'Yes.'
'What's her name?'
'Jessie Freeman.'
'How did you come to be a witness in this case?'
'There was an ad in the school paper. It asked anyone with any information about the murder to call you.'
'Was the ad more specific?'
'You wanted to talk to anyone who'd been around Wishing Well Park from 11 P.m. to 2:30 A.M. on the evening that Sandra Whiley was killed.'
'Do you remember what -you were doing on the evening that Sandra Whiley was murdered?'
'I was on a date with Jessie. We went to a late movie.
Afterward, we went to Wishing Well Park and, uh, we were in the park for a while.'
Peter did not press Howell for more detailed testimony. He could tell from the amused looks of some of the jurors that they were well aware of what a young couple would be doing in the park on a romantic summer evening.
'When did you start to leave the park?'
'A little before eleven-thirty.'
'How can you be certain of the time?'
'We were going white-water rafting the next day and we had to get up early, so I looked.at my watch to see what time it was.'
'What path did you take to get out of Wishing Well Park?'
'We walked along the river until we reached the wishing well. Then we walked up the path and left through the main entrance.'
'Did you see a dead body next to the well when you passed by?'
'No, sir.'
'Would you have noticed a body?'
'Yes, sir. Jessie made a wish at the well and threw in a penny. We were standing there looking down.'
'Do you know what Jessie wished for?'
'Yes, sir,' Howell smiled.
'Tell the jury how you figured out Jessie's wish?'
'When we reached the place where the stone pillars are, Jessie kissed me.'
'And did you kiss her back?' -Yes, sir.'
'What happened then?'
'Jessie was holding on to my hand and she swung away from me and said, 'See, wishes do come true.' -She swung away,' Peter repeated.
'Yes.' -Why do you remember all this so well, Mr. Howell?'
'The girl who was murdered, Sandy, she was in one of my classes. Everyone was talking about it the next day when we got back from rafting. I realized that we must have been right where the murder took place, right before it happened. That really scared me.'
'Mr. Howell, how long did it take between the time you decided to leave the park at a little before eleven- thirty and the time you actually left the park?'
'Not long. We were pretty near the well. Then, we stopped so Jessie could make her wish. That wasn't much time. I'd say no more than five minutes.'
'So, it was around eleven thirty-five when you were at the entrance to the park?'
eyes)
'How was Jessie dressed?'
'Jeans and a tee shirt.'
'Mr. Howell, are you taller or shorter than Jessie?'
'Taller. She's only about five four, five five.'
'One last question. What is the color of Jessie Freeman's hair and does she wear it short or long?'
'Jessie's hair is blond. She has long blond hair.'
Mi 'Are you telling me that you didn't know a thing about this witness?'
Becky O'Shay shouted at Dennis Downes.
'Calm down, Becky.'
'Don't you realize that our whole case depends on the theory that Harmon made up his story about seeing two people kissing at the entrance to Wishing Well Park? Didn't you hear me tell the jury during opening statement that there were never two people kissing at the park entrance, that the two people at the entrance were Sandra Whiley and the murderer, Gary Harmon?
Now, we've got two cute teenagers smooching at the pillars at eleven thirty-five. He is taller than she is, just as Harmon said. She swings away from him, just as Harmon said. And the girl has blond hair and was wearing jeans and a tee shirt, just like Sandra Whiley. Finally, we have Harmon eating biscuits and gravy at the Ponderosa without a drop of blood on him at midnight. The case is falling apart.'
Downes shrugged his shoulders. 'I don't know what to tell you. No one knew about Howell until he called Hale. It's just a bad break.'
O'Shay clenched her fists in frustration. Then she sank onto her chair and sagged.
'I'm sorry I yelled, Dennis. I'm just tired. You go and interview Howell for me. See if you can get me something I can use on cross. Call me at home if you com@ up with anything.'
Downes left and O'Shay stared at the stacks of pofic@ reports that covered her desk. Each one dealt with sorr aspect of the Harmon case. She had read through thin countless times, but she vowed to go through theiri again in hopes of finding anything that would help her, deal with Zack Howell's testimony.
Becky missed it her first time through because the clues were scattered around. A report here, a fragment of remembered conversation there. In fact, O'Shay did t all together until she caught sight of that afternot put I noon's edition of the Clarion lying unread on top of her filing cabinet.
Becky sat up, openmouthed. Then she rummaged through the police reports until she found the one she wanted. A surge of energy coursed through her as she reread it When she was done she placed several calls.
The people with whom she spoke confirmed her conclusion. Zack Howell and Jessie Freeman may have been kissing at the entrance to Wishing Well Park and Gary Harmon may have been sitting in the Ponderosa at midnight eating biscuits and gravy, but Harmon had also murdered Sandra Whiley and Becky could prove it.
Chapter TWENTY-FIVE.
The next day, Peter rested the defense case as soon as court convened, and Becky O'Shay called Dennis Downes as her first rebuttal witness.
'Sergeant Downes, you are aware that Dr. Guisti places Sandra Whiley's time of death sometime between 11:30 P.m. and 2:30 A.M.?'
'Yes, ma'am.'
'And the body was discovered early on Saturday morning?'
Yes.
'Did the authorities know Miss Whiley's identity immediately?'
'No. We couldn't find a wallet or purse, so it took a while to identify Miss Whiley.'
'When was the identification made?'
'After four that afternoon.'
'How did you discover the identity of the victim?'
'Marjorie Dooling, Miss Whiley's roommate, saw a sketch of the victim in the afternoon edition of the Clarion and came down to the station house.'
'No further questions.'
'Any cross, Mr. Hale?' judge Kuffel asked.
Peter had no idea why Becky had asked Downes about the time of the identification so he shook his head.
'The state calls Martin Renzler.'
