horseshit was gone. That’s why you entrusted your daughter to me, because you knew I would protect her with my life. We’d already been there.”
“What the hell do you want from me? I’ve already testified to everything I know.”
“No, you haven’t. I want you to put your life on the line.
“You know, I sat in Jack’s cell the other night and listened to Tom Wylie tell him that if Jack didn’t allow him to cross-examine you and attack your credibility, it could mean his life. Jack told him no. It wasn’t about romance. It wasn’t about feelings. It was about you. He believes in you. Life and death. Truth.
“Think about it.”
Henry got up and let himself out.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Monday was a sunny day and Tom had a spring in his step when he bulldozed through the crowd and the press into the courthouse. He was late, and he did not have time to talk to Jack before the proceedings began.
Judge Holbrook entered the courtroom promptly at nine o’clock. He had a full courtroom again, and he was going to give them a piece of his mind before the jury was brought in.
“I reminded you all on the first day, although many of you were not here, that your presence in this courtroom is a privilege, not a right. I emptied the courtroom on Friday and I will not hesitate to empty it again. I sequestered this jury at the beginning of this trial to make sure they were not affected by public opinion. Your reaction in this courtroom affects this jury. If you react in any way to anything that happens in here, your privilege to be in this room will be revoked immediately.”
Once again, he did not ask them if they understood his message.
Then he turned to the two lawyers.
“Gentlemen, I’d like to know what we’re going to do today before I bring in the jury. Mr. Wylie, are you going to rest your case?”
Tom stood up. “No, Your Honor. I have one more witness.”
“Who is it?”
“I’m recalling Danni Jansen.”
The buzz in the gallery started and then stopped almost immediately as if people’s emotions had reacted before their brains.
“And Mr. Merton, I assume that your decision will be based on what this witness says.”
“That’s correct, Your Honor.”
“Okay, anything else before we bring in the jury?”
“No, Your Honor.”
“No, Your Honor.”
“Bring in the jury.”
Tom sat down next to Jack. “When did this happen?” Jack asked.
“This morning. She called Henry at seven and said she wanted to testify for you. Henry called me.”
“What is she going to say?”
“I don’t know. Henry says she is going to talk about what happened ten years ago. She wouldn’t tell him what she was going to say though.”
“You don’t know?” Jack asked.
“I hear you. Who calls a witness without knowing what they’re going to say?”
“We have no choice, do we?”
“We always have a choice, Jack, but what are our options?”
“I guess we don’t have any. I said I believe in Danni. When you believe in people, you have to trust them.”
“You’re making a believer out of me. I never thought this woman was going to testify on your behalf. Half of me is still a little worried.”
When the jury was sitting, the bailiff brought Danni in from the witness room. She wore a blue suit with a skirt, not pants, and she looked terrific. This time she made eye contact with Jack. Her eyes were calm. She looked relaxed as she took the oath and sat in the witness chair.
“Ms. Jansen,” Tom began, “when you testified in this case previously, you testified primarily about what happened on the day Thomas Felton was killed. Is that accurate?”
“Yes.”
“I want to go back a ways to the time when you were a homicide detective and were in pursuit of Thomas Felton. In particular, I want to talk to you about the murders of Vanessa Brock and Pedro Diaz.”
“Sure.”
Tom didn’t know exactly where he was going so he just asked general questions.
“Were you involved in the investigation of those murders?”
“Yes.”
“And what was your part?”
“Let me go back a bit and tell you very briefly where we were in the investigation at the time of those murders.”
Robert Merton stood up at this point. He, too, didn’t know what was coming, but he didn’t think it was going to be good. “Your Honor, I object to this line of questioning. It is totally irrelevant to our reason for being here.”
Tom was ready to make his argument but he didn’t get the chance.