“State of North Carolina versus David Mercer. Counsel ready?”
Reid stood first.
“Ready for the State, Your Honor.”
Eleanor rose.
“Ready for the defense.”
Judge Harlan nodded once.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” he said, glancing toward the box, “this morning you will hear opening statements. These statements are not evidence. They are simply each side’s explanation of what they believe the evidence will show.”
He turned slightly.
“Mr. Calloway.”
Reid stepped forward.
For a moment, he rested his hands lightly on the rail in front of the jury. When he spoke, his voice was steady and controlled.
“Eight years ago, a young mother named Caroline Simms disappeared.”
He let the words settle.
“She didn’t run away. She didn’t abandon her child. She didn’t start a new life somewhere else.
“The evidence will show she was killed.
“And it will show the man responsible is sitting right there.”
He turned briefly toward the defense table.
“David Mercer.”
Eleanor didn’t move.
But her grip tightened slightly on the edge of the table.
Reid faced the jury again.
“You’re going to hear several kinds of evidence in this case.
“First—motive.
“You’ll hear how Caroline planned to move to Knoxville with her little boy, and how Mr. Mercer told her, more than once, that he would never allow that to happen.
“Second—threats.
“You’ll hear from a former girlfriend. She will tell you that during an argument, Mr. Mercer said, ‘You keep pushing me, I’ll do to you what I did to her.’
“When she asked what he meant, he answered, ‘I buried her.’”
The courtroom went very still.
“Third—messages.
“You’ll see texts between Mr. Mercer and Caroline—messages full of anger and control as their relationship fell apart.
