Mickey Haller 4 - The Fifth Witness

followed Longstreth as she left a side door to the house and crossed a small portico to another door. This door was unlocked and she went through it, bringing the camera into the garage. Freeman stopped the video here. Like an expert Hollywood craftsman, she had built her viewers’ anticipation and now came the big tease.
    “What was found in the garage became very important to the investigation, correct, Detective?”
    “Yes, it did.”
    “What did you find?”
    “Well, in one incidence, it was what we didn’t find.”
    “Can you explain what you mean by that?”
    “Yes. There was a tool bench that ran along the back wall of the garage. It appeared to be fully stocked with tools. Most of them were hanging on hooks attached to a pegboard installed above the bench and along the wall. The different locations for hanging the tools were marked with the name of the tool. Everything had its place on the board.”
    “Okay, can you show us?”
    The video was restarted and soon it came to a head-on view of the workbench. At this point Freeman froze the image on the overhead screens.
    “Okay, so this is the workbench, correct?”
    “Yes.”
    “We see the tools hanging on the pegboard. Is there anything missing?”
    “Yes, the hammer is missing.”
    Freeman asked the judge for permission for Longstreth to step down and use a laser pointer to show on the screens where the spot for the hammer was on the pegboard. The judge allowed it. Longstreth pointed it out on both screens and then returned to the witness stand.
    “Now, Detective, was that spot specifically marked as being for a hammer?”
    “Yes, it was.”
    “So the hammer was missing.”
    “It was not found anywhere in the garage or the house.”
    “And did there come a time when you identified the make and model of the tools that were on the pegboard?”
    “Yes, by using the tools that were still there we were able to determine that the Trammels had a set of Craftsman tools that came in a specific package. It was a two-hundred-thirty-nine-piece set called the Carpenter’s Tool Package.”
    “And was the hammer from this package available outside of this set?”
    “No, it was not. There was a specific hammer that came from this particular set of tools.”
    “And it was missing from the tool set in Lisa Trammel’s garage.”
    “That is correct.”
    “Now, did there come a time during the investigation that a hammer was turned in to police that had been found near the scene of the murder of Mitchell Bondurant?”
    “Yes, a hammer was found by a gardener in some bushes a block and a half from the garage where the murder took place.”
    “Did you examine this hammer?”
    “I examined it briefly before turning it over to the Scientific Investigation Division for analysis.”
    “What kind of hammer was it?”
    “It was a claw hammer.”
    “And do you know who manufactured the hammer?”
    “It was produced by Sears Craftsman.”
    Freeman paused as though she was expecting the jury to collectively gasp at the revelation when everybody in the courtroom had known exactly what was coming. She then stepped over to the prosecution table and opened a brown evidence bag. From it she pulled out a hammer that was encased in a clear plastic bag. Holding the hammer aloft she returned to the lectern.
    “Your Honor, may I approach the witness with an exhibit?”
    “You may.”
    She walked the hammer to Longstreth and handed it to her.
    “Detective, I ask you to identify the hammer you are holding.”
    “This is the hammer that was found and turned over to me. My initials and badge number are on this evidence bag.”
    Freeman retrieved the hammer from her and asked that it be marked as state’s evidence. Judge Perry gave his approval. After returning the hammer to the prosecution table, Freeman went back to the lectern and proceeded with her examination.
    “You testified that the hammer was turned over to SID for forensic examination, correct?”
    “Yes, correct.”
    “And subsequent to that did you get a forensics report on the tool?”
    “Yes, and I have it here.”
    “What were their findings?”
    “Two things of note. One was that they identified the hammer as being made exclusively for the Craftsman Carpenter’s Tool Package.”
    “The same set that was found in the defendant’s garage?”
    “Yes.”
    “But minus the hammer?”
    “Correct.”
    “And the other forensic finding of note was what?”
    “They found blood on the hammer’s