But it comes at a high price. It’s no longer going to be sufficient for us to argue that a faceless someone else murdered Lauren, or even that I should be acquitted because the prosecution has not sufficiently proved my guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial has now become an election. The jurors will either vote guilty to convict me or not guilty to condemn Richard Trofino.

45. ELLA BRODEN

45.

ELLA BRODEN

Gabriel is my first witness. I call him to the stand at the start of the day on Tuesday morning.

At my insistence, he’s wearing a dark suit with a crisp, white shirt and a tie. Gabriel has testified more than a hundred times, but he told me this was the first time he’s ever been told what to wear—and then added that he usually only dons a suit for weddings.

“Good morning, Lieutenant Velasquez.”

“And to you, Ms. Broden.”

“Lieutenant Velasquez, can you explain to the jury how you and I know each other?”

I’ve scripted it this way to get the most damning part of the examination out of the way with some humor. My hope is that the jury will find it charming that the prosecution’s first witness is sleeping with the prosecutor. A Hepburn-and-Tracy thing, rather than a conflict of interest.

“We have been dating for the past six months.”

“And in that relationship, do I refer to you as Lieutenant Velasquez and do you call me Ms. Broden?”

“No. We’re on a first-name basis,” he says with a smile.

This generates the hoped-for chuckles from the jurors. I take a quick look at them. They’re onboard. My first problem has been solved.

My outline for the direct examination has three parts. First, I’ll establish Gabriel’s bona fides as a detective, then I’ll segue to our dinner with Lauren and Richard. That will be the low point of the direct, playing into the defense’s argument that Richard might be Lauren’s murderer, so I want to get it out of the way early. I considered not addressing it at all, but concluded it was better for the jury to hear the story first from Gabriel. That way, when LeMarcus Burrows goes back over it on cross, it’ll feel like old news. Once that’s dealt with, the lion’s share of Gabriel’s testimony will catalogue the proof we have against Dana.

“What role, if any, did you have in the investigation into Lauren Wright’s murder?” I ask.

“I was the police officer in charge of the investigation.”

“Did you handle that investigation alone?”

“No. I was partnered with Dana Goodwin.”

“The defendant?”

“Yes,” he says. I had asked Gabriel to point at her when he said her name, but he’s apparently forgotten.

“How did it come about that you and Ms. Goodwin were partners in the investigation?”