“Detective, can you tell the court how long you’ve been a member of the Dallas Police Department?”

“Eighteen years.”

“And how long have you been an investigative officer?”

“Five years.”

“Detective, when did you first meet Reverend Raleigh?”

“The morning of April twenty-second at the intensive care unit of Presbyterian Hospital.”

“Walk us through that first encounter with the defendant.”

“I arrived at the hospital room for Margaret Raleigh at eight a.m. I instructed our DPD photographer to take pictures of her injuries. I introduced myself to Reverend Raleigh and asked if it was all right that we conduct an interview.”

“Was Reverend Raleigh alone?”

“No, he was accompanied by Bishop Goodfellow.”

“That would be Mr. Wesley Goodfellow?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How would you characterize Reverend Raleigh that morning?”

“He was exhausted.”

“Was he reluctant to speak with you?”

“No, he was eager to talk to me.”

At this point Raleigh’s adrenaline must have worn off, Anne gathered, and he wants to know what they know—or suspect.

“To talk about what?”

“To help find the person who attacked his wife. My first question was if he had any idea who could have done this, and at this point Bishop Goodfellow produced a packet of letters.”

“What was the nature of these letters?”

“They were a series of death threats against Reverend Raleigh.”

“And Bishop Goodfellow produced these letters as evidence to you that someone was out to get the reverend.”

“That’s correct.”

“Did any of the letters specify an attack against the Raleigh family?”

“They implied that something bad would happen to Raleigh, but there was no specific threat against his wife or children.”

“Were these letters handwritten or typed?”

“They were typed.”

“And were you able to trace where these letters came from?”

“Yes. They matched a typewriter at First United.”

Bingo.

“A typewriter in the offices of Reverend Raleigh’s own church?”

“Yes.”

Blackburn wheeled around and faced the jury to let the moment land. There was a slight commotion among the press in the gallery as Blackburn returned to his witness. Judge Sam peered warily, wordlessly warning Blackburn that this was not to become more theatric than needed.

Anne was unsure what to make of the death threats. If this is premeditation, it’s poorly conceived. Then again, the letters don’t exactly tell us when he decided to do the deed.

If, if he did, she corrected herself. The letters are cover for something all right, but he may never have thought to go through with it. Something about that night pushed him over.

“Detective Hume, when you interviewed Reverend Raleigh that morning, did you discuss the reverend’s whereabouts the night prior?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please walk us through that evening of April twenty-first.”