Page 87 of Dissection of a Murder
I know all his dirty tactics, backdoor behaviors, his professional Achilles’ heels.
And his private ones.
If he thinks this trial is purely about securing a professional win, he’s wrong.
44
Leila
R v Jack Millman
Day 1
11:29 a.m.
The first prosecutionwitness is DCI Brady, the kind of man who always looks as if he never has to be anywhere. Whenever I’ve seen him throughout this investigation, including at the site visit, he has the appearance of someone who’s just rolled out of bed. Even now, as he hauls himself into the witness box to give evidence in this trial, I wonder how he didn’t think even to fasten his suit jacket. His belly is spilling out of his trousers.
I am not deceived, however, by his appearance. DCI Brady is a fierce detective. He leads the biggest investigations for a reason. Nothing gets past him. He is not good for us.
The jury scrutinizes the first witness as he takes the oath to tell the truth. Of course, they will trust everything he says because he is a police officer—and a senior one at that.
Julian walks him through the formalities first, but we all know what’s coming.
“Could you please tell the jury what happened on the night of Friday, September 6, 2024?”
“Yes,” DCI Brady says loudly, turning toward the jury. He is a proat this. “At 11:07 p.m., a 999 call was received from the landline at Temptation from the defendant informing the authorities that a man had been seriously hurt, and the identity of that man was His Honor Judge Smythe. I attended the scene at 11:23 p.m.”
“To confirm: the defendant himself reported this?”
“He did.”
“Would you usually attend the scene of an assault of this type?”
“No, I would not. I’d normally come on board to a murder investigation at a later stage. But I was called upon to do so in this case as a senior member of the judiciary had been seriously harmed.”
“Can you tell us what happened when you arrived, please?”
“We located the defendant on the second floor of the building. The door to his apartment was open and no force was required to gain entry.”
The defendant.Jack has been reduced to a thing, not worthy of a name. Cementing with the jury early on that he’s worthless and, in turn, guilty.
“Can you describe the scene to us upon arrival?”
“The victim was in the lounge, lying on his back, being assisted by paramedics.”
“If I could stop you there, please. Dear members of the jury, if you would kindly turn to tab one in your jury bundle, you’ll see a layout of the flat.”
A flurry of activity takes place within the jury box, as everyone scrambles to find the map. They feel part of this now, you can tell. He’s locked them in.We’re in this together, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s convict the bastard who killed this loving husband and father.
“Does everyone have sight of that document now?” Julian asks the jury, flashing that dashing smile he reserves for occasions such as this. The women on the jury nod, and going by the look in their eyes, would be prepared to convict Jack right now based on virtuallyno evidence if it meant they could have just one night of uninhibited passion with my husband. He knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s not even lunchtime yet. “DCI Brady, please explain the layout to us.”
“As you can see, it’s a very small flat. The front door leads directly into an open living room–kitchenette area. Just off the main room is one bedroom, which contains an en-suite bathroom. It’s almost like a studio.”
“Can you tell us where the victim was when you found him?”
“Yes. He was on the floor, with his head nearest to the front door, about five feet away. His feet were in the kitchen.”
“So, he was effectively half in the lounge, half in the kitchen area?”
