Trial Courtship

He studied them. “The one on my left.”

The attorney glanced at the judge and said wearily, “Let the record show that this witness identified People’s exhibit sixteen.

“Thank you, Mr. Mays. I have no further questions at this time, Your Honor.”

The judge declared a recess during which the jurors milled around the jury room, several noticeably impatient. The trial was now in its third day, and the prosecution had yet to rest its case. “Hell, we’ll be here all next week,” Chet Swenson complained.

Dottie shook her head sadly. “I don’t know how I’m going to get ready for all my company.”

“Hey, it’s okay with me,” the young man who’d worn the Case-Western Reserve T-shirt on Wednesday said with a sly grin. “This beats going to class.”

Shayla and Andrea walked to the north window, overlooking the lake, glistening silver in the pale sunlight fingering through the light cloud cover. “So, how’s it going with Tony?”

Andrea rued the flush that crept up her neck. “Interesting.” She let the word lie between them, unsure whether she wanted to elaborate.

“Hey, girl, you can’t stop there. I gotta have something to think about besides crime.” She gave an out-with-it gesture. “What do you mean ‘interesting’?”

Grinning, Andrea relented. “Thanks to you and your clever manipulation, I had pizza with him last night.”

“That’s better than ‘interesting.’ That’s progress. So?” Shayla smiled in anticipation.

“He seems very nice. At least he made inroads with my nephew.”

“Whoa! Your nephew? Did he go on your date?”

Andrea backpedaled. “It wasn’t a date, exactly. Just a casual dinner.” She briefly explained about having custody of Nicky. “So, naturally he was along.”

“Kinda cramped your style, didn’t it?” Shayla waved her hands dismissively. “But, it’s a start. And from what I saw this morning, the man’s definitely got the hots for you. So what’s next?”

Andrea paused, aware that she didn’t know anything beyond tonight. Maybe she was kidding herself. Why would there be anything beyond that? Did she even want more? For heaven’s sake, she’d only just met Tony. “I’ve invited him for dinner this evening.”

Shayla gave her a high five. “Way to go! I’m proud of you.” Then her face fell. “There’s only one problem. That means I have to wait until Monday to hear all.”

“Maybe there won’t be much to tell.”

Shayla eyed her up and down, then cackled, “Oh, I imagine there’ll be plenty to tell.”

To Andrea’s relief, the bailiff motioned them to line up again. After court reconvened, Andrea was glad they’d had the break, because the next testimony was highly technical. First, a DNA expert whose tests proved the T-shirt Mays had identified had small bloodstains on it consistent with Mr. Bartelli’s blood, followed by an electronics professional, who discussed the surveillance video camera, its angle and range of view. Last, the judge permitted a replay of tape recorded that night. The picture was fuzzy, but was clear enough to show a male entering the store and threatening the owner. Then just as the man pulled a gun, the soda cans fell in such a way that the view of the register was momentarily obscured. Finally the camera picked up a figure running out the front door. It all happened so fast that Andrea had difficulty separating the actions.