A Darkness More Than Night - Michael Connelly [84]
FLEER: David, please.
STOREY: — completely full of shit if for one fucking moment you think —
FLEER: David, stop!
(pause)
FLEER: Detective Bosch, I think we need to stop this.
BOSCH: We’re in the middle of an interview here and —
FLEER: David, where are you going?
STOREY: Fuck these people. I’m going out for a smoke.
BOSCH: Mr. Storey has just left the office.
FLEER: I think at this point he is exercising his rights under the fifth amendment. This interview is over.
The tape went blank and Langwiser turned it off. Bosch looked at the jury. Several of them were looking at Storey. His arrogance had come through loud and clear on the tape. This was important because they would soon be asking the jury to believe that Storey had privately boasted to Bosch about the murder and how he would get away with it. Only an arrogant man would do that. The prosecution needed to prove Storey was not only a murderer, but an arrogant one at that.
“Okay, then,” Langwiser said. “Did Mr. Storey return to continue the interview?”
“No, he did not,” Bosch answered. “And we were asked to leave.”
“Did Mr. Storey’s denial of any involvement in the murder of Jody Krementz end your interest in him?”
“No, it did not. We had an obligation to investigate the case fully and that included either ruling him in or ruling him out as a suspect.”
“Was his behavior during the short interview cause for suspicion?”
“You mean his arrogance? No, he —”
Fowkkes jumped up with an objection.
“Your Honor, one man’s arrogance is another man’s confidence in his innocence. There is no —”
“You are right, Mr. Fowkkes,” Houghton said.
He sustained the objection, struck Bosch’s answer and turned to the jurors to tell them to ignore the remark.
“His behavior during the interview was not cause for suspicion,” Bosch began again. “His being the last known person to be with the victim was cause for our immediate attention and focus. His lack of cooperation was suspicious but at this point we were keeping an open mind about everything. My partners and I have a combined total of more than twenty-five years’ experience investigating homicides. We know that things are not always what they seem.”
“Where did the investigation go next?”
“We continued all avenues of investigation. One of those avenues was obviously Mr. Storey. Based on his statement that he and the victim had gone to his home on their date, my partners filed a search warrant application in Municipal Court and received approval to search David Storey’s home.”
Langwiser brought the search warrant forward to the judge and it was received into evidence. She took it back with her to the lectern. Bosch then testified that the search of the home on Mulholland Drive was conducted at 6 A.M. two days after the initial interview with Storey.
“The search warrant authorized you to seize any evidence of Jody Krementz’s murder, any evidence of her belongings and any evidence of her presence in that location, is that correct?”
“Correct.”
“Who conducted the search?”
“Myself, my partners and a two-man forensics team. We also had a photographer, for video and stills. A total of six.”
“How long did the search last?”
“Approximately seven hours.”
“Was the defendant present during the search?”
“For most of it. He had to leave at one point for a meeting with a movie actor he said he couldn’t postpone. He was gone approximately two hours. During that time his personal attorney, Mr. Fleer, remained in the house and monitored the search. We were never left alone in the house, if that is what you are asking.”
Langwiser flipped through the pages of the search warrant, coming to the end of it.
“Now, Detective, when you seize any items during a court-approved search, you are required by law to keep an inventory on the search warrant receipt, correct?”
“Yes.”
“This receipt is then filed with the court, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell us then, why is this receipt blank?”
“We did not take any items from the