by Linda Warren
Lucas stood and walked over to the jury box, staring at the twelve faces. He had to dispel the image of Blake Carl had put into the jurors’ minds.
“I’m sure you’ve heard that there are two sides to every story. Mr. Wright has told you one and now I’m going to tell you the other.” He recounted Blake’s story just as he’d heard it so many times. He said there was evidence that would show Blake was telling the truth. He mentioned the photo. In the end, he said, “I’m asking you to listen to the evidence and the witnesses with open minds and open hearts. I’m asking you to hear the truth. Thank you.”
His preamble was short and to the point, and Lucas could see that it threw Carl. He was expecting Lucas to confuse and distract the jury with a completely different description of Blake, a completely different scenario. Instead, Lucas had enlisted the jurors’ help in finding the truth.
It took Carl a moment to recover, then he called three witnesses who’d seen Blake with Todd Easton and Bonnie Davis on the night of the murder.
Lucas let Derek handle the cross-examination. They didn’t try to dispute the fact that Blake was with the other two or try to discredit the witnesses. Lucas only wanted them to admit that they saw Blake drinking, smoking pot or buying drugs. Derek got them to say under oath that they saw Blake doing all three. Lucas wanted the jury to hear how much garbage Blake had put into his system that night. Garbage that had made him physically ill, as Blake would testify to later.
Carl then called a DNA expert to conclusively identify the skin tissue under Bonnie’s fingernails as Blake’s, which he did. Lucas just had a few questions.
“Can you tell us why Blake Logan wasn’t identified before now?”
“Because the tissue cells were so minute we couldn’t make a match until now. Through new DNA testing we were able to isolate the cells and identify the genetic blueprint of Blake Logan.”
“Minute cells?”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying there was such a small amount that sixteen years ago it was unidentifiable?”
“We knew it was skin, but as I indicated, we couldn’t make the match until now.”
“I see.” Lucas paused, then said, “No more questions.”
Carl then called the police detective who’d handled the case. There wasn’t much Lucas could do with his story of the crime. He was one of the first people on the scene and recounted it just as he remembered.
The next day, Carl called the medical examiner, Dr. Lee, to testify how Bonnie Davis died. Carl had a huge photo of Bonnie’s murdered body on an easel for the jury to see. Several jurors wouldn’t even look at it, and Blake let out a tortured moan. A handful of people got up and left the room. It was one thing to talk about the murder, but it was another to actually see it.
The Davises sat behind Carl, and Bonnie’s mother silently wept, refusing to even glance at the photo.
Lloyd Easton sat at the back of the room, as he did each day, listening to every word. His feverish eyes stayed on Sam and his family. Roger was there to keep an eye on him. He worried about Blair, though, with Easton around, but he knew Roger wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
Dr. Lee explained in detail how Bonnie was strangled and raped, just the way Carl wanted him to.
Lucas preferred not to dwell on it. He just wanted to get several points across. He picked up several pages of the transcript from the first trial.
Handing them to Dr. Lee, he said, “You’re familiar with Todd Easton’s trial and the experts who testified?”
“Yes.”
“There was a fingernail found embedded in Bonnie’s throat. From the transcript, will you please read who the forensic expert matched the nail to?”
Dr. Lee frowned at the paper. “Todd Easton.”
“You testified that there were teeth marks on her neck, breasts and right thigh?”
“Yes, some were so deep they broke the skin.”
“From the transcript, please read who the forensic dental expert matched the teeth marks to.”
Dr. Lee glanced at the papers in his hand. “Todd Easton.”
“Also the semen found on Bonnie Davis—who did it match?”
Dr. Lee continued to look at the transcript. “Todd Easton.”
“Besides the skin under Bonnie’s fingernails—was there any evidence on her body that matched Blake Logan?”
“No.”
“Just the skin under her nails?”
“Yes, just the skin under her nails.”
“Dr. Lee, please read about the other skin found under Bonnie’s nails.”
He adjusted his glasses and read, “There were masses of skin under her nails.”
“Who did the expert match it to?”
“Todd Easton.”
Lucas studied the notes on his desk. “Masses of skin,” Lucas repeated.
“Yes.”
“In your expert opinion how did that happen?”
“Probably by scratching someone repeatedly.”
“I see,” Lucas replied thoughtfully. “Would you please read where the minute cells from Blake Logan’s skin were found on Bonnie Davis.”
Dr. Lee looked through the transcript. “Under her thumb and forefinger on the right hand.”
“In your expert opinion, how do you think that happened?”
“Objection,” Carl interrupted. “Calls for speculation.”
“He’s an expert, Your Honor,” Lucas said. “He deals with it every day, so he’s familiar with the way Blake Logan’s skin could have gotten there. Besides, he’s already testified how Todd Easton’s skin got under her nails.”
“I’ll allow it,” the judge said.
“In your opinion, how could those minute flakes of Blake Logan’s skin have gotten under Bonnie Davis’s fingers?”
“She caught his arm or touched him in some way.”
Lucas thought about that for a minute. “She didn’t scratch or claw him,” he said slowly and clearly. “She touched Blake Logan.”
“Your Honor,” Carl objected. “This is ridiculous. It’s pure speculation.”
“He’s your witness, Mr. Wright, so let’s move on.”
“That’s all, Your Honor,” Lucas said, then sat down.
Carl had a few more questions.
“If Bonnie Davis was weak and dying, she might not have had any strength left to claw or scratch. Could that be true?”
“Yes, that could be true.”
“Thank you,” Carl said, and took his seat.
Lucas heard a stir behind him, and he knew that Sam didn’t approve of the way this was going. But Lucas had a plan and he was sticking to it. Blair sat directly behind him, next to Sam and Ava, but Lucas purposely kept his eyes off her. Blake deserved his full attention.
He scribbled a note and handed it to Derek. Derek immediately began to go through the files on the desk.
Lucas stood. “Recross, Your Honor.”
“Go ahead, Mr. Culver.”
Derek quickly passed him a piece of paper. “Dr. Lee, as a matter of record—” he glanced at the paper “—Bonnie Davis was five feet five inches tall and weighed one hundred and twenty-eight pounds at the time of her death. And Todd Easton was five feet eight inches tall and weighed one hundred and sixty pounds.” He indicated the notes on his desk. “At sixteen, Blake Logan was six feet tall and weighed one hundred and forty pounds.”
“Do you have a question, Mr. Culver?” Judge Seton asked.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Lucas replied, walking closer to the witness.
“Would you say that’s two pretty good-size sixteen-year-old boys?”
“Yes, I would.”
“Then tell me something. If Miss Davis was fighting both boys, as Mr. Wright alleges, why, in your expert opinion, did she repeatedly scratch one boy and get masses of his skin under her nails, yet managed to get only minute cells from the other boy?”
“Your Honor, speculation again,” Carl called.
“Overruled,” the judge said. “The witness
may answer.”
Dr. Lee shrugged. “I can’t answer that because I don’t know.”
“Let me see if I can help you,” Lucas said. “Could it be possible that Blake Logan, the other boy, wasn’t even there when the rape and murder occurred, but was in the bushes vomiting? When he got to her, she reached out to him for help. Is that possible?”
“Yes, but—”
“No further questions,” Lucas said, and walked back to his chair.
Carl remained in his seat and Lucas let out a deep breath. Good. He didn’t want to confuse the jury. He just wanted them to hear that there was another way the murder could have happened.
They adjourned for the day, but Lucas went back to his office to prepare for tomorrow. Ethan Ramsey was the next witness. He was the private investigator the Davises had hired to find the second killer. Lucas’s investigator had done a background check on him, and Lucas was going over every detail—trying to find the best way to cross-examine him. He was a decorated ex-FBI agent who’d been shot in the line of duty. He now ran a ranch outside San Antonio and took special cases like the Davis murder.
Everything Lucas had heard about him was good, so he wasn’t going to be able to trip him up. But Lucas knew if he handled it right, Ethan Ramsey could be a crucial witness.
“WHAT THE HELL do you think Lucas is planning?” Carl asked Evan as they went over Ethan Ramsey’s testimony.
“I wish I knew,” Evan sighed. “Culver isn’t disputing anything or trying to discredit witnesses. It’s like he’s resigned himself to the inevitable, but I know better than that. He’s not handing us this case on a platter, so you watch him.”
“Well, I know one thing,” Carl said. “He won’t get anywhere with Ethan Ramsey. He’s tough and honest and he’ll tell it like it is.”
“Don’t get cocky,” Evan told him. “Just don’t leave any doors open for Culver to sneak through. Shut them tight and let’s get a conviction.”
“Yes, sir,” Carl answered, and headed for the door.
“And Carl—” Evan stopped him “—make damn sure your witnesses are rock-solid.”
Carl nodded and left.
THAT NIGHT AFTER DINNER, Blake went up to his room. Blair knew something was bothering him and she felt it had to do with the gruesome picture of Bonnie Davis that Carl had shown in court. Blake shouldn’t keep this inside, and she intended to make him talk about it.
She hurried upstairs, thinking that Lucas was doing a great job. He was slowly but surely poking holes in the evidence. That was how they could win this case—accumulating enough doubt about the D.A.’s version of events. If anyone could do that, Lucas could.
She missed talking to him. She missed him, period, but she knew there’d be time for them later. There had to be.
She tapped on Blake’s door and walked in. He was sitting in the window seat staring out into the darkness. She sat beside him.
Neither spoke for a moment, then she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Why?” His eyes swung to her.
“I know you,” she replied. “And something’s bothering you.”
He got up. He had on a pair of baggy shorts and a T-shirt, and he looked so much like the young boy he used to be.
“Leave it alone, Blair,” he said crossly as he slumped into a chair.
At his words, apprehension shivered over her skin, and she knew she couldn’t leave it alone. He had to talk to her.
“I know it was hard seeing Bonnie’s picture,” she told him. “It was hard for me, too.”
He rested his head against the chair. “I’ve seen it every day for the past sixteen years. All I have to do is close my eyes and I see her—just like that.”
She swallowed at the agony in his voice and tried to think of something to reassure him. “Lucas is working wonders and—”
“That’s it. That’s what—”
He stopped, apparently because he’d realized what he was going to say, and again Blair felt that apprehension.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said dismissively.
She took a breath. “If it’s about Lucas, you have to tell me.”
“Leave it alone,” he begged. “Just leave it alone.” He jumped up and started pacing around the room.
Blair knew that whatever was wrong had to do with Lucas. That could only mean… “Blake, tell me you haven’t done something to jeopardize this case.”
Blake didn’t answer. He just kept pacing.
“Blake?”
He stopped abruptly and stared at her. “Lucas has based this case on me telling him the truth and I…I…haven’t told him everything.”
“What haven’t you told him?” she asked with as much calm as she could muster.
He shook his head and resumed his pacing again. “I shouldn’t tell you. Mom said—”
She broke in. “Mom knows about this?”
Blake sank onto the bed and buried his face in his hands. “Yes, she knows,” he said feebly.
Blair sat next to him and pulled his hands from his face. “Tell me everything,” she said sternly. “Every little detail. Don’t leave out a thing.”
“That night…that night it happened,” he began haltingly. “Todd dropped me off and I was so sick with revulsion…I started throwing up again. Mom heard me and came to check on me. When…when I saw her I burst into tears and crumpled to the floor.” He paused and she gave him a moment to regain his composure. “She helped me clean up and I told her everything. I had to tell someone. You were over at your friend’s house and—”
One thing kept running through her mind. “All these years, Mom knew you were there at the time of the murder?”
“Yes.”
Blair let that sink in, and it prompted another question. “Did she tell Dad?”
Blake shook his head. “No, she never told him. She planned to tell him the next morning, but then he started in on me about my behavior and the drugs, and Mom said it was best just to let things be. But—”
The door opened and Ava walked in. “I wondered where you two had disappeared to. I should’ve known you were talking and…” Her words trailed off as she saw their stricken faces. “Oh, Blake, darling, you told her.”
“Yes, he told me,” Blair said angrily. “How could you keep this a secret?”
Before Ava could answer, Blake said, “Tell her the rest, Mom.”
Blair’s eyes swung to Blake. “There’s more?”
“Now, Blake, there’s no need to get Blair involved in this,” Ava said. “It won’t help anyone—especially you.”
“I don’t care anymore,” Blake muttered. “The whole truth has to come out. Lucas has to know.”
Ava sat on the other side of Blake and rubbed his arm lightly. “It’ll be all right….”
Blair saw what her mother was doing—the same thing she’d done all their lives—protecting them with gentle manipulation. Sam’s manipulation was obvious and blatant, but Ava’s was subtle and often undetectable. Blair could see it now. She knew her mother’s actions were motivated by love, but it had to end.
Blair sprang to her feet and confronted Ava. “Tell me everything,” she demanded.
“Darling, don’t get so upset. I’m—”
“Tell me.” Blair shouted. “And tell me now. Stop trying to placate me. It’s not going to work. Just tell me the truth.”
Ava watched her, but didn’t say a word.
“Tell me!” Blair shouted again.
“Stop shouting,” Ava said. “It’s so unbecoming.”
“Mother.” Blair’s hands curled into fists.
“All right, all right.” Ava gave in. “But as I said, it won’t change anything and it certainly won’t help Blake.”
“Tell me,” Blair said in a calmer tone.
Ava sighed deeply. “After Todd Easton was released on bail, he started coming to the house to see Blake. I wouldn’t let him in. One day, he became angry, saying his father had cut him off financially and
that he had to have money. If he didn’t, he said he’d go to the police and tell them that Blake helped him kill Bonnie Davis.”
“Oh, God, no,” Blair groaned. “Tell me you didn’t give him money.”
Ava smoothed her dress over her knees and remained silent. That told Blair all she needed to know. Her mother had given Todd Easton money to keep quiet. Oh, God, this couldn’t get any worse.
“I can’t believe it,” Blair muttered. “Lucas is getting the jury to listen to his side of the story, and now your lies have sabotaged everything.”
Ava stood and put an arm around her shoulder. “No, it hasn’t. Lucas need never know. Blake should never have told you.”
Blair stared at her mother as if she were seeing her for the first time. Ava was willing to do anything to keep her son safe—even encourage him to lie. But the lies had to stop.
“Blake should have told Lucas everything,” Blair snapped. “Lucas believes in the truth—and I believe in him. I have to tell him.”
“No,” Ava said, and stood between Blair and the door. “You can’t! It’s Blake’s life we’re talking about. Lucas doesn’t need to know. Please, Blair, think about your brother. Do you want him to go to prison for the rest of his life for something he didn’t do?”
Blair’s head began to throb painfully and she knew she had to get away from them. She pushed past her mother and ran to her room, where she flopped onto her bed and tried to sort through the troubling events. Her mother had known all along and had even paid Todd Easton to keep quiet. Lloyd Easton had suspicions about Sam and got Evan to investigate, but it hadn’t been Sam—it was Ava. That was where Todd had gotten the money Lloyd and others had seen him with. Blair didn’t know her family anymore. One shocking revelation after another….
She had to tell Lucas. But then, what about Blake? Lucas wouldn’t keep the information hidden; she knew that about him.
What would this do to Blake’s chances? As an attorney she knew the answer. This new information meant a sure prison sentence. For Lucas to recant any part of his story now would be devastating. What should she do? She was caught between her love for Lucas and her love for Blake. What should she do?