Page 140 of One of Us Is Guilty

I decided to take my own advice.

There was only one question I had to ask – did he kill Molly Green?

But the prosecution had already asked it.

I decided to keep this short. Dangerously short.

And leave a little mystery for the jury.

‘Mr. Vanderpool, did you have a sexual relationship with Molly Green?’

‘Absolutely not,’ he said.

‘Did you ever buy her an expensive piece of jewelry?’

I saw his eyes widening, but only for half a second, a brief flash as the question hit him, like the shutter on a camera, before he could again contain his reactions and keep himself calm and relaxed.

‘No, I never bought her any jewelry,’ he said.

I stood there and stared at him for a moment.

Until I was sure the entire jury had their attention on me, waiting for my next question.

I put on a broad satisfied smile. The kind of smile that somebody wears when they know they’ve won.

‘No further questions,’ I said.

Patrick’s head swiveled quickly to the DA. Then the judge, then the jury. Perplexed. Worried.What the hell has just happened?written over his face.

I sat down.

The jury would think I’d nailed Patrick. That I had caught him in a lie.

It was Vanessa’s suggestion. But we didn’t have the final card to play. There was no Perry Mason moment of me being able to produce a receipt or a picture or anything else to contradict him.

I had nothing. No bracelet. No evidence.

All I had was Vanessa’s testimony where she would deny killing the victim.

I had the advice and the prepared answer I had given to her, which would set a trap for Riley. But I really needed Bloch to come through with something from Molly’s apartment.

That would be the third weapon in my arsenal. If she found what I hoped she would, that weapon could prove to be nuclear.

I checked my phone.

Text from Bloch.

Something is beeping in the wall. We’re digging.

‘Your Honor, subject to the right to call Detective Larkin at a later stage, with the agreement of the defense, the prosecution rests.’

‘Call your first witness, Mr. Flynn,’ said Tanner.

I stood, said, ‘The defense calls Vanessa Vanderpool.’

As she took the oath, and promised to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I thought about the one rule I lived by in trying criminal cases – it’s nearly always a mistake to allow the defendant to testify.

This time, I had no choice.