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You’re No Better

Page 43

by Andrew Joseph White

BS: Oh, there is absolutely no rush. We have all the time in the world.

GR: [checking his notes] Thank you. And of course, remember, you’re not a reporter live on Fox, you’re not a politician. You mess up, we can always do another take.

MS: Mm-hmm.

BS: Gregory, I really appreciate your dedication to covering this story from all angles. This is such a complex situation, and I know that every configuration simply isn’t possible, but there is so much to be found in the unique relationships between everyone involved.

GR: That unique relationship is actually what I want to discuss. I’ve spoken to both of you about how Graham Nathaniel Slaughter—your husband, your father—impacted you individually. But this is about the family as a unit. What was your relationship like before Graham was arrested and tried, and what was it like after?

BS: Well, I’ve spoken extensively about my background; my mother and father, they struggled in a lot of ways. They had no support. And while they did the best they could, it was a difficult way to grow up. I wanted to marry a man that would not only provide for, but protect me and my children, and I really thought I had. Graham was a family man with a good job and strong values. He treated Morgan and me wonderfully. They spent so much time together, joined at the hip. That was all I ever wanted. I just don’t understand how I was so misled. Our trust was broken, and now I’m unsure I’ll ever have that again.

GR: It was a total betrayal of everything you thought you knew about him. [A short pause.] Ms. Slaughter?

MS: Mm?

GR: Do you believe that your mother’s broken trust also extended to you?

BS: Now, let’s not phrase it—

MS: Jesus.

GR: I don’t mean to be confrontational. [Ms. Slaughter scoffs.] This was a difficult time for everyone, and it’s all right if emotions were handled badly. It’s an understandable reaction, even if it’s not a pretty one. But your mother said that you and your father were inseparable, and the fact that you were there to find Jane Doe’s body, and you were able to alert investigators to the chance that there were others—

BS: It was so horrible. Nobody would want to believe it.

GR: Even if it’s your own daughter saying so?

BS: There was no evidence at first, and—you know, you know she lies. The therapists said it was something we needed to make progress on, even before everything. Before the trial, before we—we’ve worked on it. It’s ongoing.

MS: But I was right.

BS: [Angrily] There was no way we could’ve known and you are very aware of that. [Pause.] Strike that, please.

No member of the interview group speaks for approximately four seconds. Editorial note: Refuse strike request.

GR: Do you think that Graham got what he wanted, causing tension in your relationship like this?

MS: Yes.

BS: No. Or. I don’t know. Maybe.

GR: Maybe?

BS: Something about him changed. Or maybe he only showed this side of him to me after he was caught. Years ago, I’d say he wouldn’t dare do this to us. These days, I simply don’t know.

GR: And do you think he got what he wanted with his daughter?

BS: Excuse me?

GR: Well, you’ve mentioned a host of possible traumas and personality disorders, all of which I think would easily match up to the psychological profile of a serial killer.

MS: [Looking to her mother in what appears to be the first flicker of real fear achieved during discussion] No. Mom—

GR: Do you disagree?

MS: Don’t—don’t compare me to him.

Mrs. Slaughter takes a deep breath, regaining her delicate composure.