"When you say you believe he said this, what do you mean?"
"Lisa told me he said it. I was standing at Lisa's shoulder and could hear something of what he said."
"Do you know if Mrs. Darius believed the defendant meant this as a threat?"
"She was confused. She told me she wasn't certain what he meant. He seemed to be implying Lisa was in danger from someone else, but that didn't make sense. I took it that he was threatening her indirectly, so no blame could be placed on him."
"justice Ryder, when was the last time you saw your daughter alive?"
For a brief moment the judge lost his composure. He sipped from a cup of water before answering.
"we had breakfast together between seven and seven-thirty a.m. Then I drove to Salem."
"When did you return home?"
"Around six in the evening."
"Was your daughter home?"
"No."
"Did you see anything in the house that alarmed you?"
"The television was on, but no one was home. The sound was high enough so Lisa should have heard it and turned it off before she left."
"Was there evidence that she'd had a visitor?"
"There were two coffee cups in the kitchen and some coffee cake was out, as if she'd been talking to someone.
"Did your daughter leave a note telling where she was going?"
"No."
"Nothing further."
"Your witness, Mrs. Tannenbaum," judge Norwood said.
"He's lying," Darius whispered. "I never threatened Lisa. I was warning her."
"He's not lying, Martin. He's saying what he honestly believes happened.
If I push him, he'll just harden his position."
"Bullshit. I've seen you take witnesses apart. Ryder is a pompous asshole. You can make him look like a fool."
Betsy took a deep breath, because she did not want to lose her temper.
Then she leaned over to Darius and spoke quietly.
"Do you want me to push justice Ryder until he breaks down Martin? Do you really think it will help you get bail if I cause One of the most respected judges in the state, and the father of a young woman who has been brutally murdered, to crack up in open court in front of one of his colleagues?"
Darius started to say something, then shut up and turned away from Betsy.
"No questions, Your Honor," Betsy said.
"Our next witness is Detective Richard Kassel," Page told the judge.
Richard Kassel sauntered down the aisle. He was dressed in a brown tweed sports coat, tan slacks, a white shirt and a bright yellow print tie.
His shoes were polished and his black hair was styled. He had the smug look of a person who took himself too seriously.
"Detective Kassel, how are you employed?"
"I'm a detective with the Portland Police Bureau."
"Did you arrest the defendant yesterday evening?"
"Yes, sir."
"Tell the judge how that came about."
Kassel swiveled toward the judge.
"Detective Rittner and I received a call over the police radio. Based on that communication, I entered the grounds. The door to the defendant's house was locked.
We identified ourselves as police and demanded that the defendant open the door. He complied. Detective Rittner and I secured the defendant and waited for the other cars to arrive, as we had been ordered to do."
"Did other officers arrive soon after?"
Kassel nodded. "About fifteen minutes after we arrived, you and Detective Barrow arrived, followed by several others."
Betsy's brow furrowed. She checked something she had written during justice Ryder's testimony. Then she made some notes on her pad.
"Did you discover the body?" Page asked.
"No, sir. Our instructions were to stay with the defendant. The body was discovered by other officers."
"Did you give Mr. Darius his Miranda warnings?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did Mr. Darius make any statements?"
"Other than to ask to call his lawyer, no."
"Your witness, Mrs. Tannenbaum."
Betsy looked unsure of herself She asked the judge for a minute and pretended to look through a police report while she worked through her thoughts.
"Detective Kassel," Betsy asked cautiously, "who told you to enter the Darius estate and arrest Mr. Darius?"
"Detective Barrow."
"Did he say why you were to arrest Mr. Darius?"
"Yes, ma'am. He said there was a tip that the defendant had killed his wife and her body was in his basement."
"Did Detective Barrow tell you who gave him the tip?"
"I didn't ask."
"How was Mr. Darius dressed when he opened the door for you?"
"He was wearing a white shirt and pants."
"Mr. Darius, please stand up." Darius stood.
"Are these the pants?" Detective Kassel took a second to look at Darius.
"Yeah. Those are the ones we arrested him in."
"And this is the white shirt?"
"Yes."
"It's in the same condition as when you arrested him?"
"Yes."
"There's no blood on this shirt, is there?"
Kassel paused, then answered, "No, ma: am.
"Did you view the body of Lisa Darius at any point?"
"Yes."
"When it was still in the basement?"
"Yes."
"Mrs. Darius was disemboweled, was she not?"
"Yes."
"There was blood all over that basement, wasn't there?"
"Yes," Kassel answered grudgingly.
"The gate to the Darius estate is locked. How did you get in?"
"Detective Barrow had the combination."
"How is it that you arrived at the Darius estate so far ahead of Detective Barrow, Mr. Page and the other officers?" Betsy asked with an easy smile that disguised the tension she was feeling. She would know if her suspicions were correct after a few more questions.
"We were parked outside it."
"Was that by chance?"
"No, ma'am. We had the defendant under surveillance."
"How long had you had him under surveillance?"
"We've been SURVEILLING him for quite a while. Back before his first arrest."
"Just you and Detective Rittner?"
"Oh, no. There were three teams. We switched off You can't do that twenty-four hours."
"Of course not. When did your shift start on the day you arrested Mr.
Darius?"
"Around three in the afternoon."
"Where did you start?"
"Outside his office."
"I assume you took over for another surveillance team?"
"Right. Detectives Padovici and Kristol."
"When had they started?"
"Around five in the morning."
"Where did they start?"
"The defendant's house."
"why did the other team start so early?"
"The defendant gets up around five-thirty and leaves for work around six-thirty. By getting there at five, we kept him covered when he left his place."
"Is that what Kristol and Padovici did?"
"Yeah."
"I suppose they followed Mr. Darius to work?"
"That's what they said."
"Anything unusual happen that day, according to the detectives?"
"No. He went right to work. I don't think he ever left his office.
Detective Padovici said it looked like he sent out for sandwiches at lunchtime. Around six a bunch of guys in suits left. I think they were having a meeting."
"When Mr. Darius left, you followed him home?"
"Right."
"Was he ever out of your sight?"
"No, ma'am."
"How long after Mr. Darius arrived home did you receive the instructions from Detective Barrow to enter the Darius estate and arrest Mr. Darius?"
"Not long."
"Give me your best guess."
"Uh, about fifteen, twenty minutes."
Betsy paused. She felt sick about asking the next series of questions, but her sense of duty, and the possibility that the answers could prove her client innocent, overcame her revulsion at the prospect of Martin Darius walking free.