Page 54 of The Best Lawyer
Both Jeanie and Eric’s faces fell. I didn’t need them to verbalize their answers after that, but they did anyway.
“Fifty-fifty,” Jeanie said.
Eric locked his gaze with mine. “I’m sorry, baby. I’d say you’re at seventy-thirty. And that’s being generous.”
“Don’t be generous, Eric. I told you I don’t need a yes man.”
“Fine,” he said, his tone grim. “If you don’t have a viablealternative suspect. I’m ninety percent sure they’re going to convict.”
Something banged against the wall behind us. I went out into the hall where I could see into the kitchen. Emma stood at the counter, her face ashen. I didn’t need to ask what she’d just overheard.
Chapter 20
Amelia Trainor,ME had a way with juries. She could explain the most grisly technical details and hold their attention. Behind her back, some defense attorneys called her the Grim Reaper. I wasn’t one of them. She had, over the years, developed a skillful and effective persona in her professional life. From her alabaster skin, platinum hair that she smoothed tightly back into a bun, and her jet-black suits, you could tell who and what she was before she was asked a single question.
Addison Quick took her through her foundational testimony. She had served as Woodbridge County’s medical examiner for many years and performed hundreds of autopsies.
“Dr. Trainor,” Quick said. “How did you become connected to this case?”
“I performed the autopsy on the victim, Thomas Loomis.”
“What did your examination entail?”
“First,” she said, “I was called to the scene by Detective DePaul. Upon arrival, I was shown to the back, presumably the primarybedroom suite. Once there, I observed a white, middle-aged male lying supine on the right side, or rather his left side of the bed. He had already expired and I could visualize a significant injury to his neck consistent with a stabbing upon first glance. There was also a large amount of blood covering the victim’s chest, absorbed into the pillow behind his head, and soaked into the carpet on the left side of the bed. I also noticed a spray pattern on the headboard directly above the victim’s head.”
“What did you do next?”
“In coordination with Detective DePaul and the state crime lab, I oversaw the removal of the body and transport back to my own lab. At which point I performed my forensic examination.”
“Did you determine his cause of death?”
“Yes. Mr. Loomis died from near complete exsanguination due to an incised wound of the neck. In other words, massive blood loss from a deep throat cut. Virtually his entire blood volume covered the victim, the bed, and the surrounding areas in the bedroom.”
“Can you describe the wound itself?” Quick went through a series of crime scene and autopsy photos showing close-ups of Tom’s stab wound. Amelia was calm and measured as she talked about each one.
“As you can clearly observe in Exhibit 41,” she said, “the wound begins near the right ear, extends across the front of the neck, and ends near the left side of the neck. The length of the wound was five and a half inches long and deep enough to sever both the carotid artery and jugular vein. Death would have occurred very quickly.”
“But not instantly?” Quick asked.
“Not instantly. However, once the carotid artery is severed, unconsciousness can occur within seconds.”
“I see.” Quick went back to his notes. He took a formal posture, standing at the lectern with his hands folded on top of it. “Dr. Trainor, did you observe any other wounds on the victim?”
“Nothing significant. Some minor, partially healed bruising on his right underarm. A cut healing just below his left knee. Neither of these superficial wounds would have occurred at or near the time of death.”
“What can you conclude from that, if anything?”
“Well, in this context, I found no so-called defensive wounds on the victim. Nothing on his hands or arms, or any tissue beneath his fingernails. Which suggests to me that the victim was likely asleep or caught off guard when attacked.”
“So he didn’t know what hit him?”
“That isn’t a precise description,” she said. “There’s no way to know whether Mr. Loomis was actually asleep when cut. And if he was, I have no way to determine whether he briefly woke up and saw his attacker. I can only speak to the characteristics of the wound itself and the condition of the body.”
“Of course,” Quick said. “Were you able to determine anything about the nature of the attack? Or how the wound might have been inflicted?”
“There are a few reasonable inferences that can be made, yes. The cut travels slightly downward from right to left and is consistent with a right-handed attacker standing near the victim’s left side. The attacker drew the knife across the victim’s throat toward themselves.”
“I see. Could you conclude anything about the weapon used to inflict such a wound?”
