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Back The Hallows Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“You didn’t think to check whether one of our murder suspects had previously hurt the victim?”

“Hey, keep your voice down. It was a mistake.”

I looked at Will and Jia. “And you guys didn’t think to check?”

Jia shook her head. “I checked everything. If it was true, I would’ve found it in the system.”

“Go back to the office right now and find out what the hell happened. Russell wouldn’t just make that up.” I turned to Howard. “And you, sit in the gallery seats with them. I don’t want your taint on me when Russell destroys you on the stand.”

He stepped close to me. “We got a problem, me and you?”

“A problem? Yeah, we got a problem. This asshole might walk because you were either too lazy or too stupid to do your job. Either way, you shouldn’t be doing anything more than writing parking tickets.”

He smirked. “You don’t get it, do you? You’re just a visitor here. No one gives a shit what you think.”

He stormed off, leaving me fuming in the hallway.

When the jury was recalled and we were ready to go, I called Howard to the stand. He went up there without his gun and looked like a salesman at a jewelry store rather than a cop. Most cops I knew couldn’t be paid to be without their guns, so he purposely didn’t wear it because he knew it would bug me.

Howard was sworn in and sat down, pouring some water out of a plastic jug into a paper cup. He looked to Pritcher and then to me and winked. I couldn’t imagine he would tank his testimony on purpose just to get back at me, but who the hell knew?

“Name, please, Detective.”

“Mark Howard.”

“And where do you work, Detective?”

The Art of Jury Trial as War, chapter 6: “Make sure, for every witness, that the jury sees them how you want them to, and the best way to do that is to label the witness and then use that label as many times as possible.” To a defense attorney, the prosecution was always “the government,” snitches were always “government informants,” and detectives were “Mr. So and So.” But the tables were turned now, and I had to make Howard seem respectable, so everything out of my mouth would be “Detective.”

“I’m with the Ute County Sheriff’s Office. I’ve been there for six years now. My current assignment is the investigation of felonies and violent misdemeanors.”

“And do you recall the events we’ve been discussing that occurred on May tenth and fourteenth?”

“I do.”

“Please tell us about them.”

He cleared his throat and looked straight at the jury, as though he were talking to an old friend. Looked like the guy could be competent when he actually wanted to be.