Philip Margolin - Gone ,but not forgotten

Lake had a lot of political clout and the mayor of Hunter's Point ordered the police chief to put him on the task force. Lake soon became the primary suspect, though he was not aware of that fact."

"Have the prints of Peter Lake been compared to the fingerprints of Martin Darius?"

"Yes."

"With what results?"

"Martin Darius and Peter Lake are the same person."

Highsmith handed the clerk two fingerprint cards and a report from a fingerprint expert and introduced them into evidence.

"Mr. Page, did Detective Gordon tell you why she believed the defendant murdered the Hunter's Point women?"

"She did."

"Tell the court what she told you."

"Peter Lake had a connection to each of the women who disappeared in Hunter's Point. Gloria Escalante sat on one of Lake's juries. Samantha Reardon belonged to the same country club as the Lakes. Anne Hazelton's husband was an attorney and the Lakes and Hazeltons had been to some of the same Bar Association functions. Patricia Cross and Sandra Lake, Peter's wife, were both in the junior League.

"Detective Gordon met Lake the evening Sandra and Melody Lake were murdered. This was the first time a body was discovered. In all the other cases, when the women disappeared, the note and rose were found on the woman's pillow in her bedroom. None of these notes had fingerprints on them. The note found at Lake's house had Sandra Lake's prints on it.

The detectives believed that Sandra Lake discovered the note and was killed by her husband so she would not connect him to the disappearances when the notes were made public. they also believed Melody saw her mother killed and was murdered because she was a witness."

"Was there a problem with the time that Peter Lake reported the murders to the police?"

"Yes. Peter Lake told the police that he discovered the bodies right after he entered the house, that he sat down on the steps for a while, in shock, then called 911.

The 911 call came in at eight-fifteen, but a neighbors who lived near the Lakes, saw Peter Lake arrive home shortly after seven-twenty. The task force members believed it took Lake fifty-five minutes to report the murders because the victims were alive when Lake got home."

"Was there anything else that implicated Lake?"

"A man named Henry Waters worked for a florist.

His truck was seen near the Escalante house on the day she disappeared.

Waters had a sex offender record as a Peeping Tom. The body of Patricia Cross was found in the basement of Waters's house. She was disemboweled, just like the three Portland women.

"Waters was never really a suspect, but Lake didn't know that. Waters was borderline retarded and had no history of violence. There wasn't any connection between him and any other victim. Without telling anyone, Lake staked out Waters's house and followed him for days before the body of Patricia Cross was discovered."

"What led the police to Waters's house?"

"An anonymous male caller, who was never identified. The task force members believed Lake brought Cross to Waters's house, murdered her in the basement, then made the phone call to the police."

"Why wasn't Lake prosecuted in Hunter's Point?"

"Waters was killed during his arrest. The police chief and the mayor made a public statement labeling Waters as the rose killer. There were no more murders and the cases were closed."

"Why did Detective Gordon come to Portland?"

"When she learned about the Portland notes and roses, she knew the same person had to be responsible for the Hunter's Point and Portland crimes, because the color of the rose and the contents of the notes were never made public in Hunter's Point."

"Where did Detective Gordon go — after she left your residence?"

"The Lakeview Motel. The manager said she checked in about twenty minutes after leaving my place."

"Have you seen or talked to Detective Gordon since she left your residence?"

"No. She's disappeared."

"Have you searched her room at the motel?"

Page nodded. "It looked like she was in the midst of unpacking when something happened. When she was at my place, she had an attache case with a lot of material relating to the case. It was missing. We — also found the address of the construction site where the bodies were found on a pad next to the phone."

"What conclusion do you draw from that?"

"Someone called her with the address."

"What do you believe happened then?"

"Well, she had no car. We've checked all of the taxi companies. None of them picked her up from the Lakeview. I believe the person who called her picked her up."

"No further questions, Your Honor."

Betsy smiled at Page, but he did not smile back. He looked grim and sat stiffly, back straight, with his hands folded in his lap.

"Mr. Page, there was a lengthy investigation in Hunter's Point, wasn't there?"

"That's what Detective Gordon said. "I assume you've read the police reports from that investigation."

"No, I haven't", Page answered, shifting uncomfortably on his seat.

"Why is that?"

"I don't have them."

"Have you ordered them from Hunter's Point?"

"No."

Betsy's brow furrowed. "If you're planning on having Detective Gordon testify, you'll have to produce her reports."

"I know that."

"Is there a reason you haven't ordered them?"

Page colored. "They've been misplaced."

"Excuse me?"

"The Hunter's Point police are looking for them. The reports were supposed to be in a storage area, but they aren't. We think Detective Gordon may know where they are, because she gave me some items-including Peter lake's fingerprint card-we assume came from the file."

Betsy decided to switch to another topic.

"On direct examination, you repeatedly said, "The task force members believed Have you talked to these task force members?"

"No, other than Detective Gordon."

"Do you even know where they are?"

"I just learned that Frank Grimsbo is the head of security at Marlin Steel."

"Where is his office located?"

"Albany, New York."

Betsy made a note.

"You haven't talked to Grimsbo?"

"No."

"What are the names of the other detectives?"

"Besides Gordon and Grimsl)o, there was a criminalist named Glen Michaels and another detective named Wayne Turner."

Betsy wrote down the names. When she looked up Page was stone-faced.

"Mr. Page, isn't it true that you have no support for the story your mysterious visitor told you?"

"Other than what the detective said, no."

"What detective?"

"Nancy Gordon."

"This was the first time you saw this woman, correct?"

Page nodded.

"Have you ever seen a photograph of Nancy Gordon?"

"No."

"So you can't say that the person who introduced herself as Detective Nancy Gordon is really Nancy Gordon, can you?"

"A Nancy Gordon works for the Hunter's Point Police Department."

"I don't doubt that. But we don't know that she is the person who visited you, do we?"

"No."

"There's also no proof that this woman is dead or even a victim of foul play, is there?"

"She's missing."

"Was there blood found in her room?"

"No."

"Or signs of a struggle?"

"No," Page answered grudgingly.

"Were there any witnesses to the murders of Melody and Sandra Lake?"

"Your client may have witnessed the killings," Page answered defiantly.

"You have nothing but theories propounded by your mystery woman to support that position."

"That's true."

"Isn't it also true that the chief of police and the mayor of Hunter's Point officially declared Henry Waters to be the murderer of all the women?"

"Yes."

"That would include Sandra and Melody Lake?"

"Yes."

"Which would make Mr. lake-Mr. Darius-a victim, wouldn't it?"