Looks like the police haven’t arrested me. No one has proof it was me . . .
Liz had stepped right into Doty’s trap. Just as he’d hoped, she’d impersonated Amy and confessed. But she’d confessed to the wrong crime! Investigators wanted her to reveal facts about Cari’s murder, but instead, “Amy” had confessed to shooting Liz. She was eager to see Amy arrested, but Doty explained that the park shooting wasn’t even his case. It took awhile for her to comprehend that the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office was an entirely different agency than the Council Bluffs Police. The CB Police were investigating the shooting. Doty needed information about the murder. “I need specific details of Cari Farver’s murder to build a case,” he told her.
Liz knew exactly what had happened to Cari. She knew her manner of death, and she knew what had happened to her remains. And now, Liz believed those remains had been found. She’d watched enough crime shows to realize that if cops had found a body, they knew a lot about Cari’s demise. Liz realized she had to make “Amy’s” confession fit the actual scenario. Unless “Amy’s” emails contained authentic details, the police wouldn’t believe it. On December 20, Liz forwarded another email to Doty, and this time “Amy” gave details about the murder. It was a long, rambling letter but portions of it were clear and to the point: When I met Crazy Cari, she would not stop talking about Dave and him being her husband. She tried to attack me, but I attacked her with a knife. I stabbed her three to four times in the stomach area. I then took her out and burned her. I stuffed her body in a garbage can with crap. She was carried out to the dumpster, probably when Dave took my garbage out for me.
So be glad I did not do you that way, Liz. I will never admit to Dave or police, no one. Maybe I’m drunk now and just telling lies to you. Dave will always take care of me and protect me, so I will never go to jail. When I followed you that night, I shot you. I left Mason home because he was sleeping. Made sure I called Dave and texted him for my alibi, so you can never prove it was me.
Possibly as farfetched as the notion Amy could shoot someone was the idea she’d leave her baby home alone. Amy was a devoted mom and very picky when it came to choosing babysitters. She certainly would not have left Mason alone for even a moment.
Half an hour after the stabbing confession, “Amy” confessed to arson, too. The email’s subject line was “Fucking crazy bitch” and began, Now that I got your attention, don’t ever come back around my kids, Dave or me. Just like your house getting burned was me. That’s another thing that Dave won’t believe either . . .
In crude terms, “Amy” wrote that she and Dave still had sex and that no one would believe Liz if she reported her crimes. The idea that Amy would confess to Liz was preposterous. The two weren’t friends. And if Amy were a killer, it would be downright stupid for her to put her evil deeds in writing. What were the odds that “Amy” would confess immediately after the detective asked Liz to help him find evidence? None of it made much sense, but either these things didn’t occur to Liz, or she assumed the cops were too dumb to question it.
Amy would no more confess to Liz that she killed Cari than Gloria Munson would confess to shaking Cody. Both Amy and Gloria were Shanna’s adversaries. The prosecutor had encouraged Shanna to tell the story about Gloria’s so-called confession, and had also encouraged her to read aloud letters that were very likely forged. If Shanna had gotten away with lies about confessions and forged letters as they pertained to Cody’s death, it’s understandable that she would believe she could get away with it again.
On December 21, Liz told Doty she wouldn’t be able to help him for a while. She was too busy moving. Finally, Garret had convinced her to leave! After the shooting, he’d explained to her that he simply could not be involved in whatever dangerous drama she’d been swept up into. “I was so desperate to get her out that I rented a U-Haul truck for her stuff and gave her the money for the deposit