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“It’s so good,” I promise, setting my computer down, as well as my phone, before making coffee. “I save calories for Sundays just to pig out on brunch.” I rejoin him, claiming the high-backed barstool directly across from him. “Anything from Walker Security?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you still putting Kelli on the stand tomorrow as a follow-up to the boyfriend?”
“As much as I want that back-to-back presentation of additional suspects, I’m going to hold off. I told Blake he could have time to get me evidence. I actually told him he could only have two days, but I’m rethinking the timeline.”
“What are the factors you’re considering?”
“Now that I’ve convinced the Walker team to come on board, we might actually find a bombshell I can use. I’m going to save her for the last bombshell testimony, but I dislike placing distance between her testimony and the boyfriend’s.”
“I know you said that you wanted to wrap this up this week. Is that still going to happen? And why were you winding it down that quickly?”
“My initial decision was made when it became obvious that the prosecution was going to rest their case quickly.”
“Which told you what?” I ask.
“That they were hiding from a weak case and didn’t want to risk me tearing it down. That’s when I decided that short and efficient is the way to go with my presentation. I can’t give Dan a chance to make the prosecution look good.”
“If I were the prosecutor and the judge told the defense they had to get a confession to avoid a dismissal in a case I was prosecuting, that would add fire to that strategy. I’d try to speed things up and keep that ruling in the jury’s minds. And I’d do that simply because at least some of those jurors will take that as the judge’s assumption of guilt.”
“Good point,” he says. “And if I’m right about my assessment, Dan the man already needs me to be speedy to avoid highlighting his weak-ass case. The man didn’t even call the investigative officers. He knows they have no evidence to present. I don’t think he’s going to hold things up.”
“But maybe you need to slow things down, Reese. Dilute the judge’s ruling.”
“If I dilute that ruling, I dilute how pathetic the prosecutor’s case is.”
“Not if you grind the right points to death. Even consider recalling some of their witnesses to refresh the jury’s minds.”
“Maybe. I need to think about this.”
My phone rings, and I grab it. “The security desk,” I tell Reese before I answer. “Yes. Please. Send them up.” I end the call and refocus on Reese, going right back to our conversation. “I’m surprised they didn’t drag everyone who knows Nelson Ward to the stand and try to paint some nasty character profile.”
“Nelson is beloved by everyone,” Reese says. “That’s one of the reasons I was willing to take this case. That and the fact that the baby wasn’t his and there is no DNA evidence. And I believe he’s innocent.”
“Even after last night?”
“Yes. His wife was behind that, and he needed her back here to testify.”
“He should have called you,” I say. “And taken your calls.”
“Agreed. And I threatened to scale back my defense to the basic requirements, and definitely not aggressive. But I still believe in him.”
“Okay, then back to buying time. You could call on the list of character witnesses.”
“Each of which could suddenly present me with a problem,” he counters. “I keep every trial simple for a reason. I don’t create new problems while trying to solve another. Hell, I could spend weeks and maybe even months building his character, but I go back to the two key points: Every witness is a potential backfire, and I dilute the weakness of the prosecutors’ presentation.”
“What about putting Nelson on the stand?”
“You said it yourself. No one likes a rich, successful, good-looking man who has everything they don’t have. I think it’s risky.”
“But you say he’s loved by all.”
“It’s too risky.”
“Okay,” I concede. “It’s risky. Are you still calling the investigative officers tomorrow?” I ask, remembering his list from our work session yesterday.
“Yes. That plan hasn’t changed. Dan isn’t going to avoid that hit. And they will be.”
