Desperate Girls (Wolfe Security #1)(49)
“What happened after you heard the gunshot?” Conlon asked.
“He just . . . crumpled. Right there on the pavement.”
“And then what happened?”
“The driver sped across the parking lot and drove away.”
“And after you saw the driver leave the scene, what did you do next?”
“I got out my phone and called 911.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Marek.” Conlon looked at Brynn. “Your witness.”
Brynn stepped up to the lectern and gave the woman a gentle smile. She was walking a fine line here. Lisa Marek was a mother in her forties, which gave her something in common with many of the jurors. Brynn couldn’t appear combative, even though the woman’s testimony was potentially a knockout blow to Justin. Through a photo array, Marek had identified Justin as the person behind the wheel of a blue Chevy Malibu in the parking lot of Tony’s Pizza House, and Justin had a blue Chevy Malibu registered to his name.
“Mrs. Marek, you testified that you never saw Justin Sebring before the night of March fifth, when the murder took place, is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“And you never saw his picture in the newspaper or on television?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you watch the news?”
“Not usually. Just the Weather Channel.”
“So after the traumatic events of March fifth, you didn’t turn on the news to see if the murder you’d witnessed was being covered?”
She glanced at the jury. “Oh, well, yes. I watched the next day. Becky and I were glued to the television.”
“And what about the following day?”
“I watched it some.”
“And the day after that? March eighth, the day Justin Sebring was arrested in connection with the crime?”
“I didn’t see that. Like I said, I don’t normally watch news.”
“So even though all four local networks covered the story and ran a photo of Justin Sebring, you’re sure you didn’t see his picture on TV that night?”
“Yes.”
“What about any other time after that? Any other media source?”
“I’m sure.”
Brynn lifted an eyebrow at this bold statement. “Okay, so when police showed you the photo array and you identified Justin as the man driving the Malibu, that was based solely on what you witnessed at the pizza restaurant and nothing you’d seen in the media, is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
Brynn stepped out from behind the lectern. “Mrs. Marek, let me direct your attention to the photograph of the parking lot in front of Tony’s Pizza House.” She turned to face the jumbo screen where Conlon had displayed a photo of the parking lot. Conlon’s investigator had been on the stand earlier with a tedious explanation of how the shot was taken from the same booth where Lisa Marek had been sitting, at exactly the same time and under the same lighting and weather conditions as the night of the murder.
“You testified that this is the view you had of the crime scene while you were having dinner at Tony’s Pizza House with your daughter, at ten twenty p.m. on March fifth, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a little late for dinner. Do you and your daughter typically have dinner at ten twenty?”
“We were on our way home from a school play.”
“And was this your first time to eat at Tony’s Pizza House?”
“No, we go there a lot. It’s in the neighborhood.”
“I see. Would you say you’re regulars there?”
She shrugged. “We go maybe twice a month.”
“Do you know the staff ?”
“We know some of the servers, and we know the owner, Tony. We’ve been going there for years.”
“And do you always sit at this booth facing the parking lot?”
“Sometimes. We like to get a booth when they’re not busy.”
“Mrs. Marek, you testified that the booth where you were sitting gave you a clear and unobstructed view of the blue Chevy Malibu that Seth Moore was standing beside when he was shot, is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“The same view shown here in this photograph.” Brynn picked up a laser pointer and aimed it at the screen. “And do you see a blue Chevy Malibu in this photo?”
“No.”
“Because it’s not an actual crime-scene photo, right? It only shows the view of the parking lot from your booth, correct?”
“Objection,” Conlon said. “Asked and answered.”
“Sustained.” Judge Linden looked at Brynn.
“Mrs. Marek, do you see Justin Sebring in this picture?”
“No.”
“Do you see anyone you recognize in this picture?”
She looked confused. “Well . . . no.”
“Do you recognize the person here?” Brynn used the laser pointer. “This person standing in this shadowy corner of the parking lot here?”
“No.”
“What about this man here?” Brynn moved the pointer. “Looks like he’s getting into his car as the picture is taken. Do you recognize him?”