83

Matthew was escorted out of the courtroom, having just shown the jury what he looks like when he’s angry. It was a pretty unfortunate last image, considering he was still technically on trial, and I hoped it didn’t make the jury second-guess everything they’d just heard.

The courtroom finally came to order.

Phil put Caputo on the stand, and after the cop testified about the physical evidence on the dumbwaiter, the defense rested its case.

Nadine Raphael made her closing argument to the jury, saying in summation, “In the months since Tamara Gee was murdered, the apartment where she died was left unattended. How can we know if the evidence was genuine, or if it was tricked up? You cannot believe Troy Wagner, a narcissist who testified so that he could be a hero to his hero and bask in his fifteen minutes of fame. This is not Troy Wagner’s trial. It’s Matthew Angel’s trial, and we’ve proved to you that he’s the man who killed Tamara Gee.”

Phil’s summation was equally simple and brief. He said, “Matthew Angel is innocent. The prosecution has not proved him guilty beyond reasonable doubt, or guilty at all. The prosecutors had a circumstantial case that was destroyed when Troy Wagner, one of their key witnesses, told you he killed Tamara Gee. Wagner didn’t just make a confession. He left pristine, irrefutable evidence at the murder scene that backs up his confession. Troy Wagner killed Tamara Gee by stabbing her fifteen times with a paring knife and in so doing, also killed Trevor, her unborn child.

“You must do the right thing, ladies and gentlemen. You must find Matthew Angel not guilty, so he is free to pick up what remains of his unjustly shattered life.”

I looked at Harry and Hugo. They were both beaming with hope. Philippe had done a good job. Now all we could do was wait.

The judge told the jury that their decision was very important and it had to be deliberated based on the facts brought to them during the trial. The twelve shell-shocked men and women filed out, and court was adjourned.

“I don’t get it,” Hugo said. “That guy just confessed. Why don’t they just say Matty’s innocent so we can get him the heck out of here?”

“Doesn’t work that way, bud,” Harry said, ruffling Hugo’s hair. “But hopefully it won’t take the jury too long to state the obvious. It doesn’t look like we’ll hear anything today though.”

We all stood there for a moment: C.P. holding Harry’s hand, Hugo leaning against my side, my hand clasped around his shoulder. I was exhausted, but I had no idea where to go or what to do.

“Come on, you guys,” Jacob said, slinging his arm around my back. “Let’s go home.”