Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan, #3)(69)
“Mock trial in the courtroom,” she answered, leading us around a corner, where a line of students was filing into a classroom.
“Hey,” Max said, abandoning her place in line to join us at the back, “did you two see the news about that burned car out near Culpeper yesterday?” I gave a noncommittal nod, wishing she would keep her voice down as we entered the mock courtroom. “Riley and I were talking to one of the forensic techs here. He knows a guy who knows a guy who’s an investigator in Culpeper County. Apparently, the guy who owned the car worked for some seedy casino in Atlantic City.”
Riley nodded fervently as he joined the conversation. “I’m getting major foul play vibes. We’re going to see if Detective Anthony can help us land an interview with the investigator on the case.”
“Speaking of interviews,” Max said, “we never got to finish yours, Finlay. Maybe we could do it over dinner?”
I kept my head down as we slunk into the last two empty seats behind them. “Wow, I wish we could, but we have other—”
“We’d love to,” Vero said. Max and Riley gave us two thumbs-up as they turned around to face the front of the room.
“Why did you agree to that?” I whispered to Vero.
“They seem to know an awful lot about Ike’s case. If we play our cards right, we can interview them, too.”
“Good morning,” Nick said, addressing everyone as he counted out handouts and passed them down the rows. The classroom had been made to resemble a courtroom, complete with a witness stand, two tables from which the defense and prosecution could present their cases, and a dais for the judge’s bench at the front of the room. “I hope you all got some rest after your crime scene exercise last night. As police officers, we spend a lot of time in courtrooms, usually as witnesses for the Commonwealth. Some of you will be presenting testimony in today’s criminal trial based on the discoveries made during last night’s investigation. As promised, we have some volunteers from the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office with us today to assist us with our mock trial.”
Vero elbowed me in the ribs as Nick invited the volunteers to join him. A blond man in a suit and tie rose from his seat in the front row. A red-haired woman stood beside him, smoothing back her chignon. They shook Nick’s hand as he thanked them for coming. Then Julian Baker and his roommate, Parker, turned around to face us.
CHAPTER 26
“Everyone, please welcome Parker Keller and Julian Baker to our citizen’s police academy.” Nick swept an arm toward our guest instructors as the class broke into polite applause. “Ms. Keller is a practicing prosecutor with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. And Mr. Baker is a third-year law student at George Mason University, where he’s pursuing a concentration in criminal law.”
I ducked low in my seat. Julian wasn’t just any law student. Up until two months ago, he was the one I’d been sleeping with. And Parker was his very protective roommate. Judging by how much she hated me, I was pretty sure she was in love with him.
“Officer Donovan.” Nick searched the faces in the room until he found me. “As the first officers on the scene, you and Officer Ruiz will be the prosecution’s first witnesses in our role-play. Finlay, we’ll have you start. Come on up,” he said, gesturing to the witness stand.
Julian’s smile fell away as I stood and navigated between the tightly packed chairs to the front of the room. Parker glanced at Julian, whispering to him in a low voice. He dismissed her question with a tight shake of his head, refusing to meet my eyes as I entered the witness box.
“The Commonwealth Attorney was scheduled to be our judge,” Nick explained. “Apparently, he was called away on an emergency this morning and won’t be able to join us, so I’ll be playing the part instead. Which of our attorneys will be playing the role of prosecutor?”
“I will,” Parker said, as Julian said, “I’ll do it.” He snatched up a copy of his script, taking a seat behind the prosecutor’s table before Parker could argue. She raised an eyebrow as she set her briefcase on the defense’s side and settled into her chair.
Nick stepped onto the dais, hooking his cane over the arm of the bench as he sat. “Will the bailiff please swear in our first witness?”
Joey leaned on the wall beside the door to the classroom. Arms crossed, he pushed himself upright and approached the witness stand, his toothpick rolling from one side of his tight mouth to the other. He pulled it from his cheek, raising his voice so the class could hear him when he asked, “Will the witness please state their name for the court?”
I cleared my throat. “Finlay Donovan.”
“Raise your right hand,” he said brusquely. “Officer Donovan, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god?”
Julian’s whisky-gold eyes met mine across the room. It felt like there was a warning inside them. It was only a role-play, I reminded myself. I had a script. I was only answering a few questions about a CPR dummy. This had nothing to do with Carl Westover. “I do.”
Joey stared at me as he put the toothpick back in his mouth and departed the witness stand, resuming his post beside the door.
Nick addressed the class from the dais. “For the sake of time, we’re going to skip ahead and assume you’ve already heard the opening statements of each side.” He turned to Julian. “The Commonwealth Attorney will now call its first witness.”