Page 88 of Dissection of a Murder
“That’s correct.”
“Where was the defendant?”
“He was sitting on the edge of the sofa, waiting for us,” he confirms in a hard, Geordie accent. His hands are clasped together in front of him. It’s a serious, dominant stance.
“How far away from the victim was he?”
“Maybe six feet?”
“And the defendant was making no attempt to help the victim?”
“My Lady,” I interrupt, “counsel is leading the witness.”
The judge glances at Julian before turning her eyes back to me.
“Mr. Kesler, would you like to rephrase the question?”
Julian pauses. I know what he’s thinking. Hehatesbeing interrupted when he’s questioning a witness.
“DCI Brady, what was the defendant doing when you walked in?” Julian asks the question now in a painfully exaggerated way, letting everyone know how irritated he is. It’s clever, too, because the jury will think I’m petty and overly concerned with semantics.
“He was making no attempt to help the victim,” DCI Brady says, straight to the jury.
I get it. It’s them against me. Against us.
“What state was the victim in?” Julian continues.
“He had blood coming out of his nostril. It looked like he’d been—”
I rise for the second time.
“Your Ladyship.”
“DCI Brady,” the judge bellows. “Please do not speculate. We will hear from medical professionals in due course regarding Mr. Smythe’s injuries.”
He nods in compliance but is obviously furious. He looks at Julian, and they share a moment of irritation. DCI Brady strikes me as the kind of man who does not like being told what to do by a woman.
“Was he alive when you saw him?” Julian asks.
“Only just, but yes.”
Julian takes the jury through the gruesome part of looking at photos from the scene.
“DCI Brady, may I bring your attention to an item found at the scene which the jury can find at tab five in their bundles,” he goes on, confidently. “Your Ladyship, permission to admit into evidence exhibit PB1. DCI Brady, can you please describe this for the jury?”
“It’s a ten-kilogram kettlebell,” he confirms.
“My Lady, I am content for the statement produced by the defense to be admitted into evidence at this stage. It is a statement that confirms the kettlebell was permanently used as a doorstop in the defendant’s apartment. The kettlebell is the weapon that caused the fatal blow to Mr. Smythe, and the jury will hear expert evidence regarding this in due course.”
Great work from Davina, securing that statement.
“That’s where you found the kettlebell when you arrived?” Julian goes on. “As per these photographs, holding the door open?”
“It is.”
“What’s the distance between the kettlebell in situ and the body?”
“It was about seven feet.”
