Free Until the Final Verdict by Christine McGuire Page A

can’t conceal it very long.”
    â€œIt won’t take long. I wouldn’t expect you to lie about it if someone asks, just don’t volunteer.”
    â€œOkay, I suppose we don’t have any choice.”
    â€œWhat about telling Emma?”
    â€œWe can’t tell her, then expect her to keep it secret. Let’s hold off until I clear up this mess.”

CHAPTER

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23

    â€œM S. F OREPERSON, are you ready to proceed?”
    â€œWe are.”
    Mackay faced the elevated oak platform where retired bank manager Nicolina Giacomini presided from the judge’s chair. At the court clerk’s table beneath the bench, the secretary took roll and noted on his roster that a quorum of sixteen members was present. To her right, remaining jurors occupied the twelve jury-box seats and two alternates’ chairs in front.
    Inspector Donna Escalante waited outside to admit witnesses as they were called, but besides the jurors, only a court reporter was in the room with Mackay. She wore a classic suit—two-button tweed jacket with notch collar and a straight skirt with back slit. As always, she stood throughout the proceeding.
    She placed her hands on the sides of the podium. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for convening today. Two weeks ago tomorrow—on the evening of Friday, January eleventh—Superior Court Judge Jemima Tucker was killed in her chambers, here in the main court building. The Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigators found no signs of forced entry to either the court building or to Judge Tucker’s chambers, leading investigators to conclude that Judge Tucker knew her murderer.”
    She paused and made eye contact with each person in the room, most of whom knew Tucker at least slightly from impaneling the Grand Jury, to impress on them the import of her words.
    â€œI asked you to convene for the purpose of conducting an investigation into Judge Tucker’s death. Specifically, I ask you to compel the testimony of three witnesses today: Jemima Tucker’s husband, Doctor Alejandro Sanchez; Santa Rita Superior Court Judge Reginald Keefe; and Bonnie Lee Keefe, local attorney and wife of Judge Keefe.”
    She paused while a few of the jurors took notes. “Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. The People believe that each of the witnesses who will be called to testify before you here today possesses critical information relevant to the investigation of Judge Tucker’s murder.”
    She waited until the jurors had finished taking notes, then announced, “The People call Doctor Alejandro Sanchez.”
    The sergeant at arms escorted Sanchez to the witness stand, where he raised his right hand and swore to tell the truth. His jet-black hair was neatly trimmed and combed straight back, he was clean shaven, and he wore an expensive, double-breasted, dark gray wool suit and lightly starched white shirt, with a solid black silk tie. He crossed his right leg over his left, looked at Mackay, and waited.
    â€œGood afternoon, Doctor. Before we begin, I would like to advise you that you are now appearing before a duly constituted Grand Jury which is investigating the murder of Jemima Tucker. Do you understand that?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œYou have been placed under oath and your testimony here today has the same force and effect as if you were in a court of law. Do you understand that?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThat means that you have an obligation to tell the truth in the proceeding or you could subject yourself to a possible prosecution for perjury. Do you understand that?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œFinally, you are advised that under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, and also under Article I of the California Constitution, that you have a privilege against self-incrimination. That is to say, you do not have to answer any questions which may tend to incriminate