Sidetracked-Kobo (13 page)

Laura had to work to keep a smirk off her face. How long she’d waited to see Detective Standish squirm. Now maybe he knew how it felt to be pounded with questions. The only difference was—he was
guilty
of the things he was being accused of—ignoring the truth, homing in on her alone.
She
hadn’t been.

But her attorney wasn’t done. Next he wanted to know about the bathrooms and kitchen sink in the house. Had the police checked the drains for blood?

The detective admitted they hadn’t.

“Wouldn’t that be a standard part of a murder investigation?”

Later, when the detective slipped and mentioned the blood on Laura’s hands, Devlon pounced on it. Did he mean to say the police had focused on her immediately as a suspect? So much so that they hadn’t conducted the investigation of the crime scene as thoroughly as they should have?

The detective tried to explain his actions, but with every statement Devlon managed to corner him more.

“So what you’re telling me is,
if
the perpetrator of this heinous crime washed the blood off his hands before leaving the premises, you
wouldn’t know it
. Because you never checked for it.”

“We did not check.”

“If you had checked and found blood in a drain, wouldn’t that have alerted you to the presence of someone else in the house other than Miss Denton? Since she clearly had not washed her hands when you arrived on the scene?”

The detective went around and around the question. On the fifth try, Devlon finally got him to admit that would have been something they’d have “looked at.”

When five o’clock came and court had to stop for the day, Laura was surprised to find herself disappointed. She could have watched Devlon’s show all night. That evening she went over and over Standish’s cross examination in her mind. Was the judge seeing the truth? All the things that should have been done in the investigation—that weren’t?

The next morning Devlon talked to Laura before court began. He looked rested and ready to fight, wearing a dark blue suit and red tie. Cantor looked dull in comparison, wearing his standard gray. “I need to warn you I’ll be bringing out some information you haven’t heard yet,” Devlon said.

Laura didn’t like the word
warn
. “Like what?”

“About a man at your mom’s work. Apparently he had a crush on her.”

Laura’s eyes widened. “Somebody you think could have killed her?”

“I don’t know. Thing is, the cops never looked at him.”

The judge entered, calling court to order. Laura’s heart tumbled around. Some man who liked her mom? Had he tried to make moves on her, and she said no? That could make someone mad enough to kill—if he was a sick person. Maybe, just maybe, this was the answer to her burning question.

As Standish sat down to testify, Laura tried to gather her whirling thoughts. The news about this man at her mother’s work was exciting. But why hadn’t she heard about him before, including from her own attorney? Wasn’t this
her
trial? It was like the adults pulled all the strings, and she was just some puppet. The puppet who’d pay for their mistakes.

Devlon started in on Standish. “You testified about interviewing some of Mrs. Denton’s coworkers at the hospital. Ever hear the name Roger Weiner? One of the male nurses at the hospital?

“Yes.”

“Did you interview him?”

“No.”

“I see. You testified you did interview Myra Bastion, Mrs. Denton’s best friend at work?”

“Yes.”

“And she told you about Mr. Weiner’s obsession with Mrs. Denton?”

Another objection from Cantor. Laura wished he’d just shut up. In time the judge let Devlon continue. He repeated the question.

“She mentioned it.”

“Why didn’t you follow up on that?”

The detective tried to skate around an answer. Devlon finally got him to admit by then the evidence was “so against” Laura, they stopped interviewing people at her mom’s work. Another example of their tunnel vision.

Devlon had to stop there with Standish. He’d told Laura he would bring out more of the information on Mr. Weiner during the defense questioning. There was only so much he was allowed to do during cross exam. The detective left the stand and courtroom without one glance at Laura. Well, good for him. The man who knew everything. He might not hold his head so high when she was acquitted.

The worst thing about Devlon finishing with Standish was that the prosecution took over again. Cantor started calling some of Laura’s friends—
her own friends
—to the stand. One was Natalie Dross. Laura used to gossip with Natalie every day. They’d go to movies or the mall together, talk on the phone. Laura would have trusted her with anything. Now Natalie wouldn’t even look at her.

Cantor asked Natalie to recount what Laura had said about her mother the last time they’d fought. Devlon objected that it was hearsay, and he and the prosecutor argued back and forth until the judge called them both up to the bench again, where they argued some more. In the end the judge let the evidence in.

The prosecutor looked so pleased with himself. “So what did Laura say to you about her mother?”

Natalie looked straight at Cantor. Laura had the feeling they’d practiced this. “She said, ‘If you think my mom’s so great, you can have her.’”

Laura couldn’t even remember saying those words. But even if she had—so what? She wouldn’t have meant it. How could that possibly mean she’d killed her mom?

As if Natalie wasn’t bad enough, Cantor called in a second friend—Derra Tobert. And Derra testified Laura said the exact same thing to her. Laura couldn’t believe it. She sat at the defense table, shoulders hunched, trying to keep it together. These girls got to live in the outside world. Got to go to school, and talk on the phone, and go to the mall. Who were they to say anything against her? Didn’t they know they were helping the prosecution? Or did they think she was guilty, too? Just like her dad.

For the first time Laura began to fear getting out of juvey. What would her life be like? Her dad with some other woman. Both of them believing she was guilty. Friends who also thought she was guilty. Everywhere she went people would look at her and talk about her. How could she go back to school? Find her mom’s real killer on her own? How could she ever resume a normal life?

Fact is, her life
wouldn’t
be normal. Ever again.

On the fourth day of Laura’s trial the prosecution rested. Finally her own attorney could question people—who’d tell
her
side of the story. And she’d get to testify herself.

This is it, God. Please help!

Laura took her seat behind the defense table, more confident than she’d felt since the trial began. The reporters were still there. Now they’d hear the truth. And they’d
better
write it in their stupid articles.

Devlon gathered his notes and rose. He was looking good today in a dark pinstriped suit. His tie was a swirl of mauve and blue. Definitely cool.

Her attorney began by calling one of her mom’s coworkers to the stand—Paula Dewey. Laura had never heard of her. Paula was a large, no-nonsense-looking woman. Older, with gray hair and green-framed glasses. She sat in the stand comfortably, like she had nothing to hide.

Turned out Paula supervised the nurses, including Roger Weiner, the male nurse who was “obsessed” with her mom, as she put it. Laura sat up straighter. Ever since she first heard the name Roger Weiner it had run through her head. Someone who could be guilty. Who’d actually killed
her mother. Those kinds of things—jealous would-be lovers—happened in the movies, didn’t they? And sometimes in real life.

Cantor wasted no time in interrupting. He objected to the word
obsessed
. The witness was stating an opinion. The judge sustained. Laura hated it every time Judge Myers agreed with Cantor. Made her wonder if the judge favored the prosecution. Devlon had reminded her the judge had agreed with him on some important issues. Laura didn’t care. He could agree with Devlon one hundred times, she’d retorted, but the one time he sided with Cantor would be the one she’d remember.

Devlon tried another approach with Paula Dewey. “Did Roger Weiner work on the same shift and floor as Sally Denton?”

“Yes, at first.”

“But then you moved him to a different floor?”

“Yes.”

“Did he ask you to put him back on the same floor as Mrs. Denton?”

“Yes. Numerous times.”

“Did you comply with that request?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’d moved him in the first place because I’d heard complaints from Sally of his behavior toward her.”

Little by little Devlon extracted what that behavior was about. Asking Laura’s mom to meet him after work. Making comments about her looks. Getting too close to her as he reached for something. Laura felt her blood go hot. How dare some sicko treat her mother that way.

According to Paula, other employees had noticed Weiner’s behavior too. It had gone on for about a month before she moved him to another floor. He was a good nurse, but he’d been warned—no interaction with Sally Denton at work. So he technically “obeyed” by talking to her in the parking lot before and after their shifts. He’d try to park close to her, make sure he was walking to his car at the same time she was.

“Did Mrs. Denton make a final complaint about Mr. Weiner the day she was killed?” Devlon asked.

“Yes. The previous day he had accosted her in the parking lot at the end of their shift—‘accosted’ was the word she used—and forced her up against her car with his body. He told her she was ‘going to be his’ soon.”

“What did you do with Mrs. Denton’s complaint?”

“I began the procedure for firing Roger based on sexual harassment. Sally’s previous complaints had already been filed and were on record. It would not take long until Roger was gone.”

Laura’s fingers curled. Why hadn’t Detective Standish ever mentioned this man?
Why
wasn’t her dad upset about Roger Weiner’s actions?

Apparently Weiner heard what Paula had done. He argued with her about it, claimed Laura’s mom was lying. He was so mad he quit on the spot and left the hospital. That was around one o’clock. Laura’s mom got off at two.

By the time Laura got home from school around three-thirty, her mom was dead.

As Paula Dewey left the stand, Laura could barely breathe. If she saw Roger Weiner right now she’d leap at the man. Tear at his throat. He’d done this murder, hadn’t he. Stomped out of work, mad enough to kill, and waited somewhere on their street until Laura’s mom got home.

“But Detective Standish told you they didn’t even interview this guy!” Laura hissed to Devlon during a break. “Why’d they let him go?”

“You heard what Standish said. The evidence already pointed to you. They got you in their crosshairs and never looked anywhere else.”

“It’s reasonable doubt, right? I mean, enough to show the judge I didn’t do this?”

Devlon raised a hand. “And I’m not done yet. I’ll raise plenty more. But the thing is, sometimes it’s not enough to say the defendant didn’t
do it. You have to point the finger at someone else who could have.”

Laura rubbed her arms. “Do you think he did it?”

“I think he’s a strong possibility. And right now that’s all we need.”

But what would happen when Laura got home? Wouldn’t the cops turn to Roger Weiner as their next suspect? Would he get mad again and come after
her
this time?

“Listen, Laura.” Devlon put his hands on her shoulders. “Good news is, he’s not likely to come after you. Because bad news is, they won’t even talk to him.”

“Why?”

“Because they’ll go on saying you did it. You just got away with it, that’s all. As far as they’re concerned, there
are
no other suspects.”

No. This was too much. “So he’ll just
get away
with it?” No, this could never be. Her mom deserved to rest in peace. Her mom deserved justice.

Her attorney looked away. Slowly nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

At lunch, once again Laura couldn’t eat. She could only think about what the prosecutor and Standish would say to the public after she was acquitted. She could imagine the newspaper articles.
“The judge got it wrong. Justice was not done for Sally Denton.”
Everybody would still say she was guilty. Everybody.

She wouldn’t be able to stay in San Mateo. She’d have to go … who knew where? Some other state. Start over again. Maybe her dad would be so glad to see her go, he’d give her some money, tell her to be on her way. And why shouldn’t he? He’d inherited plenty from her mom.

That afternoon Devlon called more of her mom’s coworkers to the stand. Each one told how Roger Weiner had acted toward Sally Denton. And two of them said, when they first heard her mother had been killed, they immediately thought Weiner had done it.

Of course Cantor moved to strike their statements. The judge agreed.

Back in juvey that night, lying on her hard cot and staring at the ceiling, Laura thought about her new life after she was acquitted. Where she’d go. What she’d do. The thought of leaving her home town to live all by herself was petrifying.

How do you start a new life alone, after you’ve lost everything?

April 2013

An hour after hearing the news of Billy King’s arrest, I drove away from the Crenshaws with thickened blood in my veins. Clara’s parents and family at first had been stunned and saddened by the news. Then, quickly, their feelings turned to anger.
How
could he have done it?
Why
? Nothing I could say would have persuaded them Chief Melcher was wrong. They’d lost Clara, now they wanted,
needed
justice for her. The faster that happened, the faster they could find some sort of closure, however frail. They were so wrapped in their pain I couldn’t bring myself to argue with them.

“I’m so sorry,” was all I could say. Lame words spilling from me, again and again. “So very sorry.”