two Ivy League universities?”
“I believe so.”
“All of which point to Mr. Blair being highly intelligent?”
“I guess so.”
Benedict pointed at his client. “So, Detective, you’re telling Judge Gardner that this highly intelligent executive who deals with problems on a global scale killed his wife, went to great lengths to hide her body, then willingly let you look in the trunk of his car, knowing that the murder weapon was in it and that there might be other evidence that would incriminate him?”
“The defendant let us look in the trunk,” Santoro responded.
“Let’s talk about these keys. It was pretty convenient finding the key with Mr. Blair’s print in that grave, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t know about convenient. It was there.”
“Dropped accidentally by the murderer?”
“That was a possibility.”
“Mr. Blair had a key chain with his keys on it when he was arrested, did he not?”
“Yes.”
“The keys on the chain were for his cars, the side door to his house, and his office, right?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t it normal to keep your house key on the ring with the rest of your keys?”
“I don’t know what’s normal.”
“Do you keep the key to your front door on your key chain with the rest of your important keys?”
“Yes.”
“How did the key you found in the grave get off Mr. Blair’s key ring and into the grave? Do you think it just hopped off?”
“I don’t know how it got in the grave.”
“What possible reason would Mr. Blair have to take his front door key off of his key chain while digging that grave?”
“I have no idea.”
“Now, Detective, if I have this right, Mr. Blair’s motive is based on a rumor spread by an unknown source; you asked to search the car based on a tip from someone who refused to identify himself; then you conveniently found Mr. Blair’s key in the grave where the killer buried his wife. Isn’t one explanation for what is going on here that the real killer spread the rumor about the prenuptial agreement, then called you with the tip about the Bentley and planted that key to frame Mr. Blair?”
“That’s a possibility, but it’s been my experience that murderers—even those with above-average IQs—often make stupid mistakes, and we often receive anonymous tips from good citizens who want to help solve a crime but don’t tell us their name because they are afraid the criminal will seek revenge, or for some other reason.”
“Tell me, Detective Santoro, did another anonymous tipster tell you where to find the place where Mrs. Blair was buried?”
“No, sir,” Santoro responded.
“Then how did you know where to look?”
Rick Hamada fought hard to restrain himself from leaping up, pounding his chest, and howling like a wolf that has just vanquished his prey. Frank Santoro’s face showed none of the joy Hamada felt.
“An inmate was housed in the cell next to the defendant during the period when Mr. Blair was incarcerated,” Santoro said. “Mr. Blair confessed to him that he had killed his wife so he wouldn’t have to pay her twenty million dollars when their prenuptial agreement terminated. Then he told him where the body was buried.”
“Lester lied!” Blair shouted as soon as Benedict closed the door to the jury room where they were conferring during a recess. “I hardly spoke to him. He’s a lying son of a bitch.”
“And we’ll prove that,” Benedict said. “I’ll have my investigators digging into his background immediately. The cops put snitches in isolation to protect them. I’m betting that Lester has a history of getting out of trouble by testifying for the police.
“The good news is that if we unmask him in front of the jury, we’ll blow apart the state’s entire case.”
“Is this going to prevent me from getting bail?” Blair asked anxiously.
“I don’t know,” Benedict said.
“The whole case makes no sense,” Horace said. “I would never have let those detectives look in the trunk if I’d killed Carrie.”
“I agree, and Gardner is smart enough to get that,” Benedict said.
“What I can’t understand is how my house key ended up in Carrie’s grave. After you used the key on my key ring to open the door I put it back on the key ring.”
“I can think of an explanation, but I hope I’m wrong.”
“What is it?”
“Your wife was a longtime prosecutor, Horace. She had many opportunities to make enemies in the law-enforcement community. And she also had friends who are cops. The killer would plant the key to frame you, and a friend of Carrie’s who thought you killed her would plant the key to make