him by
setting up a sympathetic scenario, establish that
version as being entirely plausible and reasonable. As
soon as he commits to the new version, turn on him.
Confront him with its limitations, its flaws, and its
lack of logic. He has purchased the silver lining, now
take him into the darkest center of the cloud. See
where he goes, see what is added, and see what is
altered. The cracks will lead you to other questions,
to other answers, and with any luck, to the truth.
Allow him to amend to another version, rebuild his
confidence, then start the process all over
again.
The process will, I believe, push Tommy into
revealing more that he had. At the very least, this
line of probing will provide for a clearer version of
what he maintains happened with Martha on that night.
Remember, it is very important to consider the
context in which this new information was revealed.
After nearly eighteen years, Tommy changed his story.
Whether or not what he admitted is true, partly true
or even a blatant lie, there has to be a significant
reason why he suddenly opted to share this new
information. Although not directly incriminating, his
new revelation is certainly suspect. Simply put, what
Tommy has recently added to his story does not, on
the surface, make him look more innocent in the eyes
of speculation. So why did he suddenly come
forward?
We must consider the possibility that what he has
told us constitutes an "okay, but." An "okay, but" is
basically a confidence move, a carefully calculated
concession. Let's say a thief is caught after
committing a murder. If he has some reason to suspect
that the authorities can place him at the scene, it
is in his best interest to volunteer a
semi-confession. Okay, I committed the
robbery, but I didn't kill anybody. As a
confidence move, this confession accomplishes a
number of self-serving objectives. An "okay, but"
demonstrates a willingness to cooperate. In a
conciliatory manner, the suspect is surrendering
somewhat damaging information. The damage, although,
must be limited. This, he hopes, will give a general
impression of innocence, since common sense dictates
that a truly guilty person would not offer any
incriminating information at all. Also, the suspect
is dealing with his own formidable need to confess.
By giving up a limited piece of guilt, Tommy allows
himself to feel a certain sense of relief. He has
been burdened for eighteen years with a burning
secret. Simply put, he is trying to taste some
catharsis without biting off more of the truth than
he can chew. Moreover, an "okay, but" tends to
surface when the guilty party has some reason to
suspect that new incriminating information may have
been discovered. In that regard, an "okay, but" is
damage control. For example: if Tommy thinks Sutton
Associates has found, or will soon find, some
evidence that he was outside the house with Martha
around 10:00 pm or even later. Perhaps, he heard
about Steven's [Stephen's] testimony under hypnosis
on 5/4/93
Starting from page ten:
Gaspar: How about that night? Were you up at
9:30? Or around that time?
Skakel: I was in my bed.
Gaspar: Did you have occasion to look outside your
window?
Skakel: Later, I did.
3
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