Just Take My Heart - Mary Higgins Clark [19]
“And what did he say about why he had gone there? He would have this jury believe,” Emily argued, “that his sole purpose in mak?ing the trip was to see if his estranged wife was with another man that weekend. Aldrich would also have you believe that if he had seen anyone else with her, he would have given up his efforts to rec?oncile and accept the divorce.”
Emily rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. “Just like that,” she said. "After begging her to come back to him, the same man who was literally stalking her in a rented vehicle that gave him cover, was going to pick up his marbles and go home. But he didn't count on a neighbor seeing him behind the wheel of that rented car.
“Gregg Aldrich lives very well. There are fine inns on Cape Cod, but he stayed in a cheap motel in Hyannis. He admitted that he drove past Natalie's house twice on Saturday and did not observe any other car or person there. He further admitted that on Sunday he drove by her house three times, the last time at eight o'clock that evening, and that it appeared to him Natalie was alone. He claimed that he drove five hours back to New York and immediately went to bed. He stated that he awoke at seven a.m. on Monday morning, left about seven twenty for a jog in Central Park, jogged or walked for well over two hours, and returned the Toyota to the rental office six blocks from his apartment at ten a.m.”
Emily's voice grew increasingly sarcastic. “And what did he tell the police about why he rented a car, as opposed to driving his own luxury vehicle? He stated that his own car was past due for servicing and he didn't want to put this much more mileage on it at that time.” She shook her head. “What a pathetic story. I submit to you that Gregg Aldrich rented a vehicle that would not be recognized by Natalie if she had happened to look out her window. He did not want Natalie to know that he was stalking her.”
Emily took a deep breath. “But he did know her habits. Natalie hated to drive in traffic. She didn't mind driving late at night or very early in the morning. I submit to you that Gregg Aldrich knew Nata?lie would be back home in Closter sometime early- to mid-morning Monday, and he went there to confront her. He arrived before her. You will hear from a neighbor's housekeeper, Suzie Walsh, that she saw Natalie getting out of her car in her garage at a few minutes be?fore eight. She will tell you that five hours later, at one o'clock, when she drove past Natalie's home, she saw that the car door was still open, and sensed something was wrong. You will hear that she de?cided to enter the home and found Natalie dying on the kitchen floor. You will hear from the detectives that there was no sign of forced entry, but Natalie's mother will tell you that Natalie had kept a key to the back door, which had a separate lock, in an imitation rock in the backyard. That key was missing. And very significantly, Gregg Aldrich knew where to look for that key since he had bought that imitation rock for Natalie.”
Emily continued, “The state acknowledges to you that no evi?dence physically connecting Gregg Aldrich to the murder scene was recovered. Hence, in the first two years of this investigation, though substantial circumstantial evidence existed regarding Gregg Aldrich, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office recognized that even great suspicion is not enough. Gregg Aldrich was not arrested until six months ago. He was arrested after the break that was needed oc?curred. That break came in the person of Jimmy Easton.”
This is the toughest part, Emily thought, as she took a sip of water. “I will begin my reference to Mr. Easton by telling you immediately that he is a career