own clothes, the fact that I was wearing a delicately floral dress I normally reserved for more formal social occasions, undoubtedly something she would attribute to the fact I’d hoped to run into Robert.
Jo Lynn was wearing a plunging white sweater and black leather miniskirt. Her hair was freshly washed and draped across her shoulders in layers of blond curls, like a heavy brocade. More than once I caught sight of people craning their necks in her direction. Jo Lynn appearedoblivious to it all, her total attention seemingly focused on the accused, but I knew she was aware of the scrutiny. And I could tell by the way she tossed her head and flicked her hair away from her face that she was enjoying it.
She was something of a celebrity here in Courtroom 11A. People talked to her. They asked her opinions of the previous day’s proceedings. They asked whether or not she thought Colin would testify in his own defense and whether or not she thought he should. I was amazed at how authoritative she sounded, at how much weight her answers were given. She’d always complained that I didn’t take her seriously enough, and maybe she was right.
The medical examiner resumed his seat on the witness stand. He was a compact little man, standing no more than five feet four inches tall, with dark hair and an oblong face that looked as if it had been caught between the doors of a bus. His features were squished into the center of his face, his round wire-rimmed glasses propped awkwardly on the bridge of his nose. His name was Dr. Ronald Loring and he was about forty-five years old. Younger than me, I thought.
“We don’t have too many more questions for you this morning, Dr. Loring,” the prosecutor began, fastening the top button of his brown pinstriped jacket while approaching the witness.
Dr. Loring nodded.
“You’ve stated that the victims had all been raped and sometimes sodomized, is that so?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Was there semen found in any of the victims?”
“There was semen found in the bodies that were sufficiently preserved.” He listed the women’s names.
“And did that semen match the sample of semen taken from Colin Friendly?”
“It did in many significant respects.”
I glanced at Jo Lynn. She tossed her head, flicked her hair, pretended to be unaware I was looking at her.
There followed a lengthy discussion of the techniques used to analyze and identify sperm. It had something to do with bodily secretions and blood types and other variables I’ve forgotten. According to these variables, there was a seventy percent probability that Colin Friendly was the man who’d raped and sodomized these women.
“Seventy percent,” Jo Lynn repeated, dismissively.
The same was true of the teeth marks that had been etched into the flesh of several of the victims. A mold had been taken of Colin Friendly’s mouth. It closely—but not conclusively—matched the bite marks on the bodies. Traces of saliva left inside the wounds pointed to—but didn’t pinpoint—the accused. Despite this, there was no question in his mind, Dr. Ronald Loring pronounced, but that Colin Friendly had been responsible for the bites on the bodies of the dead girls.
What of the bodies that had decomposed beyond recognition, that were mere collections of bones by the time they were unearthed? the prosecutor asked. How could the doctor tell that these unfortunates had been murdered, let alone murdered by Colin Friendly?
Dr. Loring went into a lengthy discussion of the marvels of forensic medicine, how scientific techniques had become so sophisticated, they could often precisely pinpoint the exact time and cause of a person’s death. He went into considerable detail regarding the methods his department employed. His voice was steady, his delivery dry. I could tell he was losing some of the jury, who looked bleary-eyed, one man’s eyes threatening to close altogether.
“Mumbo jumbo,” Jo Lynn muttered.
Aside from
Jo Lynn was wearing a plunging white sweater and black leather miniskirt. Her hair was freshly washed and draped across her shoulders in layers of blond curls, like a heavy brocade. More than once I caught sight of people craning their necks in her direction. Jo Lynn appearedoblivious to it all, her total attention seemingly focused on the accused, but I knew she was aware of the scrutiny. And I could tell by the way she tossed her head and flicked her hair away from her face that she was enjoying it.
She was something of a celebrity here in Courtroom 11A. People talked to her. They asked her opinions of the previous day’s proceedings. They asked whether or not she thought Colin would testify in his own defense and whether or not she thought he should. I was amazed at how authoritative she sounded, at how much weight her answers were given. She’d always complained that I didn’t take her seriously enough, and maybe she was right.
The medical examiner resumed his seat on the witness stand. He was a compact little man, standing no more than five feet four inches tall, with dark hair and an oblong face that looked as if it had been caught between the doors of a bus. His features were squished into the center of his face, his round wire-rimmed glasses propped awkwardly on the bridge of his nose. His name was Dr. Ronald Loring and he was about forty-five years old. Younger than me, I thought.
“We don’t have too many more questions for you this morning, Dr. Loring,” the prosecutor began, fastening the top button of his brown pinstriped jacket while approaching the witness.
Dr. Loring nodded.
“You’ve stated that the victims had all been raped and sometimes sodomized, is that so?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Was there semen found in any of the victims?”
“There was semen found in the bodies that were sufficiently preserved.” He listed the women’s names.
“And did that semen match the sample of semen taken from Colin Friendly?”
“It did in many significant respects.”
I glanced at Jo Lynn. She tossed her head, flicked her hair, pretended to be unaware I was looking at her.
There followed a lengthy discussion of the techniques used to analyze and identify sperm. It had something to do with bodily secretions and blood types and other variables I’ve forgotten. According to these variables, there was a seventy percent probability that Colin Friendly was the man who’d raped and sodomized these women.
“Seventy percent,” Jo Lynn repeated, dismissively.
The same was true of the teeth marks that had been etched into the flesh of several of the victims. A mold had been taken of Colin Friendly’s mouth. It closely—but not conclusively—matched the bite marks on the bodies. Traces of saliva left inside the wounds pointed to—but didn’t pinpoint—the accused. Despite this, there was no question in his mind, Dr. Ronald Loring pronounced, but that Colin Friendly had been responsible for the bites on the bodies of the dead girls.
What of the bodies that had decomposed beyond recognition, that were mere collections of bones by the time they were unearthed? the prosecutor asked. How could the doctor tell that these unfortunates had been murdered, let alone murdered by Colin Friendly?
Dr. Loring went into a lengthy discussion of the marvels of forensic medicine, how scientific techniques had become so sophisticated, they could often precisely pinpoint the exact time and cause of a person’s death. He went into considerable detail regarding the methods his department employed. His voice was steady, his delivery dry. I could tell he was losing some of the jury, who looked bleary-eyed, one man’s eyes threatening to close altogether.
“Mumbo jumbo,” Jo Lynn muttered.
Aside from
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