Page 95 of Dissection of a Murder
“Dr. Parker, did Mr. Smythe have any other injuries when you examined him?”
“Minor bruising to right cheek and light grazing to the knuckles on his left hand.”
“It’s right to say he was left-hand dominant, isn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
“These minor injuries are consistent with a physical altercation, or a struggle of some kind, aren’t they?”
“Possibly, but I would generally expect more physical evidence on the body if such a struggle had occurred. It would be unusual to have only these two injuries. They’re barely even injuries.”
I look down at my notebook for a second, taking a moment. This witness is incredibly dangerous for us.
“The kettlebell was ten kilos. As you can see, Mr. Millman is a broad, strong man. He used to go to the gym every day. Wouldn’t you expect more injuries if he had swung the weapon?”
“The victim is dead, Miss Reynolds. How much more injured could he be?”
Jesus. I need to shut this down.
“I mean superficially,” I go on confidently, in an attempt to present this as anything other than the train wreck it is. “Around the trauma site?”
“As I havealreadysaid, with assaults of this type, you often don’t see bruises or swelling. The damage is internal.”
I can almost hear Julian gloating from where he sits. I need to get this witness away from the jury quickly before he damages my case further.
“No further questions, Your Ladyship.”
“Thank you for attending court to give evidence, Dr. Parker. I wonder whether this might be a good opportunity to pause for lunch?” the judge asks. “Let’s resume at 2:15 p.m.”
Two witnesses down, and the prosecution’s case is definitely stronger.
I need to turn this around, fast.
47
Witness X
You
I watched you incourt. The dignity and strength you showed just made me fall in love with you all over again. The bravery. The sacrifice. It reminded me of how different you are to the man I have to go home to every night.
I long for the time we used to spend together. I loved watching your face each time I brought you a silly little gift. They were always obscure, and you were always amazed I knew you so well.
TheRobin Hood: Prince of Thievesposter was my favorite. After you told me it was the film your foster mother watched with you, I had to. It was just a joke, but you hung it up immediately.
After it happened—the betrayal—she told me that nobody would choose me if they knew thereal me. It hurt, because that’s what Dad used to say, too. That I didn’t deserve love. That I wasn’t good enough for it.
You’ve proved them wrong.
She always wanted what I had, right from the day I met her. She saw my power and she wanted a piece of it, too. I was better at the rules than her, back then.
Not any more. You changed that, Jack.
Loving you has made me lose focus. Made me more human.
She doesn’t realize how close she is now. She will find it soon enough, the chink in my armor. And when she does, I’m finished.
The old me would never have made such a stupid, careless mistake. I question every day why we used your phone and not mine, Jack. It would have made much more sense. Not my real phone, obviously. I mean the burner phone I bought when the affair started. The one that was only used for you and nobody else. I made a rule from day one: no photos would be taken of us, no videos. And they certainly wouldn’t be sent between us. If they ever got out, not only would my reputation be ruined, but they would also be ammunition for my husband.
