Guilt

'And had these people found anything relating to the murder by the time you arrived?'

Farrell knew Amanda would be using the word 'murder' a lot that day – trying to condition the jury to accept what she couldn't prove. He couldn't do anything about it, and let it go.

'Would you tell us, Sergeant, what you found at the scene of the murder?'

'One of the first things we found is what we did not find.'

'And what was that, Sergeant?'

'We found there was no sign of a forced entry at the side door. Or anywhere else for that matter.'

'No sign of forced entry?'

'No. We believe that egress was through the side door, by the driveway, because we found a surgical glove and a knife near that door.'

Jenkins produced these and they were entered as People's Exhibits 2 and 3.

The knife matches other knives found in the defendant's kitchen, is that right?'

Before Crandall could even think about answering, Glitsky noticed some quick back and forth at the defense table. For the first time, Christina stood up. 'Your honor, we've stipulated that the knife belonged to the Doohers.'

Glitsky moved uncomfortably in his seat. Jenkins hadn't gotten her sea legs yet and he felt for her. Her first murder case had gone high profile and sideways, and she wasn't doing well. She appeared to be groping for another direction, a specific question, but she couldn't seem to frame it except in a general way.

'Was there anything else about this side door?'

Fortunately, Crandall was on her side, inclined to help. He nodded.'The Sergeant from Taraval reported that the light over the door had been out when they arrived, but he turned it and it went back on.' This was technically hearsay, but nobody objected. 'The alarm system also was not turned on. Upstairs, in the master bedroom, Mrs Dooher was in the bed.'

'And how was she lying?'

'On her side.'

'On her side? Not on her back?'

'No, on her left side.'

Jenkins moved back to Glitsky's table and he gave her a surreptitious thumbs-up as she gathered some material. 'Sergeant Crandall, would you look at these crime-scene photographs and tell us if you recognize them?'

Jenkins handed them over and Crandall agreed that they were accurate. The jury got to look at them. Crandall continued, mentioning the tossed blanket and sheets, the missing jewelry, the blood. He then described the lividity that had been on Mrs Dooher's shoulder.

'Based on your training and experience, Sergeant, does this lividity help you reconstruct the crime scene?'

'Yes, it does.' Glitsky had known Crandall for a long time, and knew he could be personable and even fu

'But didn't you just say that this lividity was on Mrs Dooher's upper shoulder?'

'Yes, I did.'

'And what does that mean?'

'It means that she was moved after she was dead. Rolled half-over.'

'And why was that?'

This time, Farrell stood on top of it. 'Objection, your honor! Speculation.'

The objection was sustained, but Jenkins was finally begi

Crandall nodded. 'Yes.'

'And what was that?'

'It looked like a burglary that had been interrupted when the victim woke up, that there'd been a struggle, and in that struggle the burglar had killed Mrs Dooher.'

'But don't we know that Mrs Dooher was already dead when she was stabbed?'

'That's right. Because of the lividity, that was my assumption at the time – she was dead when she was stabbed.'

'And had the nightclothes been ripped or partially ripped from the victim?'

'Yes.'

'And had the bedding been thrown about?'

'That's right.'

'And was there blood spattered on the bed and on the floor, under the bed and so on?'

'Yes.'

'Even though Mrs Dooher could not have struggled at all because she was already dead?'

Crandall said yes again, and Glitsky thought he didn't have to provide any speculation after this testimony. What had happened ought to be clear enough.

Jenkins came back to the table for her pad. Consulting it, she faced Crandall once more. 'Now, Sergeant Crandall, let's change direction for a moment. What did you do with the blood samples you found at the scene of the murder?'

'I sent them for analysis to the crime lab.'

Farrell knew he had a hostile witness in Crandall, but it wasn't his style to pussy-foot. He got up from the defense table, crossed the floor of the courtroom, and positioned himself about two feet in front of the witness. He smiled warmly.

'Sergeant Crandall, I'd like to begin by talking about the side door, where you've testified that there was no sign of forced entry. No sign at all?'

Crandall nodded. 'That's right.'

'In your thorough investigation of the premises, did you discover anyplace else where somebody might have broken into the house?'

'No. Whoever came in appeared to just open the door.'

'So there was no sign that anyone broke in.' Farrell brought in the jury with a look. 'None. And no one had tried to make it look like a break-in either, had they?'

Crandall paused a second before answering. 'I don't know whether anyone had tried.'

Farrell appreciated this answer and he told Crandall as much. 'That is what I asked, isn't it, Sergeant?'

A nod.

'But whether or not anyone had tried, it didn't look like anyone had tried to make it look like a burglary, did it?'

'No.'

'All right, thank you. Let's leave that for a moment.' Farrell took a few steps over to the exhibit table and lifted something from it. 'I call your attention to People's Exhibit Number Two, the kitchen knife which we all agree belonged to the defendant and his wife. Did you have this knife tested for fingerprints?'

'Yes.'

'And what did you find?'

'We found the defendant's fingerprints on the knife, as well as those of his wife.'

'Anybody else's?'

'No. Just those two.'

'All right. Now did you discover anything about the defendant's fingerprints that would indicate that he held this knife during or after it was plunged into his wife's chest? For example, were there fingerprints over blood on the knife, or fingerprints in blood?'

'No.'

'Nothing at all to indicate that the defendant had ever used this knife as anything other than an ordinary kitchen implement?'

'No.'

'Nothing at all?'

Jenkins spoke from behind Farrell. 'Asked and answered?' Thomasino agreed, sustaining her.

Farrell nodded genially, glanced over at the jury and included them in his good humor. 'All right, Sergeant, I think we're getting somewhere here on all this evidence that was found at the murder scene. I'd like to ask you now about the surgical glove, People's Three, that was found outside the house, by the side door that showed no sign of forced entry. Did you submit this glove to rigorous lab analysis?'

'Yes, of course.'

'Of course. And what did you find on it? Any fingerprints?'

'No. No fingerprints. The rubber does not hold fingerprints. We did find some spots of Mrs Dooher's blood.'

'Only Mrs Dooher's blood?'

'Yes. Only Mrs Dooher's.'

'A lot of blood.'

Crandall shook his head. 'I wouldn't say a lot. A few drops, splattered and smudged.'

'But again, nothing at all that ties this piece of evidence to the defendant. Nothing at all, is that right?'

'Yes. That's right.'

'Good!' Farrell brought his hands together histrionically, delighted with the results of his questions so far. 'Now, Sergeant, don't the police routinely wear surgical gloves, just like this one, when they are investigating crime scenes?'