Brian Freeman - Immoral

"The enlargement shows a table in the hallway in the Stoner house, directly beside the front door, is that correct?"

"That's correct."

Gale reached inside his suit coat pocket. He extracted a gold Arrow pen and pointed to an object on the table. "Can you tell us what this is, Lieutenant?"

Stride recognized it. "It's a crystal ashtray."

He knew where Gale was going.

"And what's inside the ashtray, Lieutenant?"

"It's a set of keys."

"In fact, they are Mr. Stoner's car and house keys, isn't that right?"

"I believe so."

"The keys to the van. In an ashtray on a table right next to the front door."

"Yes," Stride said.

"So anyone who came to the door could have simply reached in and taken them. And taken the van. And taken Rachel."

Stride shook his head. "No, that's not a reasonable conclusion from the evidence. According to your scenario, the killer would have to be someone who knew Rachel was home, walked to the house, wore gloves, knew the keys would be there, and wore the same size and brand of shoes as Graeme Stoner. This sounds like part of your magic act, Mr. Gale."

"None of that, Lieutenant," Judge Kassel snapped.

Stride nodded and apologized. Still, he had temporarily derailed Gale's theories. He just hoped the jury wasn't getting confused in the web of outlandish possibilities the lawyer kept throwing in front of them.

Gale offered Judge Kassel a warm smile. Then, carefully patting his gray hair down on the top of his head, he turned back to Stride. "All right, Lieutenant, let's talk about this so-called affair Mr. Stoner was having with his stepdaughter. You don't have any physical evidence to support this wild notion, do you? No semen anywhere? No vaginal fluids?"

"I'm sure they did their laundry," Stride said.

"No witnesses?"

"It's not the kind of thing they were likely to do in public," Stride said with a slight smile.

Gale didn't smile back. "I'll take your answer for a no, Lieutenant. You also spend a lot of time worrying about Mr. Stoner's fantasy life. He indulges in some rather tasteless pornography." Gale sighed. "In other words, he's a man. But none of the material you found was illegal, was it?"

"No," Stride said.

"You can get those magazines on the main street in Duluth, can't you?"

"I believe so."

Gale grabbed the phone records that Dan had introduced as evidence and flapped them in the air. "And as for these phone sex calls-well, no offense, Lieutenant, but if a man were really having sex with teenagers, would he need to pay five dollars a minute to simulate it on the phone?"

"It shows his taste for sex with minors," Stride said.

"These numbers Mr. Stoner called from time to time, do you know how many other men in Duluth have called the same numbers in the last six months?" Gale asked.

"No."

"I do. It's nearly two hundred. Including a few men who I believe are on the police force, Lieutenant. Did you investigate all of them as suspects?"

"No, we didn't."

Gale nodded. "Of course not. Because you and I know that these calls are fantasies and have nothing to do with the reality of how a person behaves. Right?"

"That depends on the context. And the person."

"And yet you don't know the contexts of these people, do you?" Gale asked.

"No."

"No, you don't. In fact, when you get right down to it, the only physical evidence you have that suggests any kind of sexual relationship between Rachel Deese and my client is this amazing photograph you found on a computer in his home. Correct?"

"The photograph is extremely suggestive," Stride said.

"In more ways than one," Gale retorted. "But you don't have any evidence that Mr. Stoner ever saw this photograph, do you?"

"It was on his computer."

"Yes indeed, but Rachel herself had access to that computer, didn't she? She could have put the photograph on Mr. Stoner's hard drive at any time, couldn't she?"

"Again, we have no evidence to suggest she did that."

Gale waved his big hand dismissively. "But you don't have any evidence that she didn't, isn't that right? Who knows what possesses teenage girls? She could have been playing a joke. She could have been trying to embarrass him. She could have been trying to cause a fight between her mother and her stepfather. You don't really know, do you?"

"No," Stride said.

"Tell me, Lieutenant, when was that photo loaded on Mr. Stoner's computer?"

"The file statistics indicate it was loaded two days before Rachel disappeared."

"And when was the photograph last accessed on that computer?" Gale demanded.

"That same time."

Gale reared back in disbelief. He stared at Stride, stunned. He knew perfectly well what date was on the file, since he had seen all the evidence in discovery. But for the jury, it was as if Gale learned this shocking news for the first time.

He retrieved the enlarged photo and displayed it for the jury again, letting it linger there so every one of them could drink in Rachel's erotic power. "The same time? You say this man was obsessed with his stepdaughter, Lieutenant. In the midst of a torrid illicit affair. And he loads this incredible photograph on his computer-and then never looks at it?"

Gale flapped his hand in front of his face as if he were trying to cool down.

"My God, Lieutenant, if this photo were on my computer, I don't think I'd get any work done."

Dan Erickson jumped to his feet. "Objection."

Gale raised his hands in surrender. "Withdrawn, withdrawn."

Then he smiled wickedly at Stride.

"Now, Lieutenant, let's be realistic. This breathtaking photo is loaded on Mr. Stoner's computer, and for weeks afterward, he never even bothers to open it up. Maybe he put it there. Maybe he had incredible willpower. But isn't the most logical explanation that he didn't know the photo was on his computer at all?"

Dan called Emily Stoner as the first witness on the second day of the trial.

Her dark hair was neatly styled in a short bob. Her skin, under heavy makeup, looked smooth and pink. She wore a pale shade of lipstick, a pearl necklace, and matching earrings. Her navy blue dress, with white trim on the collar, was obviously new and hugged her body. Watching her, Stride saw a glimmer of what Emily had been like a few years earlier. The only telltale sign of Emily's age today, like yesterday, was in her eyes, which couldn't hide her exhaustion and despair.

Emily squeezed into the aisle. Her heels tapped on the marble floor as she approached the witness stand and was sworn in. She didn't look at Graeme, and Stride noticed that Graeme ignored her. Gale noticed, too, and Stride saw him discreetly jab his client with an elbow. Graeme had lost his wife over these false charges, and he had to display grief.

Emily settled into the chair. She took a quick glance at the jury, then looked away nervously. Her hands were folded in her lap. She was an attractive, sympathetic figure, but to Stride's eyes, she looked unstable. The events of the past few months had deepened the cracks in her soul. Stride began to wonder if the only reason she hadn't made another suicide attempt was to have this chance to testify against Graeme and see him put away. He hoped she got the chance.

"Mrs. Stoner, I know this is difficult for you," Dan began.

Emily swelled her chest with a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes. She straightened her back, steeling herself to tell her story. Her face was intense and determined. "I'm all right," she said.

"How did you meet Graeme Stoner?" Dan asked.

"I was a teller at the Range Bank. He joined the bank as an executive from New York. He was single, attractive, and wealthy, and all the women in the office were crazy about him. Me included."

"Did he show any interest in you?"