The assistant district attorney seemed disappointed as he said, “No further questions, Your Honor.”
Pat was leaving the witness stand when Mark Bellows announced, “The Defense rests, Your Honor.”
“On that note we’ll take a lunch break,” Judge Blaine said. “Eat hardy, members of the jury, because this afternoon you’ll start deliberating on the guilt or innocence of Joe Wentner.”
Pat’s eyes searched the courtroom for Tim. She felt shaky and wished he was there to hug her, but he had already left.
Summations began in the afternoon session with the Prosecution going first. Assistant District Attorney Smith reminded the jury that Joe had means and opportunity to kill Garryn Monteith, and that his motive was jealously.
“Lillian Wentner asked her husband for a divorce so she could run away with the murder victim. Joe Wentner may have tolerated his wife’s infidelity for years, but that was the final straw. He wasn’t about to let her leave him for her long-time lover.”
The Prosecution’s summation was concise and damaging. Then it was Mark Bellows’s turn to speak.
“I expect some of you wanted to hear Joe Wentner stand before you and insist he is a wrongly accused man. He could have told you he is innocent, but there is no need for him to do so. The facts prove that he is. Joe knew of Garryn Monteith’s relationship for all of his marriage. He accepted it. You heard testimony that Lillian Wentner asked him for a divorce and planned to leave him. But you also heard it was a threat she made frequently.
“Most importantly, you heard from multiple witnesses that Garryn Monteith ended his relationship with Lillian Wentner the day before his murder and that she was furious about that.
“Joe Wentner may have had the opportunity and means to put lethal cyanide tubes in the kiln, but so did other people who also had motive—possibly more motive than Joe Wentner did—for killing Garryn Monteith.
“Angela Grinardi’s husband had a valuable patent stolen by the murder victim. Mrs. Grinardi is widowed and struggling to put her children through college. How different might her situation be if Garryn Monteith wasn’t a thief? Enough motive for murder?” Mark shrugged dramatically.
“Kandi Crusher’s brother was another of Garryn Monteith’s victims. Did she hate the murdered man enough to avenge her brother’s mistreatment?” Mark shrugged again.
“Then there’s Suzanne Cummings. She clearly stalked Garryn Monteith for years. She resented the other women he ‘flirted with.’ You have to wonder if she finally reached the breaking point and decided to direct her rage at him instead of them.
“Miss Cummings asked a good question during her testimony: ‘What about Lillian Wentner?’ We know she told Garryn Monteith she was leaving her husband so she could be with him. What was his reaction to her profession of love? He said he didn’t want her, that she was nothing more to him than a lucrative booty call. All those years, an offer to end her marriage to a stand-up guy, and all for what? A smack-down by the man she was doing it all for. Do you think she had a good motive for murder?
“Joe Wentner pleaded not guilty. We don’t have to prove his innocence, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. You don’t have to be one hundred percent sure he is innocent to acquit him, either. If you think Joe Wentner might have murdered Garryn Monteith, do you have any doubts about your conclusion? Can you be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that Joe Wentner killed Mr. Monteith, or is the field too crowded with other people who also had the means, opportunity, and a motive to wish Garryn Monteith dead? Remember, to convict Joe Wentner, you must be certain of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Beyond a reasonable doubt,” Mark repeated, emphasizing each word.
“Are you sure, ladies and gentlemen of the jury? Because if you have any reasonable doubt about Joe Wentner, you must acquit him on the count of murder in the first degree.”
Mark Bellows had mesmerized the jury with reasonable doubt. They returned a not-guilty verdict in time for everyone to go home for dinner.
Pat lingered after the verdict was read and so did Tim and Greg, who had returned to the courtroom when word got out that the jury had concluded their work. She greeted them with a nod and a formal, “Officers.”
“What happens next?” she asked.
“We’re not sure, Pat,” Greg answered. “Joe Wentner’s off the hook, that’s clear. The DA will have to decide if charges will be brought against anyone else.”
“We’re all still a little in shock, ma’am,” Tim replied, working on his professional distance. “We thought the assistant DA made a strong case.”
“He did—just not as strong as my case,” Mark Bellows said as he reached the group with Lillian and Joe in tow. He grabbed Pat’s hand and pulled her toward him, lifted her off her feet, and spun her around in wild celebration before he planted a kiss on her lips.
Pat was so surprised, she didn’t protest. Tim looked at her quizzically, one eyebrow so high it almost reached his hairline.
“Come on, Pat,” Mark said. “We’re having dinner to celebrate. You were a huge part of our success, so you’re coming with us. Sorry, officers, you’re not invited,” he laughed.
She was dragged off with the newly victorious, able only to look at Tim briefly over her shoulder before she was pulled from the courtroom.
They went to Oswald’s, a favorite of Mark’s, Pat surmised.
“Order the most expensive things on the menu,” Mark said jovially, still higher on an adrenalin rush than either of the Wentners. “We’ll put it on Joe’s defense bill. And we need champagne.”
Pat was the only one at the table who wasn’t celebrating. She always believed Joe was innocent, but now she wondered about Lillian and stared at her hard, trying to see if she was looking at a murderess seated across the table from her.
Mark cajoled, “Please don’t feel like you were used, Pat, although you were a little, but for a good cause. I had to let you think the reasonable doubt defense I planned wasn’t a strong one so you’d keep pushing as hard as you could to find evidence I could use.”
“I thought you knew me better than to think I needed pushing to do my best?” Pat replied coolly.
“I do, but like you said, you were new to the job and untried. I also needed your testimony. I told you you’d make a good witness. Someone had to tie all the women’s declarations together on the stand. You were perfect in that role.
“I figured you might take what I just said like you did, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” Mark flashed her an exceptionally warm smile.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did,” Joe said.
“My pleasure, Joe. I always knew you were innocent.”
As Pat proclaimed Joe’s innocence, she noticed Lillian stare at her husband. An odd look fleetingly crossed her face and she pressed her lips together hard.
“Well, cheers,” Lillian said hesitantly and raised her champagne glass. She turned her eyes toward Pat as they all sipped their wine.
Pat wasn’t sure what she was reading in Lillian’s expression, but it disturbed her. Lillian was guarding a secret of some sort: was it guilt or something else?
“So, Mark,” Pat queried, “Joe’s cleared, but you presented a pretty credible case that Lillian murdered Garryn.” She watched Lillian closely as she asked, “What happens if the DA charges her?”
Mark smiled broadly. “It’s always a gamble when you go to trial, but I have a plan, should that happen. Everything hinged on keeping both Lillian and Joe off the witness stand. The prosecution couldn’t compel the defendant to testify in a criminal case, so that part was easy. Stipulating to Lillian’s affair with Monteith made her a useless witness to them. If they asked her anything about Joe’s knowledge or frame of mind, I would have shut them down with objections of speculation or privileged conversation between a husband and wife. Lillian couldn’t be compelled to testify against her husband.
“And now, because neither gave testimony under oath, the prosecution can’t so much as charge either wit
h perjury for what they say if there’s a future trial. If Lillian goes to trial, both Lillian and Joe can testify in her defense and, if we need to, we can aim guilt back at Joe, who can’t be charged again because of double jeopardy.”
“Whew, plan or not, that still sounds dangerous,” Pat said.
Lillian spoke up. “I accepted the risk freely.” Then she spoke to Joe intimately, as if Pat and Mark weren’t sharing a table with them. “I haven’t been the best wife, certainly,” she said to her husband, “but you stood by me. I love you, I really do. After what you did because of me, I’m just grateful I had a chance to protect you. I’ll be a better wife in the future, I promise.”
“Lillian?” Joe’s face contorted into a look of horror, “Do you think I killed Garryn?”
“You did, didn’t you? To save our marriage, to save us?”
“No!” he exclaimed. “No, I didn’t.”
“If not you, my love, then who? All those other women had grudges against Garryn, but none of them had reason enough to go so far as to kill him. That’s right, isn’t it Mark? Pat?”
All eyes were on Lillian.
“You all think I did it?” she asked suddenly when she realized why. “Pat, no, I led you on so you could testify against me at Joe’s trial. My ‘slip of the tongue’ at your house, it was all part of the plan. Tell them, Mark!”
Mark remained silent for several seconds. Finally, he said, “The breakup testimony Kandi Crusher and Suzanne Cummings gave was pretty damning.”
Joe took her hand. “It’s okay, Lillian, sweetheart. I’ll say I killed him. You won’t be convicted.”
“I better not be. I didn’t kill him!”
Lillian pushed her chair back from the table as tears started down her cheeks. “I didn’t kill him; how could you all think I did?” she asked softly before she ran from the restaurant.
“My wife needs me, and I need to apologize for thinking what I did,” Joe said as he got to his feet and followed Lillian.
“Mark, I’m going, too,” Pat said.
“No, stay and have dinner with me. You know I’ve wanted us to get closer for quite some time. Now we have a chance to.”
Pat smiled at him sympathetically. “Do you know the Shakespeare quote about the tides of men?”
“Sort of.”
“It has to do with missed opportunity. I’m afraid our opportunity has passed, Mark. Sorry.” She shouldered her purse and got up. “Enjoy your dinner,” she said, and left him sitting alone.
As soon as she got outside of the restaurant, Pat called Tim.
“Are you free for Thai takeout?” she asked.
“I thought you were having dinner with your attorney boyfriend.” She could hear the hurt in his voice.
“There’s been a change of plans. And where did you get the idea Mark Bellows was more than my employer?”
“Greg told me. He said you told Syda you had a thing for the clever Mr. Bellows. Besides, I saw the way he kissed you.”
“Are you jealous?” Pat asked in amazement.
“Of course I’m jealous. The way I feel about you, the thought of sharing you with anyone else…I’m not like Joe Wentner. It’s not something I can do.”
“I never thought we’d be having a commitment talk on the phone—that seems like something we should do cuddled together—but I can’t let you wonder about me. I can’t hurt you like that, not even for an hour, especially after what I witnessed tonight.
“Greg got his timeline wrong. ‘Had a thing for him’ is the operative phase. I kind of had an unrequited crush on Mark Bellows, but it was before us. And about that kiss you saw: if you’d been looking at it impartially with your lead investigator eyes, you would have noticed he kissed me, but I didn’t kiss him back.”
“I’m way beyond looking at you impartially,” Tim said. “You know that. Okay. I’ll pick up Thai and be at your house in forty-five.”
“Tim, when you get here, park in my driveway. Please, no more sneaking around and hiding. I want to let everyone in the world know how I feel about you.”
Even with Tim next to her, Pat couldn’t sleep. She had too much on her mind. She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Dot, who was asleep in her dog bed a few feet from her, and tiptoed to the living room.
Over their Thai takeout she and Tim had had their first serious talk about the future. They agreed that, after ten dates, they still liked each other. She should have felt pure joy imagining how one day they would probably tell each other I love you—it felt like that talk was coming, too. But she’d reached thirty-five and not just mouthed the words “I’m a strong, independent woman” because they were vogueish. She was strong and independent: in charge of her own destiny. Tim was no little rebound romance. If she allowed herself to fall in love with him, he’d have the power to hurt her. That part of love scared her.
The aborted dinner with Lillian and Joe hadn’t helped. Their story was like O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi reimagined as a nightmarish tale. Lillian thought Joe had killed Garryn Monteith to save their marriage. She let Mark Bellows make her a prime suspect to save her husband from conviction. Joe believed Lillian killed Garryn and he was prepared to die in jail to protect her. How could two people be in love and yet get everything about one another so wrong?
Wimsey’s yowl broke her reverie.
“I’m sorry,” she could hear Tim say from her bedroom. He backed into the living room with his hands in the air in a gesture of apology. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, half to Wimsey and half to her.
He sat down on the sofa next to her. “I tripped on your cat. I don’t think he liked me before, now he’s going to hate me.”
“He likes you well enough, he’s just not demonstrative.” Pat giggled. “You’re going to have to learn the sleeping arrangements around here, though, because he only has so much patience with humans.”
“Why are you out here alone instead of with me, keeping me safe by giving me navigation directions?” he asked.
“I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about Lillian and Joe and the trial and,” she was determined their communication was never going to be secretive and presumptive like Lillian and Joe’s must have become. She told him the truth, “and us, too. It’s funny how frightened I get thinking about commitment and how sure I am about it as soon as I’m near you.”
“Then stay close to me,” he said gently. “The sun’s not near to rising; should we go back to bed?”
“You can, but I can’t sleep. I keep thinking about what happens next, not with us, with the murder. Do you think the DA will charge Lillian?”
Tim yawned and scratched his ear. “My bet is he won’t. As guilty as she seemed in the skilled hands of Mr. Bellows, when he’s representing her, he’s going to turn things around and make Joe look guilty and cause just as much uncertainty in the jury’s mind as he did in Wentner’s trial. He’ll drag in all the other suspects, too, to really muddy the water. Trials are expensive, and I don’t think the DA will spend money on what has more than a fifty-fifty chance of being a losing proposition.”
Pat frowned.
“You said you didn’t think she did it anyway, didn’t you?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Pat sighed. “I was so sure she killed Garryn Monteith for all the reasons that came up at trial, but after tonight, no, I don’t think she did. Her denial was completely believable and her reaction when she realized Joe thought she was a murderer, well, it was heartbreaking. I think her astonishment was genuine.”
“If not either of the Wentners, then who?” Tim asked.
“That’s the question keeping me up.”
“Are you sure no one else besides the women you found in the class had a reason to kill Monteith?”
“I did careful and thorough research. I’m sure there were no hidden grudges among the class.”
“Then it has to be one of your other three suspects.”
Pat nodded. “Will the DA try charging one of them?”
“I’ve been in char
ge of this investigation so I’ve seen everything we have about all three women, including what you gave me,” Tim said as he smiled and leaned toward her to kiss her forehead. “Your investigation on them was painstaking; we don’t have anything more.
“If you look at them,” he continued, “Mrs. Grinardi may have been planning to settle an old score in her own way, but what Monteith did to her husband, stealing his patent…that was so long ago and, yes, I know murderers think they’re going to get away with it and all that, but it’s hard to imagine a woman who knows her children will suffer if she gets caught, who’s never committed any kind of crime in her life, killing someone over a long-ago patent theft.
“The other reason I don’t like her for murder is that she doesn’t seem like someone who might risk hurting anyone else. Lillian opened the kiln on the first day; why wouldn’t Mrs. Grinardi have thought she’d do that the second day? She had no reason to harm Lillian, I don’t think she’d take the chance.”
“I think you’re right,” Pat agreed. “It’s such a long road between shaming and embarrassing someone and killing them, and I don’t think she went down it.”
“You could say the same thing about your game-named woman. Long-time-ago grudge, no history of criminal activity, and no reason to risk hurting Lillian Wentner.
“Now you’ve got me thinking about this just like you are. We’re not going back to bed, are we?” Tim asked.
“No, we’re not. I better make us some coffee.”
Tim followed Pat to the kitchen. “That leaves the weird little mouse.”
“Weird little mouse? Is that what the Sherriff’s Department calls Suzanne Cummings?”
Tim laughed, “Yes, but if you ever let it slip that I told you, I’ll deny all knowledge of private moments with you and say it must have been Greg who told you about that tag. Think how bad you’d feel getting your friend in trouble.”
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