Knight 02.5 - If I'm Dead Read Online Free

day that was likely her last day on this earth, she will tell you that this defendant, Saul Hildegarde, took her life. This is what she said:
    â€œ ‘Every time I mentioned divorce, he’d say the only way I’d get out of this marriage was in a pine box. I didn’t believe he really meant it. But then I found him with that volunteer, and I finally knew I’d had enough. So that night, I told him it was over and I didn’t care what he wanted anymore. I was getting a divorce. He grabbed me by the throat and started to shake me. “I’ll kill you!” At that moment, his voice, his face…I’d never seen him look like that before. I was so scared. It was real. He really meant it. I know if I don’t get out of here, he’s going to kill me. If I’m dead when you read this, it’ll be because he killed me.’ ”
    I paused again, letting her words sink in. “Sadly, though the evidence will show she tried to get away, Melissa never made it. What we will prove to you, ladies and gentlemen, is that this defendant”—I turned and pointed at him for emphasis—“took her life even as she desperately, valiantly, tried to escape. Then he dumped her body into the ocean and purposely tried to make it look as though she’d been killed during a robbery.”
    I saw Juror Number Four nod slightly, then toss a skeptical look in the defendant’s direction. Excellent. I’d already pegged Juror Number Four as the likely foreman.
    â€œBut that scenario won’t fly. So my guess is that he’ll say Melissa deliberately left her blood in the car to set him up, and that she’s not dead at all. She’s just getting even. But, ladies and gentlemen, when it’s all said and done, you’ll see that’s just an other defense ploy, and that Melissa is truly, tragically, dead. We will prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that Melissa was murdered and that this defendant was the killer. And at the conclusion of this case, I will be asking you to return a verdict o f guilty for murder in the first degree.”
    On that note, I strode back to counsel table with a bravado I definitely wasn’t feeling. The truth was, though I’d trumpeted Melissa’s last diary entry, it posed a big problem for me. It started off great, but it ended with Melissa saying she had to get out of there. I knew Ronnie O’Bryan would make it the cornerstone of his defense. But there was no point in trying to avoid it. The defense would trot out that line every chance they got—probably a thousand times before this trial was through. Better to front it myself and show the jury it didn’t bother me. Anyone who tells you a trial isn’t a performance is a damn liar.
    As I sat down, I glanced at the defense table and saw Saul whispering animatedly to O’Bryan. Saul was handsome, but his thick arms and torso gave him a hulking look that could appear menacing, especially hunched over at counsel table. His dark eyes and heavy, sensual features added to the effect. And I’d noticed during pretrial motions that he had a hard time controlling his reactions. Every time I said something to the judge, he’d nudge his lawyer and write furiously, and occasionally I’d catch him glaring at me. This was great stuff for the jury to see, and I hoped O’Bryan wouldn’t be able to break him of the habit. Now, I saw O’Bryan pat him on the arm, then stand to address the judge. My guess was that Saul had been pushing him to make an opening statement—something the defense rarely does, and rarely should do.
    â€œYour Honor, the defense will reserve opening statement at this time.”
    â€œVery well,” the judge said. He turned to me. “People, call your first witness.”
    My only hope was that the physical evidence would tip the jury in my favor. So I intended to lean heavily on my experts. Because Dorian was in charge of