A Killing in the Valley (52 page)

Alex leaned forward on the podium. “How could you not have been surprised?” he asked Tyler harshly. “You had locked the gate behind you when you left, and ten hours later, when you returned, it was open.”
What was this fucking kid doing?
“What did you think, that someone else had opened it?”

“No, I didn’t think that,” Tyler said. “I remembered that we had left it open.”

Alex swayed on his feet. “That’s not what you told the police.” He was livid. “That’s not what you told me. Several times, may I remind you.”

Tyler ducked his head.

Elise came forward from the prosecution table with a sheaf of notes in her hand. She gave them to Alex, pointing to various places on the pages. Alex looked at them, then turned to Tyler again.

“I’m going to read some of your own recorded testimony to you, Mr. Woodruff.” His tone was aggressive now. He looked up at Judge Martindale, who was peering down at them with more intensity than he had shown at any time during the trial. “Everything I’m going to read is an exact quote, from tapes and transcripts. Steven McCoy: ‘Then we drove into Santa Barbara.’” He looked up at Martindale again. “He’s referring to them leaving the property for the first time. Page sixteen in people’s exhibit five, your honor.”

He waited until Martindale nodded that he’d found the quote, then continued. “Detective Watson: ‘And you locked the gate behind you when you left.’ Answer from Tyler Woodruff: ‘Yes.’ Do you recall answering the question that way, Mr. Woodruff?”

Again, Tyler shifted uncomfortably in the witness chair. “Yes, but…”

Alex put a hand up to stop him. “You don’t need to qualify it. Your answer was ‘yes.’ It’s here in the record. Now later, you were being questioned alone, by Detective Watson. Watson asked you, referring to arriving back at the ranch that night, ‘When you got there, the security gate at the entrance to the property was unlocked. You’re positive about that?’ And you answered, ‘yes.’ He then asked, ‘And you were surprised, because you thought it had been locked. That was what you remembered.’ And you answered, ‘At first, I did.’ And then you said that only after Steven McCoy insisted that he hadn’t locked it that you decided it had been left unlocked. That’s what you told Detective Watson, isn’t it?” He brandished the pages in Tyler’s face. “Do you want to look at it? Refresh your memory?”

Tyler shook his head. “I don’t have to look at it. I remember.”

“It’s as I’ve recounted it?”

“Yes. It’s what I said.”

Alex looked at the transcript again. “Then Detective Watson went on to ask, ‘But your initial reaction was that he had locked it when you left earlier.’ And your answer…” He tapped the page, and held it up in front of the jurors. “Your answer was, ‘Yes.’”

He put the page down. “Since then, I and other members of my staff have interviewed you, haven’t we? And you have been consistent that to the best of your recollection the gate had been locked, and the only reason you changed your mind was because Steven McCoy pushed you to change your mind.” He gave Tyler a ferocious stare. “Isn’t that true, Mr. Woodruff.”

Tyler nodded nervously. “It’s what I told you, that’s right.” He looked off again, toward Steven. “But it wasn’t what happened.”

“What wasn’t what happened?” Alex asked menacingly. He looked like he was going to strangle his own witness.

“The gate,” Tyler answered. “I was confused about it.”

“Confused?” Alex practically shouted at him. “What were you confused about?”

“About the sequence of the gate being locked and unlocked,” Tyler said defensively. “What happened was, when the detectives were questioning us, I was thinking about the gate, and how it was when we got there, which was locked, and I got that confused with later on, when we left.”

“You were confused,” Alex said icily.

“At the sequence.”

Alex left the podium and strode toward Tyler, until he was standing practically nose to nose in front of him. “Three separate times you told the detectives the gate had been locked. Not once, not twice, but three times. How could you have been confused every one of those times?” he demanded.

“It was a hostile environment in there,” Tyler erupted. “Steven and I came to help them out, and as soon as we walked into the station they treated us like we’d done something wrong. Like we had something to do with that girl being killed, just because we were where the body was found. Those detectives weren’t friendly with us, they were pushing us, hard. I started to get nervous, so I said something off the top of my head that wasn’t true.” He sat up straight in the chair and looked behind him, at Judge Martindale. “I’ve been going over and over this in my head. And I finally remembered what the truth was.” He turned back to Alex, who was holding onto the sides of the podium, looking like he’d been poleaxed. “The gate was open when we left, and it was open when we returned.”

Alex pulled himself together and finished his interrogation. He badgered Tyler into admitting that they had smoked marijuana when they got back to the house. Then he brought up the murder weapon, and Steven’s account of how his fingerprints had gotten on it. On this point, Tyler was more helpful; or at least, less destructive. It had been dark inside the house when they returned. He hadn’t seen a gun, so he could not have seen Steven pick it up and put it in the gun case. They had slept outside, and hadn’t noticed anyone coming or going that night or the following morning.

Luke practically floated to the podium. “I only have a few questions for this witness,” he told Judge Martindale. Turning to Tyler, he asked, “You spent the night sleeping outside the old ranch house?”

Tyler nodded. “Yes.”

“No more than a quarter mile from where the murdered girl was later found,” Luke reminded the courtroom. “Did Steven exhibit any anxiety that night while you were camped out? Any nervousness?” The implication being that a man who killed someone and dumped her body practically right next to them would not be calm and placid.

“No,” Tyler answered. “He was easy and relaxed. His usual self.”

Luke nodded. “Going back earlier. When you returned to the ranch that night, was the security gate locked, or open?”

“It was open.”

“There’s no doubt in your mind.”

“No,” Tyler answered firmly. “None at all. It was open.”

“No further questions.”

Luke turned and walked back to the defense table. For the first time since the trial had begun, Steven was smiling. Before he sat down, he looked past Steven to the family. The parents seemed less anxious than they normally were, but they were still tense. Juanita, sitting next to her son, was beaming.

Kate was both ecstatic and bewildered. “Where the hell did that come from?”

“Who knows?” Luke replied. He had been as surprised as anyone. “Maybe it’s like Tyler said it was. He felt he was under pressure and told them what he thought they wanted to hear. Or he made an honest mistake and figured it out.” He twirled his pencil between his fingers. “I could give a shit less,” he said happily. “It was a
coup
of humongous proportions, that’s what matters.”

They were in his office. Court was adjourned for the day. Steven had gone off with his grandmother and his parents to have dinner. It wouldn’t be a celebratory meal—it was too early for that—but the food would taste damn good, of that Luke was sure.

Kate flopped down on his couch. She shook her head as if she was suffering from tinnitus. “But look,” she said. “Months later, I went out to see Tyler in Tucson. When I was interviewing all those people.”

“Right.” He waited. “So?”

“He wasn’t in a hostile environment with me—we’re on Steven’s side. I asked him, again. Was the gate open, or locked. And he couldn’t swear it was open, which he wanted to do, believe me! He wanted to protect Steven, but his conscience wouldn’t let him. He told me that his best recollection was that it was locked.” She stared at Luke. “Why would he say that then, and change his mind now, at the eleventh hour and fifty-ninth minute?” She shook her head again. “It doesn’t feel right to me, Luke.”

He knew she was right. Now that the euphoria had blown off, he could see there was something wrong about this. He hadn’t been there when Kate talked to Tyler, so he had to go by what she told him, but that was golden, as far as he was concerned.

“What do you want me to do about it?” he asked her. “Do you think he lied?”

“To help Steven?” she conjectured. “Could be. They are best of friends. And he wasn’t certain, either way.” She hesitated. “But my clear memory was that he was leaning toward locked, and let Steven convince him it was open.”

Luke tossed the pencil onto his desk. “If it turns out there’s a problem, it’ll be Alex’s, not ours. He was their witness, thank God.”

“The witness from Hell,” Kate said.

Luke smiled. “Or from Heaven, depending on where you’re sitting.”

O
VER THE WEEKEND THE
rains moved on, and the skies cleared. Monday sailed in crisp and clear.

Luke got to the courthouse an hour early. The courtroom, located on the second floor, was empty. He sat at the defense table, waiting to begin presenting his case. He loved being here. This was his church, his shrine. Except for being with his family, he was more at home here, more centered, more invigorated, than anywhere else on earth.

On Friday, the day after Tyler threw his Molotov cocktail into the proceedings, Alex had brought in more forensic experts to try to counter the damage Tyler had done to their case. They had hit hard on Steven McCoy’s fingerprints being on the murder weapon. And on that note the prosecution had rested, pending rebuttal.

Now it was his turn. He was primed, ready to go. A few early arrivals straggled into the room. He got up and walked into the hallway. When Steven arrived they would go off together by themselves. Luke would deliver a pep talk, and instruct Steven on his courtroom demeanor. Then they would enter the arena together.

Kate Blanchard came up the wide tile stairway and walked toward him. Sophia was with her. She looked like a woman today, not a girl. The change comes fast, Luke thought. Sophia was ahead of schedule—it usually didn’t kick in until college, when the parental ties were cut. But he knew the history of the Blanchard women. Sophia had been self-reliant for long time.

Kate was proud of her daughter, it radiated from her whenever the two were together. And she was scared shitless of her daughter’s sudden maturity; that, too, was obvious. In a few months Sophia would be off to college, and Kate would be on her own again. He wondered if she’d be lonely. Some of the time, probably; everyone in her situation was. She was so independent, that was the problem. She had never learned you can be independent and still be in a deep and loving relationship. Some people could never build that bridge. He hoped, as a friend, that she wasn’t one of them.

“It’s a beautiful morning,” Kate sang out. “Ready to take names and kick ass?”

“Gonna try.” He smiled at Sophia. “How come you’re here?” he asked pleasantly.

“We’re off school for three days of teachers’ conferences, so I decided to come and watch,” she answered. “Is that all right?”

“It’s fine. I’m sure Steven will be happy to see you. The more supporters in his corner, the stronger he’ll feel.”

Sophia colored. “He won’t even notice me.”

Like hell he won’t, Luke thought. He could practically smell the pheromones coming off her. How could Kate not know?

Or maybe she does, was his next thought. Either way, it was none of his business, other than how it affected the trial. Once it was over (assuming they won), the two of them could do whatever they wanted. He would be finished with Steven, and Sophia would be Kate’s problem.

The elevator doors opened at the other end of the corridor. Juanita, looking jaunty, came out first, followed by Steven’s parents, and then the star attraction himself. He had gotten his hair cut over the weekend and was wearing a conservative suit, shirt, and tie that Riva had picked out for him at the Men’s Wearhouse in the mall. They walked down the long hallway toward Luke and the Blanchard women.

Luke nudged Kate. “You and Sophia go inside and grab good seats. I need a few minutes alone with Steven.”

She nodded. “Come on,” she said to Sophia.

Sophia was looking off, toward Steven. He had been talking to his grandmother, their heads huddled together. When he looked up and saw her, he stopped. Juanita looked off, also. She gave them all a big smile. Then she turned and said something to her grandson, who nodded distractedly.

“Go inside,” Luke urged Kate.

Kate nodded. “Follow me,” she told her daughter, who was rooted to the floor. Kate took her by the arm and gently but forcefully led her away.

Luke approached the McCoys. “Go get your seats,” he told Steven’s parents. “Steven and I need some private time.”

Juanita leaned up and kissed Steven on the cheek. “Good luck,” she said cheerfully. She was on the defense witness list, so she couldn’t be in court during this part of the trial until after she testified. “I’ll see you over lunch.” She turned and walked away. Steven’s mother and father pushed in through the heavy door.

“What’s Sophia doing here?” Steven asked Luke, once they were alone.

“She’s off school, so she came to see the trial. Is that a problem?”

“I thought you didn’t want me seeing her. Us seeing each other.”

“You know what I meant. This is different. It’s public.”

Steven cocked an eyebrow. “I hope she behaves herself.”

Luke gave him a dark look. “She’s not the one who’s on trial for her life. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I’ll take care of me,” Steven assured Luke. “I promised you I’d stay away from her until this was over.” He gave Luke a flat stare. “I keep my promises.”

Luke stood at the podium. He gave Tina a reassuring smile. “Please state your name, for the record.”

“Tina Ayala.”

“How old are you, Tina?”

“Eighteen,” she answered quietly.

Judge Martindale leaned over. “You’ll have to speak up, so the court reporter and the jurors can hear you clearly.”

She nodded and cleared her throat. “Eighteen,” she said, raising her voice a notch.