“Is it possible?” Pierre said.
“Possible?”Dr. Mundi said as he momentarily stopped his work to stare at the preserved oar.
“Yes. It matches the nature of the fracture. A blunt, heavy object that could be swung at low-to-medium velocity. But I’d need to take measurements to see if the blade matches the size and shape of the skull fracture.”
“Emmanuel,” Pierre said, getting the doctor’s attention by addressing him by his first name. “I understand the methodology you must use to confirm my suspicion. I also know that will take some time, of which I’m very short. What I’m asking you today is if you think this paddleboard oar could have been, not if it was for certain, but if itcould have been usedto strike Julian Crist and cause his head trauma.”
“Perhaps,” Dr. Mundi said, still scrutinizing the plastic tube while his hands were frozen midsuture above the body in front of him. “But from here, the size of the blade doesn’t match what I remember about the fracture.”
“His blood is on the blade, Emmanuel. DNA will prove that it is a match,” Pierre said.
“You’ve made me aware of that fact, Claude.”
Pierre looked across the mortuary at the doorway, then back to Dr. Mundi. “I need this, Emmanuel,” he said in a controlled voice. “I have pressure on me to get this under control quickly. I need you to tell me this oar caused the skull fracture.”
“You’re asking me, while I have a different body on my table, to confirm that this oar caused the skull fracture in the Crist case. My initial instinct is only that it’s possible. I need to run the tests and perform my analysis. I’ll need to pull the body from the cooler and have a closer look.”
“When?”
“I’ll be done here in an hour.”
Pierre nodded, rested his hand on top of the plastic tube. “I’ll wait.”
CHAPTER 10
“TIME’S UP,” THE GUARD SAID.
“Listen, Grace,” Sidney said. “I’ll be honest with you. Exonerations are terribly rare. They don’t happen often, and never without new evidence turning up. I want you to know that I will be pitching this documentary to my network as a spotlight on you and your story. I can’t promise anything will change for you because of this film. I can promise, however, that if we get the project off the ground, you and your case will gain mainstream attention from a major network in America. You’ll have the haters and the cynics, those who will never believe you are anything but Julian Crist’s killer. But if we present your case correctly, we may also capture the attention of others who believe you. And none of us know who those people might be, or where that attention will lead.”
“I’ll take attention right now,” Grace said. “Because I’ve got nothing else. I’ve exhausted my appeals, so legally there is nothing left for me to pursue. This documentary is all I have. So I’m on board with you telling my story. A story the world has never heard because the real Grace Sebold was overshadowed ten years ago by the spectacular headlines ofblood and cover-ups and shoeprints and skull fractures. ‘Grisly Grace’ with all her lovers who flew into a jealous rage. All that crap that had so little to do with who I am and what Julian meant to me. So, please, tell the world who Grace Sebold is. For that, I’ll be forever grateful. But I’m begging you, Sidney. Look into my case. Look at the evidence that was used to convict me. Show how wrong it was. Show how inconsistent it was. Promise me you’ll look.”
Sidney opened her mouth to speak, then put her lips together to consider her words. “Listen, Grace, you’ve been through a lot in your life. Things I’ll never understand and will never be able to relate to. I’m not going to be another person who delivers disillusionment to you. I’m going to make a documentary aboutyou.About your history. About who Grace Sebold was when she came to Sugar Beach back in 2007, about how her boyfriend was killed, and about how she was accused and convicted of his murder. I’m going to highlight the way you’ve clung to your innocence for the past ten years. I’m going to present the idea that a police force, eager to avoid a drawn-out murder investigation that would hurt tourism, too quickly jumped to conclusions, utilized illegal interrogation techniques, and assigned you an incompetent defense attorney. I’ll highlight the discrepancies of your case, and I’ll cover everything you’ve told me in your letters. Will that be enough to find an audience? I think so. Will it be enough to prove your innocence? I doubt it.”
“Iaminnocent, Sidney.”
“I understand your conviction, Grace, but I can’t promise that my documentary will prove this. Again, my intention is to tell your story. If, in doing so, we cast everything that stands against you into doubt, I’ll consider it a victory.”
Grace sat back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
Sidney blinked a few times as she considered the question and all the evidence that had convicted Grace Sebold years ago. Her mind was clouded by everything she had learned from Claude Pierre. She glanced quickly at the camera filming from the corner of the room, and then looked back to Grace. “I’m not sure what I believe.”
JURY DELIBERATION DAY 1
As the twelve jury members sat around the conference table, it took thirty minutes of introductions until it was decided that Harold Anthony would act as foreman. Harold was one of four men on the jury; the other eight were women. Five were business professionals, two were retired, and one was a stay-at-home mom.
Harold Anthony was a local businessman with a calm demeanor and clear ability to lead. He was an easy choice to head a group discussion that would determine a woman’s fate, and decide if she was guilty or innocent of murder.
“Okay,” Harold said from the head of the conference table. “The entire case, offered from both sides, has been presented to us. The judge has made it clear that the world is watching and waiting for the twelve of us to make a decision. The media scrutiny will be intense and, perhaps, overwhelming. The judgehas made clear that after a thorough and complete deliberation, we need to stand together as one on our decision. So I think the first thing we should do is discuss our initial thoughts and clarify any areas we do not fully understand.
“Her fingerprints were found on the murder weapon,” one of the retired women said. “I’m not fully understanding what there is to debate.”
“Well,” Harold said. “Since our initial vote was not unanimous, we’ve been burdened with the task of debate until such time that we all agree. But you bring up a good jumping-off point . The murder weapon, and her fingerprints on it, is as good a place to start that debate as any.”
PART II
THE PITCH
