Cross Justice (Alex Cross 23)

Naomi went to the defense table, retrieved a file. “The defense would like to introduce sworn testimony by several expert witnesses that all say date-rape drugs can linger in the bloodstream for up to fourteen days.”

Varney squinted, took the documents, scanned them, and then handed them to the clerk. He ran his hand back over his pompadour, looking kind of anxious. Another kidney stone coming on?

Naomi said, “So that part of Sharon Lawrence’s story is not correct, is it, Detective Frost? She wasn’t drugged, was she?”

“You said the drug can linger for up to fourteen days,” Frost said. “Up to means in some people, the drug is gone in a lot less than two weeks.”

Naomi paused, seemed to shift gears.

“The semen in her underwear. It was a direct match to my client?”

“DNA doesn’t lie,” Frost said.

“There’s no disputing the DNA test,” Naomi agreed. “When Ms. Lawrence came forward with her rape story, she had my client’s DNA in her panties.”

“Correct,” Frost said.

Naomi said, “Did you also find Ms. Lawrence’s DNA in the panties?”

“Yes,” Frost said.

Sharon Lawrence was looking at the ceiling above Judge Varney. Her mother held her hand tight.

“So you’ve got Mr. Tate’s semen and Ms. Lawrence’s body fluids, and you test them for DNA. What else did you test those substances for?”

The police detective frowned. “I’m not following you.”

“Did you have your lab do other tests on the semen and Ms. Lawrence’s body fluids? Say, drug tests?”

Frost blinked, said nothing.

“Detective?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so, no.”

“We’ve checked the record and you haven’t,” Naomi said. “So we had the FBI perform other tests on those samples.”

Chapter

93

Naomi held up a document, said, “The defense would like to introduce exhibit—”

“Objection!” Strong said, jumping to her feet. “The prosecution was not made aware of any such tests.”

“Because we ordered them last night and they came in this morning.”

“That’s impossible. The backlog of work at the FBI’s lab is—”

“Quantico did a rush job on the tests as a favor to my uncle.”

The district attorney looked to Judge Varney.

The judge rotated his head around to ease a cramp in his neck, glanced at me and the others in the cheap seats, said, “The court will admit the FBI’s tests.”

Naomi beamed. She handed copies to the clerk, the prosecution, and Detective Frost. Interested now, the jurors shifted in their seats, wondering just what the tests said. I tried not to smile, but I was proud of my niece. She had every person in the courtroom in the palm of her hand.

Naomi said, “You’ll see the necessary stamps, signatures, and so forth on pages one and two. Turn to page three. You’ll see that we submitted Ms. Lawrence’s body fluids at the time of the alleged rape for evidence of illicit drugs commonly used during date rapes, like Rohypnol.”