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Chapters (73)
  1. Goodbye to the Dead
  2. Also By Brian Freeman
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. CONTENTS
  8. PROLOGUE
  9. THEN
  10. 1
  11. 2
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 5
  15. 6
  16. 7
  17. 8
  18. 9
  19. 10
  20. 11
  21. 12
  22. 13
  23. 14
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. NOW
  46. 36
  47. 37
  48. 38
  49. 39
  50. 40
  51. 41
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. 59
  70. 60
  71. 61
  72. FROM THE AUTHOR
  73. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

‘I’m so sorry,’ Gale said. ‘What a terrifying experience for you. Please tell the jury, Mrs. Stride, why did you follow this man in the first place?’

Cindy felt herself flushing. ‘I believed that he was a man that my husband, Lieutenant Stride, was looking for.’

‘Why did you believe that?’

‘I saw a set of photographs in a stack of evidence that Jonny – that Lieutenant Stride left on our kitchen table. The photos showed a man in the woods carrying an assault rifle, and there was a note about trying to find him. This looked like the same man.’

‘This stack of evidence that the Lieutenant brought home to study, do you know what case it was part of?’

‘Yes, it was evidence connected to the murder of Jay Ferris,’ Cindy said.

Gale nodded as he sat down. ‘Thank you, Mrs. Stride.’

*

‘Mrs. Stride, how long did you look at these photographs?’ Dan Erickson asked on his redirect examination.

‘A few seconds, I guess.’

‘Ten seconds? Twenty? Thirty?’

‘Closer to ten,’ Cindy admitted.

‘Were these crisp, clear, high-resolution photos?’

‘No, they were blurry.’

‘And how long after you saw these photographs did you follow this stranger at the mall?’

‘Several days.’

‘You saw a couple of blurry pictures for maybe ten seconds, and days later, you saw someone that you thought might be the same man – do I have that right?

‘Yes,’ Cindy said.

‘Can you say for sure that this was the same man, Mrs. Stride?’

‘Not for sure, no.’

‘Thank you, Mrs. Stride. That’s all.’

22

22

Stride had sat in the same witness chair in the same courtroom many times before. Testifying in court was one of the few tasks for which he wore a suit. He owned only two suits, and today he wore the navy blue one, freshly dry-cleaned. He’d tried to tame his restless hair, and he’d shaved. Appearances mattered. Trials were about evidence, but they were also about perceptions. Finding facts meant deciding whom to believe. Whom to trust.

Dan guided him through a review of his experience, including nearly twenty years with the Duluth Police and nearly ten in charge of the Detective Bureau. Stride talked about his background in felony investigations, including dozens of homicide cases. It was all prologue.

‘Lieutenant, were you called to the home of the defendant on the evening of January 28 of this year?’ Dan asked finally.

‘Yes, I was.’

‘Is this house located in the city of Duluth in St. Louis County?’

‘Yes, it is.’ Stride gave the specific address and described the location of the house. Dan introduced a map of the area enlarged on foam core, and Stride pointed out the residence and described the access in and out – specifically, that Janine’s home was located on a dead-end street at the summit of a sharp hill.

‘What did you find inside the house?’ Dan asked.