Presumption of Guilt by Marti Green

Author:Marti Green
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery, Legal, Thriller & Suspense, United States, Thrillers, Women Sleuths, Police Procedurals, Literature & Fiction
ISBN: 9781477825709
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2014-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Dani and Melanie found a luncheonette a few doors away from the courthouse. “I think it’s going well,” Melanie said.

“I do, too. We got in everything we needed.” Dani surprised herself. Usually, she came away from court proceedings filled with doubt about the outcome. Now she was eager to get back in the afternoon and continue with her witnesses.

“What do you think he’ll do on the hearsay exception?”

“I don’t know. The law is on our side, and so far he’s seemed fair. Having heard the testimony, I think it’ll be hard for him to throw it out.”

They finished their lunch, the food more gourmet than they’d expected from the barren decor. Dani knew, though, that the Culinary Institute of America, which trained student chefs, wasn’t far away. She suspected the owner of the little restaurant was a graduate.

They strolled down the street, gazing into the storefront windows of antique and art shops until it was time to head back to the court. Their next witness was waiting for them in the courthouse lobby.

“You’ll be the first one up when we reconvene,” Dani told him. “I really appreciate you coming here.”

“I feel it’s my duty,” the white-haired man said. “I’ve been troubled by my role for twelve years.”

Dani patted his arm. “Then I’m glad you’ll have the chance to help.”

The three headed into the courtroom and waited for the judge to return. Once he retook the bench and told Dani to proceed, she called Tony Winslow to the witness chair.

After the preliminary questions—name, address, occupation—Dani asked, “Were you a juror for the trial of Molly Singer twelve years ago?”

Murdoch shot out of his seat and shouted, “Objection.”

“Grounds?” Bryson asked.

“Relevance. Anything a juror from Singer’s trial has to say bears no relation to whether there are grounds for a new trial.”

“On the contrary,” Dani said. “It’s directly on point as to whether the new evidence we submitted had the probability to change the outcome of that trial. Who better to answer that question than a juror from that trial?”

Bryson rubbed his chin. “This is a new one for me. I’ll allow the testimony subject to a ruling later on the objection.”

Dani turned back to the witness. “Please answer the question.”

“Yes, I was a juror.”

“Would you describe the deliberations in the jury room?”

“Well, on the first vote, it was eight guilty and four not guilty. I was one of the four. I voted that way because I thought we needed more discussion.”

“And did a discussion ensue?”

“More like an argument. Most of the jurors thought there was no need to go beyond the confession. I mean, why would someone confess to a crime they didn’t commit?”

“And did you feel that way?”

“I have to admit, that confession was pretty persuasive. But she was just a kid. That bothered me. And I didn’t really see any motive for her killing her parents.”

“How long did the deliberations last?”

“Five hellish days, pardon the language. By the end, everyone just wanted to get out of there. Finally, those of

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