Page 55 of The Best Lawyer
“To some extent, yes,” she said. “The wound is consistent with a sharp, single-edged blade approximately three to four inches long.”
“I’d like to show you State’s Exhibit 6.”
Addison brought the blade to Dr. Trainor, wrapped in its plastic evidence bag. He handed it to her. Dr. Trainor examined it, though she had of course done so many times before in the course of this investigation and trial preparation.
“What can you tell me about that knife in relation to the wound you observed on the victim?”
“This is a Buck 110. It’s a fairly common hunting knife. It has a retractable blade designed to lock when in use. It is consistent with the type of weapon used to inflict the fatal wound on Tom Loomis, yes. It is single-edged, non-serrated, and is of the right length and sharpness to have done the job, so to speak.”
“Thank you,” Quick said as he took the exhibit back from her.
“Were you able to determine a time of death for Mr. Loomis?”
“Yes. I estimate that Mr. Loomis expired between three and five a.m. on the morning of March 14th. This is based on his body temperature at the scene, the state of rigor mortis, and blood lividity and clotting. All of these factors are known variables as far as the rapidness in which they occur.”
“Thank you, Dr. Trainor, I have no further questions.”
There really wasn’t much to do with Amelia Trainor on my end. I had no dispute with her conclusions. The jurors themselves could intuit what happened just by looking at a single crimescene photo. No, my case did not lie in dismantling the ME’s conclusions. That didn’t mean there weren’t a few tricks up my sleeve.
“Dr. Trainor,” I started. “I just have a few details I’d like to clarify about your examination and role in this case if you’ll indulge me.”
“Of course,” she said. Amelia remained stoic. We were more than professionally acquainted. I considered Amelia a friend.
“You were, of course, not present when the killing occurred, were you?”
“Of course not,” she said, her tone slightly annoyed.
“You indicated the victim died of rapid blood loss after major arteries were severed, correct?”
“Yes. The carotid artery.”
“I’d like to direct your attention to State’s Exhibit 29. Can you describe what we’re looking at?”
“This is a photograph of the headboard directly behind Mr. Loomis’s head. It’s above the pillow where he would have been sleeping.”
“Thank you,” I said. “For the record, what is the significant detail in this photograph as it relates to your conclusions?”
“This image shows a spray pattern above and behind where the victim’s head was positioned.”
“I want to make sure I understand this,” I said. “This is arterial spray? Can you explain what that means, exactly?”
“Certainly. The carotid artery is one of the major arteries that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the brain. Bloodmoves through it under arterial pressure. When that artery is severed, blood continues to flow out under that pressure, even after the initial injury. It typically exits in rhythmic spurts corresponding with each heartbeat. That pattern is consistent with the blood evidence present in this case.”
“For lack of a more delicate phrase,” I said. “This spray makes quite a dramatic mess, wouldn’t you say?”
“If you’d like to put it that way, yes.”
“So it’s fair to assume that anyone standing within the path of that spray would have been covered with blood as well, right?”
“One would assume, yes.”
“It would perhaps get on their clothes, their hair, right?”
“Well, it depends on exactly where that person was standing, yes.”
“Well, as you said, the wound was consistent with the attacker standing on the victim’s left side and making the cut from his right ear across his throat. That is your testimony?”
“Yes.”
