Page 134 of Two Kinds of Stranger

Silence.

Dr. Death looked at Bernice, and I could see his desire to push back. This was the last time he would appear in a courtroom, and he was desperate not to let this one be a loser.

‘I find it hard to imagine that someone could dig up a body in a cemetery without anyone noticing,’ said the doctor.

‘I agree,’ I said, and watched Doc Sharpling’s eyes widen.

‘On the seventh of November last year, a nightwatchman in the cemetery was brutally murdered. Some empty beer cans were found scattered around his body and the NYPD took fingerprints and DNA from those cans. They arrested the three minors who were known to police through their DNA and fingerprints, but all three had solid alibis and did not face charges. It is more likely that the individual who murdered the nightwatchman attempted to frame some innocent kids for this murder, just as he was attempting to frame my client for murder. Do you have any opinion on that, Dr. Sharpling?’

He said nothing. The last time he’d shot out a defense answer, it had come back to bite him. He was taking his time.

‘I’m just here to offer my opinion on the cause of death.’

‘Dr. Sharpling, the casket is plate steel. The bug you found in the casket was not present in this part of the country for many years after Mr. Yorke’s death. The only possible way that bug got into the casket is if someone dug it up and opened it. Isn’t that right?’

Dr. Death sighed, bit his lip, then nodded and said, ‘Yes.’

‘You already testified that tetrahydrozoline could be present in the body of Stewart Yorke if someone simply injected his liver with this substance, correct?’

‘Correct.’

‘Is it possible, Dr. Sharpling, that if you hadn’t found tetrahydrozoline in Stewart Yorke’s liver, that his death was accurately recorded the first time around as a natural cause of cardiac arrest?’

Dr. Death’s skin grew paler as he said, ‘Yes, that’s possible and, now I am satisfied that the body could have been interfered with by a person unknown, I don’t believe I can continue to stand by my initial findings.’

The crowd in the gallery grew noisy. They could tell the DA’s case was falling apart spectacularly.

‘One final question: what date do you estimate to be the date of death for James Parker and Harriet Rothschild?’

‘That’s in my report. November second.’

‘Your Honor,’ I said, ‘I would like to call Detective Sacks to the stand.’

Bill Sacks’s Crocs squeaked across the floor of the courtroom as he made his way to the witness stand, the lanyards round his neck jangling softly. The clerk reminded him he was still under oath.

He smiled at me. I looked at Elly.

She sat up straighter today, staring right at Sacks. She wore a little make-up, and had had her hair styled in a salon round the corner before she came to court, while I was at the Starbucks headquarters with a subpoena. Being around my friends and family last night had helped Elly, I thought. She didn’t feel alone. She felt the weight of the whole team behind her. I’d told her about my phone call with the head of human resources in Starbucks while she was at my place, and for the first time since I’d met her I saw hope in her eyes.

And something else.

Anger.

‘Your Honor, at this time I would like to introduce evidence which came into the possession of the defense this morning. A security footage recording from a Starbucks from November second last year. . .’

As I spoke, I watched Detective Sacks’s expression change.

The smile faded. The color drained from his rosy cheeks and his hands gripped the chair handles. His knuckles were pale with the effort.

‘Objection, Your Honor,’ said Bernice. ‘Security footage is routinely only kept for around sixty days by Starbucks. I’ve had direct experience of this. The defense has been holding on to this footage for some time and now wants to ambush the prosecution. I haven’t seen whatever is on this video, but the defense has an obligation to comply with discovery. I object to its introduction.’

The judge looked at me.

‘Your Honor, this footage was retained by Starbucks human resources because it formed part of an internal investigation. This store is located in the same block as the defendant’s apartment, right outside the front door of her apartment building. It seems there were ongoing cash discrepancies with the register. As a result, management retained all security footage and even stopped taking cash payments for a while in order to find the member of staff suspected of stealing from the register. I obtained this footage this morning, having contacted the human resources department last night. If need be, I can have a Starbucks head of HR testify to—’

‘What is on this footage exactly?’ asked the judge.

‘It shows how James Parker and Harriet Rothschild were poisoned, Your Honor.’