Open and Shut - By David Rosenfelt Page 0,63
conscious decision to hide the knife three blocks away.”
I can see a flash of concern in Pete's eyes; he wasn't prepared for that.
“Murders and murderers aren't always logical.”
“You're absolutely right, Lieutenant. Sometimes things aren't what they seem to be.”
He's getting angry. “I didn't say that.”
“I wouldn't expect you to. Your job is to justify what you've done in this case, no matter how little sense it makes.”
Wallace objects, and Hatchet sustains, instructing the jury to disregard.
“By the way, Lieutenant, how did you happen to locate the knife?”
“A phone call was made to 911. Somebody reported finding a knife with blood on it.”
“Somebody?”
Pete is getting more and more uncomfortable. “A man. He didn't give his name.”
My tone is getting more and more mocking, and I'm making more eye contact with the jury, especially the two people Kevin had picked out. I'm trying to draw them to my side so that we can doubt Pete's credibility together.
“I see. Somebody who didn't give his name called to say he found a bloody knife while browsing through a trash can in the middle of the night.”
“It happens.”
“Apparently so,” I say. “Did this human metal detector touch the knife? Were his own fingerprints found on it?”
“No. No other prints were found.”
I seem surprised, although I knew what his answer would be. “So, somebody was browsing through the garbage, saw a knife with blood on it … by the way, would you describe it as very unusual for a steak knife to have blood on it?”
“Not human blood.”
“Did this mysterious somebody conduct a DNA test on it while it was still in the garbage?”
“Objection.”
“Sustained.”
“Do you think the average person who spends his evenings going through garbage cans can tell the difference between human blood and steak blood? In the dark?”
“Objection. The witness couldn't possibly know the extent of other people's knowledge.”
“Sustained.”
I've made my point. “But this anonymous person was smart enough not to touch the knife, is that right?”
“There were no other prints.”
“So this person wasn't looking to take things from the trash can. He was just making sure that everything was in order. Maybe conducting an inventory?”
“I don't know what his intentions were.”
“Does any of this seem unusual to you, Lieutenant?”
“Unusual, but not impossible.”
“Did you ever think to question any of it?”
“I question everything.”
I've gone as far as I can down this road, so I veer off.
“Then let me ask you a hypothetical question. Supposing this was a frame-up?”
“Objection.” It's becoming a steady chorus from Wallace.
“Overruled.”
I continue. “Just for argument's sake, let's say it was a frame-up. Let's say that somebody wanted you to arrest Willie Miller. In that context, wouldn't all these ‘unusual’ things make sense?”
“No.”
“No?” I'm incredulous. “Is it really no, or is it just that if this turned out to be a frame-up, then it would mean that your entire investigation has been an incompetent joke? That you helped cause Willie Miller to spend seven years of his life in prison for a crime he didn't commit?”
“Objection.”
“Sustained. Jury will disregard. Mr. Carpenter, if I hear a speech like that again, you will be held in contempt of court, a crime which you did commit.”
I apologize and plow on, not wanting to lose momentum. “Isn't it true that you found Willie Miller and said case closed, let's get on to the next one?”
“No,” he says firmly, “it is not.”
“Isn't it true you saw all these clues laid out in front of you and followed them just like you were programmed to?”
Hatchet is in the middle of sustaining Wallace's objection while I'm yelling at Pete, and he tells Pete not to answer. He also admonishes me for being a pain in his ass, just not in so many words.
“No further questions.”
Pete is asked a few questions by Wallace to rehabilitate him, and he stares at me the entire time. My friendship with Lieutenant Pete Stanton just took a shot. I'm not happy about making him look bad; but it's what I do for a living.
I set the evening meeting with Laurie and Kevin at the office for seven o'clock, but only Kevin is there when I arrive. I've come to trust his instincts and judgments. He thinks I did well today with Pete, but recognizes what our problem is. Wallace has a mountain of evidence: the knife, the skin, the blood, the eyewitness, etc. I can attack each one, but if the jury believes any one of them, Willie is finished. Because each one is by itself capable of carrying the day.
Tomorrow Wallace will