The Innocent Woman

cocaine use. But it was too faint to be conclusive. To put it one way, if this were a baseball player undergoing mandatory drug testing, the reading would not have been sufficient to determine he had flunked the test.”
    “But the test did indicate a trace of cocaine?”
    “Possibly. It could also have been a false positive. The only significance of the test would be to indicate that at a future time, it might be wise to test again.” Stanton smiled. “In the present case, that is not applicable.”
    “Be that as it may, doctor, no matter how hard you try to minimalize this finding, the fact is this test revealed a trace residue of cocaine.”
    “Which could not in any way have contributed to the cause of death,” Dr. Stanton said. “I want to make that perfectly clear. When I stated I found no contributing causes of death, that was entirely accurate. There are no contributing causes of death, no matter how much you may want to make out of this one particular test.”
    “I’m not trying to make anything out of it, doctor, other than to bring out the fact it exists. Now then was there anything else revealed by your autopsy that you failed to tell us about?”
    Dr. Stanton’s eyes narrowed. “I did not fail to tell you about it,” he snapped. “I was asked for the cause of death. I’ve given you the cause of death, and everything significant relating to the cause of death. I have not given you every extraneous and unrelated matter that had nothing to do with the cause of death. My autopsy also revealed the man suffered from hemorrhoids. Would you like to take me to task for failing to mention that?”
    Judge Wylie banged the gavel. “That will do. Doctor, I can understand the provocation, but please try to avoid sparring with counsel.”
    “Sorry, Your Honor.”
    “Proceed.”
    Steve Winslow held up the plastic bag. “Now then, doctor, getting back to this bullet. The one you told us about. The one that is the sole and sufficient cause of death. The one that this trace residue of cocaine was not a contributing factor to.”
    “Objection, Your Honor.”
    “Sustained. Mr. Winslow, if you could likewise avoid baiting the witness?”
    “Yes, Your Honor. Dr. Stanton, regarding this bullet—is it then your testimony that this bullet is the sole and sufficient cause of death of the decedent, Frank Fletcher?”
    “Yes, it is.”
    “This particular bullet?”
    “Yes. If that’s Exhibit One,” Stanton said, “that’s the bullet.”
    “Oh, it’s Exhibit One,” Steve said. “I wouldn’t switch bullets on you, doctor. Here. See for yourself.”
    He handed Dr. Stanton the plastic bag. Stanton took it, looked at it, started to hand it back.
    “No, hang on to it for a minute, doctor,” Steve said. “I’d like to ask you some questions about the bullet. To begin with, tell us again how you recognize it as the bullet you took from the body of the decedent?”
    “As I said, I scratched my initials on the base.”
    “And your initials are?”
    “A.S. For Andrew Stanton.”
    “I see. And can you find your initials on the base of the bullet now?”
    “Yes, of course. They’re right here.”
    “The court reporter will please note that he is indicating the flat part of the bullet on which he scratched the initials A and S.”
    Steve left the doctor holding the plastic bag, stepped back and said, “And that is how you identify this as the bullet you recovered from the body of Frank Fletcher?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Tell me, doctor. What caliber is that bullet?”
    Stanton smiled. “I’m not a ballistics expert.”
    “You’re telling me you don’t know?”
    “Only by hearsay.”
    “You’ve been told the caliber of the bullet?”
    “That is correct.”
    “You can’t tell yourself?”
    “I can make a good guess. But I’m not up here to testify to guesswork.”
    “So when you identify this bullet as the one you took from the body of the decedent, you’re not going by the caliber, are you?”
    “No, I’m not. As I said, I marked the bullet.”
    “You marked it A.S.?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Because those are your initials?”
    “Yes.”
    “Doctor, you stated that you’ve been a medical examiner for twelve years?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Tell me. Is this the first fatal bullet you’ve ever recovered?”
    “No, of course not.”
    “How many fatal bullets have you recovered in your career?”
    “I really couldn’t say.”
    “Would it be hundreds?”
    “Perhaps