“So, from your testimony, you can conclude only that the skeletal remains recovered in Seabrook belong to Suzanne Bonanno. Everything else is purely theoretical. Suzanne could have died in any number of ways. Speculation beyond that seems to border on fantasy.”

“Objection!” Bastinelli calls out. “Defense is again mischaracterizing the witness’s testimony.”

“Sustained,” says the judge. “Ms. Hardy? Any more questions for this witness?”

Hardy tosses a glance at the jury. “No, Your Honor, I think we’ve all heard enough.”

CHAPTER
98

Your Honor, the State calls Detective Sergeant Marie Gagnon,” Bastinelli announces from the prosecution’s table.

The double doors at the rear of the courtroom swing open, and Gagnon walks down the center aisle. She’s dressed in a simple black suit and white blouse. Nothing fancy.

The clerk swears her in. She takes her seat in the witness box. Bastinelli steps up to the lectern.

“Good morning, Detective.”

“Good morning, Mr. Bastinelli.”

“Detective, please give us a quick recap of your experience and background in law enforcement.”

Gagnon seems solid and dependable. And her responses are short and concise. She recites her employment history, from the National Guard to the police academy to her years on patrol duty and then to her present position as a lead detective in Major Crimes, in about thirty seconds flat. It’s clear that she’s gone through this routine many times, and she’s got it down pat.

As with any criminal case, the lead prosecutor and the lead detective work closely together. Still, Bastinelli keeps his questioning formal and proper. To the jury, it seems as if they’ve never met.

Bastinelli thanks her, then dives into his questions regarding the police investigation.

“Let me take you back to last winter and the night you responded to a traffic stop at mile marker fourteen on Route 95 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Were you first at the scene?”

“No. Trooper Steve Josephs and Sergeant Evan Tasker were already there, holding in custody the driver of the Nissan Sentra that Trooper Josephs had pulled over.”

Bastinelli takes Gagnon through the officers securing the scene. She tells him that they opened the trunk and discovered its cargo of human remains.

“Your Honor, State’s exhibit two A, already in evidence.” He clicks the controller and an image jurors saw earlier appears on the screen: a dirty blue bundle in which the skull is visible.

“Detective, is this what you saw then?”

“Yes, it is.”

“So what told you that the contents of the trunk were previously buried and recently unearthed?”

“There was dirt all over the bottom of the car’s trunk, the blue fabric, and the bones themselves. The dirt was moist and fresh, indicating that the exhumation had happened within a day or so.”

“And did you at some point discover a grave in the area?”

“We did. It was in a wooded area near the Reverend Bonus Weare memorial rock in Seabrook.”

“And what did you find there?”