The People vs. Alex Cross (Alex Cross 25)

“Sustained,” Larch said. “The jury will ignore that.”

Anita showed no reaction. “Ms. Binx, the morning of the shootings, after you came back from your run, do you remember tripping in your apartment and Dr. Cross catching you before you could fall?”

She hesitated, frowned. “No.”

“Yes, you tripped over an electrical cord. When Dr. Cross caught you, you put a piece of clear adhesive tape on the underside of his forearm, didn’t you?”

“Objection,” Wills said wearily. “Where is the foundation for this?”

Anita said, “Your Honor, Dr. Cross and his wife, DC chief of detectives Bree Stone, will testify that they found a piece of tape on the underside of Dr. Cross’s right forearm in the hours after the shootings. We believe that the ecstasy was on that tape in a gel or powdered form and that it was absorbed into Dr. Cross’s bloodstream transdermally, through the skin.”

“Where is this tainted tape?” the prosecutor said. “Render the body, Counselor.”

Anita ignored him, said to the judge, “Neither Dr. Cross nor Chief Stone thought much of it at the time, and they threw the tape out at GW Medical Center.”

Wills shook his head even more wearily. “Move to strike everything Ms. Marley has said about this phantom piece of tape, Your Honor.”

“So moved,” Larch said.

“Your Honor—” Anita started.

“No tape, no talk about tape,” the judge said sharply.

Anita sighed, said, “Ms. Binx, did you dose Dr. Cross with ecstasy?”

Binx blinked, chewed on her lip, glanced at Wills, and then said again, “I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me.”

CHAPTER

80

WHEN JUDGE LARCH called for lunch recess and left the courtroom slowly, the prosecutors weren’t looking quite as confident as they had earlier.

Anita had asked Binx several more questions about the ecstasy, including how it was that she had been given the perfect dose of MDMA for her weight and how it was that I was given the perfect dose for mine.

Binx had replied to every question about the drug by taking the Fifth.

“Tripping on ecstasy doesn’t get your client off,” Wills said to Anita as she packed away some files.

“No?” she said. “Fortunately, a jury gets to make that decision.”

“No tainted tape, no causality. Even you can see that.”

Anita gave him a blank expression. “Save it for your close.”

Athena Carlisle said, “Given the videos, are you open to talking plea bargain? Dr. Cross might get out in time to meet his great-grandkids.”

Anita glanced at me. I shook my head.

Carlisle puffed her cheeks, then blew out air. “We tried.”

“Suit yourself,” Wills said, and he chuckled as he left. “But I hear it’s hell for an ex-cop in prison.”

Naomi, Bree, my dad, and I ate takeout pulled-pork sandwiches in a conference room. Even though Anita had scored big points with her cross-examination, we were a somber, focused bunch.

For the first time in a week I felt jurors five and eleven leaning a bit my way, or at least developing some skepticism regarding the prosecution’s case. But Wills had been right. The ecstasy might be a mitigating factor, but it wouldn’t be enough to acquit me of two murders and an attempted murder.

We were back in court with two minutes to spare. Anita was already there.