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“And no one from your team would know whether any footprints were there at the time of your search?”
“Also correct.”
“Turning to the laptop found in Ms. Legare’s home, did you evaluate it for evidence that it was hacked and the spreadsheet planted on it?”
“No, we had no reason to.”
“Ms. Legare’s home was burglarized after her arrest, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Did you consider the possibility that the burglary was related to the crimes Ms. Legare is accused of?”
“Yes, though it’s not uncommon for burglars to target empty homes.”
“Is it possible that the tipster and the burglar are the same person?”
“Possible? Certainly, but I’m not aware of any evidence indicating that.”
“Well, the tipster had pretty specific knowledge of what you would find in Ms. Legare’s home and financial records, right?”
“Yes.”
“The type of knowledge that could only come from having access to her home and records?”
The detective thought for a few seconds. “I’m not sure that’s the only possibility.”
“But it’s the most natural one, correct?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I suppose so.”
“And someone with that kind of access could plant evidence, right?”
“Possibly.”
“Are you aware that before coming to TGU, Ms. Legare was a managing director at a Wall Street investment bank, where her average annual income was roughly one million dollars?”
“I knew she had been on Wall Street. I wasn’t aware of the specifics.”
“Were you aware that her salary at TGU is less than one-tenth of what she made on Wall Street?”
“No, I wasn’t aware of her current salary either.”
“Okay, let’s assume those numbers are accurate. Why would someone like that bother embezzling from TGU? If she wanted more money, wouldn’t she just go back to Wall Street?”
“I can’t testify about her motives, just what the evidence shows she did. Criminals often do things that aren’t very rational.”
“That’s true,” Hez conceded. “But would you agree that, unlike the criminals you mentioned, Ms. Legare is a very rational individual?”
“I don’t know her personally.”
Hez took a quick look at his notes. He’d gotten everything he could reasonably expect. Hope would have a hard time later arguing that investigators made the footprints in the woods or that the prints weren’t there when they executed the warrant. And Hez was pretty sure he had raised a few questions in her mind without antagonizing Detective Richards in the process. “Pass the witness.”
Hope half rose. “No further questions, Your Honor.”
Judge Hopkins cleared his throat. “All right. Any additional witnesses, Ms. Norcross?”
“No, Your Honor.”
