Open and Shut - By David Rosenfelt Page 0,56
we have done is ask Markham and Brownfield if they are in the picture. If that is enough to trigger this violent reaction, the secret behind the picture must truly be incendiary. Then why is the picture so bland?
I'm still not positive that there's a connection between the picture and the Miller case; but I feel in my gut that there is. If I'm right, it means I have to step up my investigation into the picture before it's too late and Willie is back on death row. And if I do that, I'll likely be in more danger and more in need of a bodyguard. And round and round, “Like the circles that you find, in the windmills of your mind.”
The meeting is short and to the point. Kevin and Laurie give me their impressions of the opening arguments (mostly positive). Kevin correctly believes that we have an uphill struggle ahead of us, and that we should be shooting for a hung jury. Therefore, with Marjorie's help he has isolated two jurors who are most likely to be on our side. One, a twenty-four-year-old African-American woman, is a college teaching assistant. The other, a thirty-four-year-old Hispanic, is an account executive at a direct mail advertising agency. Kevin feels that whenever possible I should speak directly to them, and I agree that, within limits, I'll do it.
Laurie tells me that she has located Betty Anthony, the widow of Mike Anthony, the newspaperman who we believe is the fourth person in the photograph. I had requested that she not make contact with Betty, since I want to do that myself. All I have to do is find the time.
The next morning, Wallace calls his first witness, Detective Steven Prentice. The prosecution always builds their case from the bottom up, establishing all the facts in a way that is incontrovertible. Prentice was a young patrolman at the time of the murder, and he was the first one to respond to the 911 call that Edward made.
“Can you describe the scene when you first arrived?” asks Wallace.
Prentice nods. “Ms. McGregor's body was lying facedown in the alley behind the bar. There was a significant amount of blood surrounding her.”
Wallace introduces some horrific pictures of Denise and the murder scene to buttress what Prentice had said. “And what was the first thing that you did?”
“I cordoned off the area. There were people around, curiosity seekers, and I wanted to make sure that they did not tamper with anything before the detectives arrived.”
“Did you see a murder weapon anywhere?”
Prentice shakes his head. “No.”
“Was there anyone present that you considered a suspect?”
“No, but there was an eyewitness there. She was pretty shaken up. I put her in a room upstairs from the bar to wait for the detectives, so that she could give them a statement.”
“How long did it take for the first detective to arrive?” Wallace asks.
“About ten minutes.”
“And who was that?”
“Detective Pete Stanton.”
Wallace has him explain that once Pete showed up, his main function was over. Prentice obviously did his job professionally and by the book, and there is a limited amount I'll be able to get from him on cross-examination. I start by showing him police photographs taken of the rest of the alley on the night of the murder.
“Detective Prentice, are you married?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Would you be nervous if your wife told you she was going to hang out in this particular alley tonight at around one A.M.?”
“I would advise her not to,” he says.
“Why is that? Do you consider it dangerous?”
He tries to evade the question. “There are a lot of places that are not very safe at night.”
“Thank you for that. Is this one of those places?”
“Yes, I would say so.”
“Was there a homeless problem in the area at the time?”
“I believe there was, yes.”
“In your experience, is one of the reasons for the proliferation of the homeless mental illness?”
“Objection. Mental illness is not an area of the officer's expertise.”
I reply, “I am simply asking the witness to speak to his beliefs based on his experience.”
“Overruled. You may answer.”
“I believe mental illness is one of the causes of homeless-ness, yes,” says Prentice. “There are others as well.”
“Was the back door to the bar locked?”
“No. The bartender said it was always left open when the bar was open.”
“So anyone walking through the alley could have entered the bar through that back door?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“And if they did, would the first inside door they come to be the ladies’ room where