"So whoever killed her took the bindings with them," Brunelle realized.
"And apparently the blood," Kat added.
"But why?" Chen asked.
"Don't worry about why," Brunelle grinned. "I don't have to prove motive. Just who did it and how, never why."
Chen ran a hand through his hair. "Well, good. 'Cause I can't imagine any reason why anybody would do this."
Brunelle did a walk-through of the house, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The forensics officers were marking, photographing, and collecting anything that might possibly hold evidentiary value. That meant casting a wide net. Brunelle wasn't looking forward to thumbing through pages upon pages of property reports containing useless enumerations of irrelevant personal property. The problem was that apart from the bloodless girl dangling in the entryway, the house was in perfect order. Better than perfect, it was slightly messy. The girl's bedroom could have used a tidying, there were a plate and cup in the sink, and the kitchen garbage needed to be taken out. Everything was as normal—and therefore as useless to him—as could be.
Time to talk to the parents. See if they could give the murder some context that was lacking in the physical evidence.
***
The parents were outside by one of the officers' patrol cars. The mother was sitting in the back of the car, its door open, her feet on the road, and a blanket around her shoulders to keep out some the wet autumn chill that descended on Seattle after Labor Day. She was crying. Of course. The father was standing near, but not exactly next to her. He was using a cigarette to blunt the cold.
Brunelle hated talking to the family. He hated pretending that he cared. He did care, of course. Anybody would. But he didn't care that much. Not as much as someone who had known the girl. And never as much as a parent. But he was supposed to care. They always expected the cops and the prosecutors and judges and the jurors to care. But the one thing all those people really cared about was being glad it wasn't their daughter.
And in his early 40s, single, with no kids, Brunelle cared even less than that.
Besides, he knew caring wouldn't do a damn thing to bring that girl back.
"Mr. Montgomery? Mrs. Montgomery?" He stepped up with a hand half-extended. "I'm Dave Brunelle from the prosecutor's office. I'm so sorry for your loss."
Mr. Montgomery stared at Brunelle's hand but didn't shake it. He took a long drag on his cigarette. "This is death penalty, right?"
Mrs. Montgomery looked up. "Roger! This isn't the time for this."
"Really, Janet?" he replied. "Then when is? Some bastard killed your daughter and the prosecutor is standing right here."
He turned again to Brunelle. "Death penalty, right?"
Brunelle offered his professional 'no promises' smile. "Every case is different. Once the police finish their investigation, we'll review the evidence and make a decision. Your input will be very important to that decision."
"What decision?" Mr. Montgomery nearly shouted. "It's a murder. What more do you need to know?"
"Not all murders are death penalty eligible," Brunelle started. "There need to be certain aggravating factors present before—"
"Are those here?" Mr. Montgomery demanded.
"Roger, please," Mrs. Montgomery tried again.
"They might be," Brunelle was careful to answer. "As I said, we will review the evidence—"
"If the aggravating factors are there," Mr. Montgomery pressed. "Promise me you'll go after the death penalty."
Brunelle repeated the smile. "The decision isn't mine alone to make. But as I said, your input will be very important to that decision."
Mr. Montgomery was about to argue some more when Brunelle spotted Chen making his way over. "But here comes Detective Chen. I'm sure he has some questions for you."
Brunelle extracted himself as Chen approached, and quickly walked away, but not before hearing Mrs. Montgomery express her displeasure at her husband again, and Chen ask them where they had been that night while their daughter stayed home alone.
Brunelle was curious about their answer, but not curious enough to stick around. He knew he could just get it in the morning from Chen's report. Being curious wasn't the same as caring.
As he reached his car, though, he realized he was curious about more than just why the girl was home alone. He didn't have to prove motive, but damn, that was a strange way to kill someone. There must have been a reason for it. He knew if he was curious, then the jury was going to be curious too. And juries with questions are juries that acquit. So he would have to figure out that motive after all.
Then he smiled despite the weather and the circumstances. He had an excuse to call Kat.
END OF CHAPTER 1
To read more, download Presumption of Innocence now!
Also by Stephen Penner
THE DAVID BRUNELLE LEGAL THRILLERS
Presumption of Innocence
Tribal Court
By Reason of Insanity
A Prosecutor for the Defense
Substantial Risk
Corpus Delicti
Accomplice Liability
Other Stephen Penner Novels
Scottish Rite
Blood Rite
Last Rite
The Godling Club
Mars Station Alpha
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Penner is an author, attorney, and adjunct law professor from Seattle, Washington.
Stephen began his legal career as a criminal defense attorney, appearing in federal, state, and municipal courts throughout the State of Washington. After several years of defense work, Stephen 'switched sides' and became a prosecutor. He has been practicing criminal law for over 20 years, working his way up from misdemeanor offenses, to felonies, and finally to homicides. He has tried nearly 100 cases and now supervises other prosecutors. In addition, he uses his extensive experience to teach trial advocacy to Seattle law students.
As an author, Stephen pens the David Brunelle legal thriller series, featuring Assistant D.A. David Brunelle and a recurring cast of cops, defense attorneys, and forensic experts. He also writes the Maggie Devereaux paranormal mysteries, recounting the exploits of an American graduate student in the magical Highlands of Scotland.
For more information, please visit www.stephenpenner.com.
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