Page 83 of The One for Forever

Derek scowls and yanks his arm away. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

The judge orders quiet, and the jury returns to their box. I try to get myself back on track. But I’m shaking. I clasp my hands in front of me to hide it.

Get it together, I tell myself.You can’t fall apart. Not in front of everyone.

The judge didn’t allow cameras, but there are sketch artists and reporters here. I briefly glance over at Rex. He’s sitting in the front row of the audience, his expression both hard and brittle. I know he’s worried for me. But he nods, and that gives me just enough reassurance to catch my breath.

“Mr. Diamond, would you read the statement that you gave to the district attorney just days ago?” I ask, handing him the paper.

He does. But when I ask why he’s changing his testimony, he says, “You and the district attorney pressured me into saying this. I was coerced. If anyone was threatening me, it wasyou.”

My insides drop through the floor.

It all goes downhill from there. My colleagues and I call our other witnesses, but I can feel the jury’s skepticism. They don’t trust me, and that’s fatal to our case. I succeeded in creating anindelible first impression. Unfortunately, it was the exact wrong one. All our other evidence is circumstantial, and Derek pokes holes in each witness during cross-examination.

It takes four days for us to put on our entire case, and at the end of it, I’m exhausted down to my soul. The only bright side is that Lana has stabilized, and the doctors were able to stop her premature labor. She’s on bed rest for the foreseeable future, but that’s far better than her baby being born too soon.

After we rest our case, I barely sleep that night. I can hardly even speak to Rex. There’s nothing in my mind except evidence and trial strategy. I’m still searching for some way to turn this around.

The next day, the defense barely puts on any case at all. Amber is their sole witness, testifying on her own behalf. She might not have range as an actress, but she’s got the innocent act down pat.

I manage to get myself together enough to cross-examine her. My voice is stronger today. My hands are steady. I question her about her internet searches on forensics and on methods to kill someone. I drill her about her motive to do away with Thompson and all she stood to gain. I’m relentless.

“You sneaked out of the spa through the alley, didn’t you?”

“No.”

“You drove home and found Thompson napping on the couch, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t.”

“You picked up the heaviest object you could find, and you hit him over the head until he died.” My voice rings out in the silent courtroom.

Amber stares at me, her innocence morphing into murderous rage. There’s a shift in the air. The jury is sitting forward. Listening. A spark of hope feeds me.

Maybe I can win them over. Make themsee.

“Then you staged the house to look like a burglary,” I say. “Just like the burglary scenes you’d researched online.”

“Good luck with that theory,” she spits out. “Because you have no fucking proof.”

She’s finally dropped her facade.Please let it be enough.

We make our closing arguments, and I reconstruct the day of the murder piece by piece. I do my best to explain what happened with Pete and his changing testimony. Of course, I can’t outright accuse Amber of tampering with a witness because Idon’thave proof of that. Still, I can draw inferences and hope the jury connects the dots.

The judge instructs the jury, and they retire to deliberate. They return a verdict after only three hours, which could be good for us. A quick deliberation often means a guilty verdict.

The judge calls everyone back into the courtroom.

Please, I think.Please.

When the foreman announces the verdict, the sound is muffled. Like I’m hearing it underwater. But it echoes all the way down inside me.

Not. Guilty.

24

Quinn is shell-shocked.

---