an expertise in this area of law. Assignment to the homicide rotation was usually reserved for experienced judges. Opton had only been on the bench for five years, but he had been a homicide specialist in the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office for ten years. He was a stocky, balding man whose features bore a faint resemblance to the actor Jack Nicholson. Despite being a career prosecutor before his elevation to the bench, Opton was a favorite of defense attorneys and prosecutors alike. He was scrupulously fair, well versed in the law, and ran his court with a firm hand that was softened by a wry sense of humor.
'Are we ready to go?' the judge asked the attorneys.
'Ready for Mr. Ames,' Amanda said.
'Ready for the state,' Greene intoned.
'Bailiff, please call the case.'
The bailiff read the name and number of Daniel's case into the record. For purposes of the bail hearing, the parties had entered into a stipulation that Arthur Briggs had been shot with a .45-caliber bullet and a person other than Briggs had intentionally caused the death. This helped speed up the hearing because the prosecutor did not have to call the medical examiner as a witness. The parties had further stipulated that Daniel worked at Reed, Briggs until the week before the murder when Briggs had fired him. After reading the stipulation into the record, Mike Greene called his first witness.
In response to Greene's questions, Zeke Forbus told the judge that he had been summoned to the crime scene at Starlight Road and had interviewed Dr. April Fairweather. Dr. Fairweather had given him the name and description of a man she had seen leaving the crime scene and the car in which he had driven away. Forbus testified that he ran a check on the car owned by the man Dr. Fairweather named and he discovered that the car was the make and color that Dr. Fairweather had described. Finally, Forbus described Daniel's arrest.
'Good morning, Detective Forbus,' Amanda said when the witness was turned over to her for cross- examination. Forbus did not answer. He distrusted defense attorneys and he especially disliked women lawyers.
'Were you present during the arrest of Mr. Ames and the search of his apartment?'
'Yes, ma'am.'
'Did Mr. Ames make any incriminating statements to you or any other police officer or detective following his arrest?'
'He asked for an attorney, right away.'
'Can I take it that means that Mr. Ames did not make any statement that incriminated himself in the murder of Mr. Briggs?'
'That is correct.'
'Have Mr. Ames's fingerprints been found at the crime scene?'
'Not to my knowledge.'
'When Mr. Briggs was found he was lying in a pool of blood, was he not?'
'Yes.'
'Did you find any blood on Mr. Ames or his clothing?'
'Mr. Ames washed his clothes. We found them in a washing machine in the basement.'
'Your Honor, would you please instruct Detective Forbus to answer my questions?'
Judge Opton smiled. 'Come on, Detective. You're not going to score any points this way. Do everyone a favor. Listen to the question and answer it, okay?'
'Sorry, Judge,' Forbus answered. 'No blood was found on Mr. Ames or his clothing.'
'Did you find the murder weapon on Mr. Ames or in his apartment?'
'No.'
'You searched his car?'
'Yes.'
'Find any blood or guns?'
'No.'
'Would it be fair to say that the only evidence you have connecting Daniel Ames with the scene of the crime is the statement of Dr. Fairweather?'
'Yes.'
'Thank you. No further questions.'
'Mr. Greene?' Judge Opton said.
'We call Dr. April Fairweather to the stand.'
Daniel turned sideways and watched Fairweather walk down the aisle toward the witness box. Whenever he saw her he got an impression of a person in hiding. Fairweather kept her eyes front and avoided looking at Daniel. When she took the oath she continued to look away from him.
'Dr. Fairweather,' Mike Greene began as soon as the witness was sworn, 'what is your profession?'
Fairweather sat erect with her hands folded in her lap and her eyes glued on the deputy district attorney. Her response was so soft that Daniel strained to hear her. The judge asked her to raise her voice and repeat her answer.
'I am a counselor.'
'Is that what your doctorate is in?'
'Yes, and my master's degree.'
'Is it as a result of your practice that you came to be a client of Arthur Briggs?'
'Yes, sir. A patient sued me. My insurance company employed Mr. Briggs to represent them in cases of this sort.'
'Did you ever meet with Mr. Briggs at his office to discuss your case?'
'We met on several occasions.'
'While at the office, did you ever meet the defendant, Daniel Ames?'
'Yes. Mr. Briggs introduced me to him. He told me his name and we shook hands.'
Daniel remembered that Dr. Fairweather had also refused to meet his eye when Arthur Briggs had introduced them. When he'd shaken her hand it had been damp and cold, and she'd jerked it away as if she was afraid Daniel would trap it.
'Did you see Mr. Ames a second time at the Reed, Briggs offices?'
'Yes.'
'When was that?'
'The Friday before Mr. Briggs was killed.'
'Please describe that occasion for the judge.'
'I was sitting in the waiting area in front of Mr. Briggs's office when the door opened. Mr. Ames stood in the doorway with his back to me speaking to Mr. Briggs.'
'Can you remember anything he said?'
'No, but I could tell that he was angry.'
'How do you know that he was angry with Mr. Briggs?'
'I could hear Mr. Briggs shouting at him, then Mr. Ames slammed the door. When he turned around he looked furious. Then he saw me and Mr. Briggs's secretary and he rushed away.'
'Did you have a third occasion to encounter Mr. Ames?'
'Yes, sir.'
'When was that?'
'The night of the murder.'
'Where were you?'
'At a cottage on Starlight Road.'
'What time was it?'
'A little after eight.'
'How do you know that?'
'Mr. Briggs's secretary called me earlier in the day and told me that there had been a development in my case and Mr. Briggs needed to meet with me at the Starlight Road address at eight-fifteen that evening. I'm always punctual and I checked the clock on my dashboard when I turned into Starlight Road.'
'What did you see as you approached the cottage?'
