Knight 02.5 - If I'm Dead Read Online Free Page A

evidence collection, she was the most logical witness to start with. And of course the strongest.
    â€œPlease tell the jury what you found in the garage.”
    â€œI noticed a large suitcase, navy blue and yellow in color, which was under the tool bench,” D orian answered.
    â€œWhat drew your attention to that suitcase?” I asked.
    â€œA corner of it stuck out from under the bench.”
    â€œAs though someone had shoved it underneath in a hurry?”
    Dorian shot me a warning look. “The way it was situated would have put it in the way of anyone moving around the garage. So it seemed logical to conclude that it wasn’t intentionally placed in that position.”
    I declared victory with that answer and moved on.
    â€œDid you notice anything that indicated a more likely place where the suitcase was normally stored?” I asked.
    â€œYes. I noticed other suitcases of similar appearance, blue and yellow, on a shelf above the tool bench.”
    I paused to let the information—and hopefully the implications—sink in with the jury. It was one of those “sleeper” p ieces of evidence, the significance of which can take a moment to appreciate. The fact that the suitcase had been dragged down off that shelf indicated that Melissa had been trying to get away. And the fact that the suitcase was still there in the garage, out of place, indicated not only that she hadn’t made it but that there had possibly been some kind of struggle. So this single piece of evidence helped paint an entire scenario for the last moments of Melissa’s life. After stalling for as long as I dared to give the jury time to catch on, I asked Dorian what else she’d found noteworthy in the garage.
    â€œI found a scarf, pale blue plaid in color, near the door to the kitchen. I noted it because it was on the ground next to the stairs and I thought it fair to assume it wasn’t normally kept there.”
    I glanced at the jury and saw that most were taking notes—a good sign—and that a few were smiling at Dorian. A great sign, because it showed that they spotted and appreciated Dorian’s minimalist approach, which meant she was scoring big points for credibility.
    â€œWas it immediately visible to you when you entered the garage?”
    â€œNo. The scarf was in a dark corner next to the wall, partially hidden by the shelving unit that was bolted to the wall.”
    Point being, Saul Hildega rde wouldn’t have noticed that it had fallen there in the heat of the moment and so never knew to get rid of it.
    â€œDid you process that scarf for hair, blood, or foreign fibers?”
    â€œI did. I found traces of human blood that I submitted for DNA testing, and I found a mixture of hairs, which I compared to hairs from Melissa’s brush, and to her family’s hair, and to the defendant’s hair.”
    â€œAnd what did you find?”
    â€œI found a number of hairs consistent with Melissa’s that appeared to have been forcibly removed—”
    â€œBy that, you mean yanked out of her head?”
    Dorian gave me a stern look. “By that, I mean pulled out, as opposed to falling out naturally. And I found some forcibly removed hairs consistent with the hair of this defendant as well.” Dorian nodded in Saul Hildegarde’s direction.
    She hadn’t approved of my editorialized yanked , but she hadn’t refuted it. I’d taken the risk of getting smacked by Dorian into account and decided it was worth it. Yanked painted a clearer picture of a violent struggle.
    â€œDid you find any other evidence of note in the garage?”
    â€œYes. I found what appeared to be damp spots on the floor, which I tested for the presence of blood.”
    â€œAnd what was the result of that test?”
    â€œIt was positive. But I must add that certain other substances may also give a positive result to that test, such as rust and certain vegetable