‘At that point, did the defendant tell you that she called 911?’ Dan asked.

‘No, she said that some time passed before she called the police.’

‘What did the defendant claim to be doing during this time?’

‘She said that she simply stared at her husband’s body,’ Stride said.

‘How much time passed between Dr. Snow’s arrival at her house that evening and the call to police?’

‘Approximately one hour. The actual 911 call was received at 10:47 p.m. A patrol car was at the scene within ten minutes.’

‘And do we have any way of knowing exactly when during that hour the shooting occurred?’

‘No.’

‘Lieutenant, based on the evidence gathered in this investigation, and based on your extensive experience in these kinds of crimes, did you form an opinion about the truthfulness of the defendant’s statement?’

‘Yes, I concluded that her statement was not supported by the evidence.’

‘Please explain how you reached that conclusion,’ Dan said.

Stride took a pointer and referred to the floor plans of Janine Snow’s house. ‘Dr. Snow alleged that her husband was killed as part of a home invasion and robbery. However, there was no sign of forced entry, and the door between the garage and the house was locked. So Mr. Ferris would have had to let an intruder inside voluntarily. Then the shooter would have needed to murder Mr. Ferris, proceed down two flights of stairs and along a hallway to the defendant’s bedroom, remove jewelry from her jewelry box, and return upstairs and escape.’

‘And this all would have had to happen in the time the defendant was in the shower?’

‘According to her statement, yes.’

‘Did you find other evidence to discredit the theory that an intruder came into the house?’ Dan asked.

‘Yes, there was no evidence of a fight or of defensive actions by Mr. Ferris. In addition, there was no physical evidence of an intruder in the house. The walkway to the front door was wet and dusted with dirt and gravel. Traces of snowmelt, dirt, and gravel were found in the marble foyer, but we didn’t find any “tracked” dirt on the living room carpet, on the stairs, or in the defendant’s bedroom.’

‘In your experience, Lieutenant, are persons who commit homicide and armed robbery typically gracious enough to remove their shoes before invading a house?’

Stride suppressed a smile. ‘No.’

‘Lieutenant, let’s look at other possible explanations for the events that night. Did you run any chemical tests to determine whether the defendant fired a gun on the night of the murder?’