The Last Innocent Man

Judge Rosenthal had called a recess for lunch as soon as Larry had finished testifying. Stafford had been nervous but had handled himself well. On direct, David had limited himself to asking the defendant where he had been on the evening of the murder and filling in items of his biography that had not been provided by other witnesses. On cross, predictably, Monica had delved into Larry’s feelings about not making partner and asked about his relationship with his wife. Stafford was well prepared to handle this line, as David, playing the role of district attorney, had grilled him far worse in the jail than Monica did on the stand. David enjoyed Monica’s frustration as it became clear that she was making little headway. Her final questions concerned Stafford’s sex life, and David felt they were sufficiently embarrassing so that the overall effect was to create sympathy for his client. When Monica asked her final question, “Have you been with a prostitute in the past two years?” Larry’s answer-“Why would I do that, when I have a wife like Jenny, who loves me?”-had caused several of the jurors to nod their heads in approval.

“Do you…will you win, David?” Jenny asked.

“It’s impossible to say, but I feel good about the case. I believe in Larry. I could see his sincerity when he testified. I’m a pretty good judge of people, and if I’m getting these impressions, I’m sure the jurors are, too.”

Jenny looked down at the table for a moment. She seemed troubled.

“What’s the matter?” David asked.

“I’ve decided, David,” Jenny answered in a hushed voice. David felt his heart leap. Was she saying good-bye? Was this the end of his dream?

“No matter what happens, I’m going to ask Larry for a divorce. Then, if you want me…”

“Want you? God, Jenny, you don’t know what this means to me. I love you so much… Don’t cry.”

Jenny’s head was lowered, but even in the dim light he could see tears coursing down her cheeks.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” a voice from behind David said. Jennifer looked up, startled, and David turned rapidly. Thomas Gault was standing over the table, a sly grin looking diabolical in the frame of his Chinese mustache.

“I saw you two over here and thought maybe I’d get me a scoop.”

“Gault,” David barked angrily, “this is a private meeting.”

“But you and the lady are public people. I have my duty as an agent of the press to seek headlines wherever.”

Gault stopped suddenly when he noticed Jenny’s tears. The smile disappeared.

“Say, I am sorry. I didn’t realize…It’s so dark in here.”

He whipped out a handkerchief and held it toward Jenny. She looked at David, puzzled.

“It’s okay,” Gault said. “I’ve been there. Had my own trial. For murder, too,” he said with a trace of pride. “But Dave got me off and he’ll clear your husband. Don’t you worry.”

Jenny continued to stare at the handkerchief, which drooped from the end of Gault’s hand like an ill-cared-for flag. David saved the situation by proffering his own, which Jenny took quickly.

“Look, Tom, Mrs. Stafford is upset and we would like a little privacy.”

“Sure thing. And I am sorry. Didn’t mean to…you know.”

“Sure. And, Tom, if you want a scoop, come to court this afternoon. My last witness is going to be a doozy.”

Gault brightened.

“Now, that’s the spirit. I’m givin’ you great press, buddy. Sorry again, Mrs. Stafford. Your husband’s got a great lawyer.”

Gault left and the couple said nothing for a moment. Then Jenny asked David, “What’s going to happen this afternoon?”

David felt a surge of excitement and smiled. “Oh, I’m going to hammer the final nail into the State’s coffin. But I don’t want to talk about that now. I want to talk about us.”

“MR. CONKLIN, DURINGyour years as an investigator have you developed an expertise in the area of photography?”

“I have.”

“Would you tell the jury what training you have in this field?”

Terry turned toward the jury and smiled. He was an old hand at being in the witness box and appeared to be completely relaxed.

“I received my initial training in the Air Force, then studied by correspondence through the New York Institute of Photography. For a short time, after the Air Force and before I went into police work, I owned a photo studio and worked as a cameraman for KOIN-TV.

“When I was with the Lane County Police Department, I set up their photo lab, and, since going into private practice, I have done all of the accident and special photography for several law firms in town.”

“Have you ever won any prizes for your work?”

“I’ve won several awards over the past ten years. In fact, I won the blue ribbon in two categories at the last Multnomah County Fair.”

“Did I contact you with regard to assisting me in the investigation of the Larry Stafford case?”

“Yes, Mr. Nash, you did.”

“In this capacity, did you take any photographs at the Raleigh Motel, room twenty-two?”

“I did.”

“What was your assignment with regard to these photographs?”