Mark Gimenez - Accused

"Yes."

"Yes, you drove from Austin to Galveston that day?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To see Trey."

"And did you see Trey?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"At his beach house."

"What time did you arrive?"

"About one."

"Were you and Trey alone?"

"Yes."

"Where was Rebecca Fenney?"

"Shopping in Houston. Trey gave her some money to get rid of her."

"Did you and Trey have sex that day?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"In his bed."

"After you had-"

"And in the shower."

"After that did-"

"And in his closet where there's a big mirror."

Scott waited a few seconds. "Anyplace else?"

"No, that was all."

"Okay, after those sexual encounters, what happened?"

"My dad caught us."

"Your father-Pete Puckett-caught you and Trey having sex?"

"Well, right after. We were coming out of the closet."

"Your father was already in the house?"

"Unh-huh."

"What did he do?"

"Cussed. Grabbed Trey, threw him against the wall. I thought he was gonna-"

"Kill him?"

"But I stopped him."

"Was your father angry?"

"Yes."

"Then what happened?"

"My dad told me to get dressed, then he took me away."

"You left Trey's house with your father?"

"Yes."

"In your black Mustang?"

"Yes."

"What time was that?"

"Maybe, five, five-thirty."

"And where did you and your father go?"

"To a hotel on the beach."

"You and your father stayed overnight in Galveston?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you drive back to Austin?"

"My dad said we'd drive back in the morning,"

"And did you?"

"Unh-huh. We got up early and left."

"Thursday night, did you and your father stay in the same hotel room?"

"He got a suite."

"Did you go out that night?"

"No. We ordered room service."

"Did your father leave the room that night?"

She didn't answer.

"Billie Jean, please answer."

"I went to bed, but I heard him leave."

"What time?"

"After midnight."

"Did you hear him return?"

"No."

Scott passed the witness. The D.A. stood.

"Miss Puckett, you knew Trey Rawlins was living with Rebecca Fenney?"

"Yes."

"So you didn't have much future with Trey, did you?"

"He said he was going to leave her for me."

"Really? And did he tell Rebecca?"

"He was going to tell her that night."

"The night he was killed?"

"Yes."

"Maybe he did. Thank you, Miss Puckett."

Scott stood again. "Miss Puckett, were you aware that Trey had had numerous affairs with other women on the golf tour?"

"I knew he had other girlfriends before me."

"Do you think he might've told those women he loved them, too?"

"No. He only loved me."

"I'm sure. Did you know that Trey asked Rebecca to marry him the night he was killed?"

"No, he didn't! He was going to leave her! He was going to marry me!"

"I'm sure he was."

Scott gave the jury a look that said, What a sad young woman.

"What's a five-letter word for a 'gay World War Two bomber'?" Louis said.

"They had gays in the Army back then?" Carlos said.

"Enola," Bobby said.

"Funny name for a guy."

"They mean the plane, not the pilot. Enola Gay was the name of the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima."

"How do you spell that?" Louis said.

The girls had gone inside to clean up, and they were at the table on the back deck after dinner-Scott, Bobby, Karen, Louis, and Carlos. But not Rebecca. Scott had tried to talk to her about her purchase of cocaine from Benito, but she was too upset after Billie Jean's testimony. She was now pacing the beach alone, as if she had only a few more such evenings left in her life.

Scott had stopped by Benito's office on the way home, but his thugs said he had already left for the day. Scott had then called Benito's number shown on the phone logs, but he did not answer. Benito had sold cocaine to Rebecca, and she had not paid him in jewelry. There was only one possible source of cash: the mob money.

"What's a four-letter word for angry?" Louis said.

"Pete," Bobby said.

Pete Puckett was pissed.

At nine on the fourth day of trial, he took the oath, sat in the witness chair, and glared at Scott. He didn't care about the cameras or the jury or the judge. He cared only about Scott. Pete looked as if he wanted to kill him-as if he could kill him.

"Mr. Puckett, let's go back to Thursday, June fourth. That morning you played the first round of the Atlantic Open golf tournament in Orlando, Florida, correct?"

"Yes."

His answer came through clenched teeth.

"You were accompanied by your caddie, Goose?"

"Yes."

"Was your daughter, Billie Jean, there with you?"

"No."

"Where was she?"

"In Austin."

"You teed off at eight A.M. that Thursday?"

"Yes."

"And finished about noon?"

"Yes."

"But you signed an incorrect scorecard and were disqualified?"

"Yes."

"Then you flew home to Austin?"

"You know I didn't."

"You flew to Houston?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To kill Trey Rawlins."

The courtroom erupted with excitement. The judge gaveled the audience into silence. Spectators, lawyers, jurors, the judge, and the bailiff leaned forward as one: Pete Puckett was about to confess to killing Trey Rawlins.

"You killed Trey Rawlins?"

"No."

"But you just said-"

"I said I went there to kill him. I didn't say I did."

The courtroom deflated.

"Okay, let's back up. You flew to Houston, then took a cab to Trey's house in Galveston?"

"Yes."

"With the intent to kill Trey Rawlins?"

"Yes."

"Why that day?"

"My girl was there with him, at his house."

"How'd you know?"

"I put a GPS tracker on her car."

"You tracked your own daughter?"

"Wait'll your girls take up with a bad guy, you'll do it, too."

"And you knew Billie Jean had taken up with Trey?"

"Yes."

"In fact, you had confronted Trey a week earlier in the locker room at the Challenge tournament and threatened to kill him if he didn't stay away from her."

"You know I did. Brett McBride's sitting outside, he was there."

"But Trey didn't stay away from Billie Jean, did he?"

"No."

"So you decided to kill him?"

"Yes."

"You went to his house that day and found him with Billie Jean?"

Pete's stern exterior began to crack.

"Yes."

"How did you enter the house?"

"Up the back stairs to the deck. The doors to the bedroom were open."

"You caught him having sex with your daughter?"

Pete fought the tears.

"They were in the closet."

"What'd you do?"

"I went into the kitchen."

"To find a knife?"

"Yes."

"Did you lean onto the island counter?"

"I don't know."

"Your handprints were found there."

"Then I did."

"Did you get a knife?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Couldn't do it."

"So what did you do?"

"Went back into the bedroom, they were coming out of the closet. I grabbed Trey and threw him against the wall."

"What did Trey say?"

"Not much-I hit him in the mouth."

"You would've killed him if Billie Jean hadn't intervened and stopped you?"

"Maybe."

"But you wanted to kill Trey Rawlins?"

The tears broke loose now.

"Yes, goddamnit!"

"Just because he had sex with your seventeen-year-old daughter?"

"No!"

"Then why?"

"Because he gave her cocaine!"

Scott hadn't expected that. It threw him for a moment. And the jury. The judge. The D.A. Everyone in the courtroom.

"Uh… Mr. Puckett… Trey gave Billie Jean cocaine?"

Pete wiped his face on his sleeve. Several jurors were now crying. Pete Puckett was no longer a hard-ass; he was a broken-hearted father.