Page 133 of Fifty-Fifty

‘I’ll ask again, who would benefit from forging this journal?’

‘Well, clearly Alexandra Avellino. She has to be a strong candidate for authorship of this journal. The journal implicates her sister, and I believe the journal may well be false, and it’s possible she paid Mr. Cohen that money so he would bring the journal to the police.’

All twelve heads on the jury swiveled an accusatory look at Alexandra Avellino. I sat down. And left them staring at the woman who had killed her own father.

FORTY-EIGHT

KATE

Kate could not sit silently in front of her client and not try to limit the damage from Sagrada’s testimony. Bloch had told her about the million dollars, but they had not mentioned it to Alexandra. It looked like she was bribing Hal Cohen, and it’s possible Cohen was murdered because either he asked for more money,

or he was going to spill his guts to the NYPD. Either way, Alexandra had potential motive to kill him.

It was Alexandra’s defense that was dying now. Kate doubted she could do anything to staunch that wound, but it would look suspicious to Alexandra if she didn’t try. She had to do something – Alexandra was muttering ‘no, no, no,’

under her breath. The tremors were back in her arms and legs. She took a pill from her purse and swallowed it dry. It didn’t seem to do any good. Kate had to at least put on a show.

‘Doctor Sagrada, you may not have heard all of the testimony from the previous witnesses, and I just want to remind you that Detective Tyler confirmed that after a forensic examination of the victim’s home, and my client’s apartment – no traces of Haloperidol were found. None. Do you accept that?’

‘I do.’

‘And is it fair to say that you now don’t know, with any certainty, who really wrote that journal?’

‘I think that’s fair. Part of the journal could’ve been written by the victim, or all of it, or none of it.’

Kate had gotten all she could. She sat down. No re-direct from Dreyer. The prosecution closed their case. Flynn stood and told the court the defense calls no witnesses.

Last thing a defendant wants to do is put themselves through the ordeal of cross-examination. Not if they’re smart enough to avoid it. If the defendants didn’t testify, it meant they didn’t get to tell the jury that they didn’t do it, but at the same time they didn’t have that assertion torn to pieces by the prosecutor either.

‘I want to testify,’ said Alexandra.

Kate had moved her seat away from Alexandra, by a few more inches, at the start of the day. She felt the need for distance. Alexandra was a multiple killer. A psycho who had manipulated, killed her father and framed her sister for it. And had taken many more lives to ensure she was never convicted. Kate wanted the trial over – fast. More than that, she wanted her client to be convicted and locked away for a very long time.

‘I don’t think it’s wise. You could face more charges for attempting to bribe a witness. What was that about? You never told us about Cohen.’

Alexandra began to cry. Kate thought she might be able to turn on the waterworks and hysterics like a switch.

‘I wanted him to tell the truth. He said he would go to Sofia for money, and whoever paid him he would be on their side – either saying the journal is real, or a fake. I-I-I’m so, so, sorry. He told me not to tell my lawyer.’

‘It’s up to the prosecution to prove their case. If Dreyer destroys you in cross-examination, you’ve just done his work for him. And if you tell that to the court, you’ll definitely face more charges. Let’s leave it to the jury.’

‘Are you sure?’ asked Alexandra.

‘I’m sure. I think you testifying has more downsides than you can imagine. It won’t be pretty. And it will give Dreyer an advantage – you’ll be the only defendant he gets to accuse in person, and the only one he gets to tear apart.’

Kate watched her client’s wheels turning. Calculations running alongside fear.

Five seconds. Ten. Biting her wet lip, Alexandra looked toward the jury. A couple of jurors stared right back. Kate tried hard to discern those looks. Were they looking at someone they thought was innocent – or were they waiting for their chance to punish a killer? Kate’s best guess was they were looking at Alexandra the way a ten-year-old kid looks at a tiger in their enclosure: an element of fascination, but the knowledge boiling behind it that this thing could kill.

‘Alright, if you think it’s for the best then I’ll take your advice. I trust you. I won’t testify.’

Kate confirmed to the court she would be calling no witnesses.

‘Well that just leaves closing arguments. Mr. Dreyer …’

The prosecutor stood and approached the jury. He took his time. Confident of the win. Kate knew he could smell the blood in the room and he wanted to strike now.

‘We’ve all learned something during the course of this trial,’ began Dreyer.