
Two specialists-neurologists-were called in on a consulting basis.
Neither could isolate the cause of Paw's coma. They suggested that he
have CAT scans of the brain and his upper gastrointestinal tract. The
scanning lab was just across the street from South Fulton Hospital.
Jean and her son, David, wheeled Paw there. The tests took thirty
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]