“And by the time he became a real suspect in the case, who knows where he stashed it,” Candace sighed. “I think they’re going to get him this time. The evidence is overwhelming and most people think he already got away with murder once.”
“Will they introduce both blood samples in court?” Lauren asked, wondering how a judge would handle this. Jake could not be tried again for Liz’s death. Double jeopardy.
“They’re not supposed to. No information about the previous case will be admissible because he was found not guilty, but I’m willing to bet the prosecutors will fight tooth and nail to get that evidence before the jury. I know I would if I was trying this case. Anyway, I wanted to let you know. I imagine this information will get out soon. This case has more leaks than a rusty bathtub. Once the press gets ahold of this, they’re going to come looking for you. You didn’t hear this from me, but it wouldn’t hurt if you tried to get the injustice of Liz’s case back in front of the public. You can remind potential jurors that Jake killed your sister and got away with it.”
“I don’t know, Candace. I don’t want a starring role in this new production in Jake’s life. I’d rather watch from the sidelines like everybody else.”
“If wishes were dollars, we’d all be rich. Mark my words, the media’s going to come looking to you for comment. All I’m saying is it wouldn’t hurt to give them a sound bite, reminding the future jurors out there that Jake already got away with murder once.”
Lauren smiled at how Candace’s mind worked. “All right, I’ll do what I can.”
“The camera loves you anyway,” Candace said. “So work your magic. Maybe Jake will end up where he belongs after all.”
Chapter Seventy-four
(February–October)
Fortunately, or unfortunately perhaps, the information about the second blood type on the baseball bat had not been leaked to the press. However, reporters Lauren had known well from the first trial did start calling her for comment. And, true to her word, Lauren utilized each opportunity to express outrage at the outcome of the first trial, stating that Jake’s acquittal had set a murderer free to kill again.
On February seventeenth, the preliminary hearing started. The new Prosecution team carefully presented the evidence to a judge who concluded there was enough evidence to bind the case over for trial.
This case generated even more frenzied media coverage than the first one. Lauren found herself feeling sorry for Madison’s family. The news followed them everywhere with media shots of Madison’s father leaving work, her mother going to the bank, her older sister buying tampons, and her younger brother leaving wrestling practice still wearing his unitard. The Hart family was baffled by the sudden interest in their everyday activities. Lauren was very sympathetic about how their lives had been turned upside down by this craziness.
Of course, the media also followed Jake’s every move. On television clips, he looked upbeat on his way to fancy restaurants or playing golf at exclusive country clubs. He never missed an opportunity to speak to the media, always saying essentially the same thing. “I am completely innocent of this crime. I’m confident the truth will prevail at trial and I’ll be acquitted.”
Lauren was heartened to see Jake had lost a lot of his supporters from the first trial. Nearly everybody now believed that Jake must not only be guilty of the murder of Madison, but also surmised he had indeed been guilty of the murder of his first wife, Elizabeth. He was suspended from the Diamondbacks pending the outcome of the trial and lost all of his lucrative endorsements.
The legal pundits all speculated Jake Wakefield would be found guilty this time. Many thought he would accept a plea bargain. Still, Lauren feared he would wriggle out of the charges once more. She refused to get her hopes up this time only to later see them dashed again by another acquittal.
After months of delays by the Defense team, the case finally went to trial in the fall. At night, Lauren and Ryan watched the trial coverage, evaluating the proceedings ad nauseum. These discussions reminded Lauren of the conversations she and Ryan once shared in the quiet interior of his government sedan, arousing feelings of nostalgia for those early days of falling in love along with painful reminders about the outcome of that first trial.
As they watched the Prosecution roll out their case, they were impressed by the totality of the evidence. The baseball bat had only Jake’s fingerprints on it, the blows were inflicted by a left-handed person, Jake had scratches on his forearms, and his DNA was found under Madison’s fingernails. The police had discovered Madison’s battered body in the living room of the Wakefield home. There were no signs of forced entry and nothing was disturbed in the house.
Lauren and Ryan couldn’t imagine how Jake would be able to defend himself especially given his early admissions that he had been home all night. One interesting tidbit was Madison’s car was inexplicably missing along with her purse and car keys. The Defense team alluded to the missing car as often as they could, trying to convince the jury that the missing items were somehow evidence of Jake’s innocence.
Ryan and Lauren debated whether Jake would testify. Lauren, who felt Jake was too arrogant to miss an opportunity to perform for an audience, predicted he would. Ryan didn’t think Pratt would risk it this time. When Jake chose to testify, Ryan owed Lauren dinner at her favorite restaurant.
Jake testified that Madison had left the house at about 8:15 on the evening of February third. He denied they had an argument, but admitted she left the house without telling him where she was going. On the stand, he dismissed this, stating that Madison was a grown woman who could go wherever she liked. Jake speculated Madison had gone out drinking that night, suggesting she did this frequently. He testified he went to bed around midnight or so after watching some movies in his media room. He fell asleep quickly, slept soundly, and wasn’t aware there was any sort of problem until he was awakened by a ringing doorbell at around five in the morning, which proved to be the police responding to reports of a disturbance. Jake testified he was flabbergasted when Madison’s body was found lying on the living room floor, maintaining that he had no idea what had happened to her. He asserted Madison must have brought somebody home with her, who had then killed her in the house, and stolen her car and purse. He had no rational explanation for the scratches on his arm, insisting he had no recollection of those injuries.
Jake smiled convincingly on the stand, seemingly certain of his ability to charm the jury into believing his rendition of events.
The Defense underscored the missing car no less than seventy-two times in a closing argument that lasted only ninety-four minutes. “Find the missing car and you will find Madison Wakefield’s real killer,” Fisher offered in another polished closing argument.
It took the jury three hours and forty-one minutes to reach a verdict. Lauren wanted to be present for the reading of the verdict so Candace arranged for seats for both Lauren and Ryan. Lauren was reminded of old times when she exited the hospital to find Ryan waiting for her. She slid into the passenger seat and they smiled at one another, but said little on the way to court, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
Ryan used his police credentials to circumvent the traffic blockades that surrounded the courthouse for miles. Media coverage had reached full fury.
They walked into the courthouse hand in hand, no longer needing to hide their affection for one another.
They cleared the metal detectors and entered the courtroom reserved for high-profile cases, the same one they had spent so much time in three years earlier. There was a distinctive familiar smell of leather and lemon furniture polish. Ryan and Lauren slid into the row behind Madison’s family. Madison’s mother looked exhausted, but smiled at them as they took their seats.
Lauren felt somewhat nostalgic as they stood while the judge entered the courtroom and she watched the jury nervously return to their seats in the jury box. She tried to ascertain the verdict by th
e actions of the jury, but could be sure of nothing.
Lauren noticed Jake now, looking the same as always. Perfect hair, crystalline blue eyes, slim build. He didn’t look like a hardened murderer. Had the jury been able to see the cruel person inside that good-looking shell?
They would soon find out.
Lauren felt detached from her body as she observed the familiar proceedings. The judge’s usual admonitions that there should be no disruption upon the reading of the verdict sounded as if it were coming from underwater.
The verdict was passed to the judge to be read aloud. Time stood still momentarily. “We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, Jacob Charles Wakefield the Second, guilty of murder in the first degree.”
The courtroom erupted into absolute pandemonium. Ryan squeezed Lauren’s hand in a silent sign of victory. Jake was shaking his head in absolute disbelief, Pratt whispering consolingly into his ear. Fisher was nervously smoothing his hair as if preparing for his next big press conference. People were whispering throughout the courtroom, reporters typing frantically into mobile devices. Jake hugged his sobbing mother before being handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom. Lauren let out an enormous sigh as if she had been holding her breath for over four years. It was over. It was finally all over.
Chapter Seventy-five
(Thursday, December 16, one year later)
Christmas songs were playing on the car radio, but the sun shone pleasantly through the windows of Ryan’s car.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?” Ryan offered again, a worried look on his face.
“No, this is something I need to do on my own,” Lauren said from the passenger seat beside him.
“Okay. Go do it. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
She gave him a kiss before slipping out of the car. She had paid extra attention to her appearance today, looking sharp in a fitted gray and black Calvin Klein dress made of soft wool and an expensive pair of black pumps. Her legs were toned from years of running and tanned thanks to an extra long Indian summer. Having always felt like an ugly duckling next to her glamorous older sister, she had blossomed into a beautiful swan over the past several years. Stronger, more confident, more outspoken as a result of her ordeal. More secure and happy as a result of her relationship with Ryan.
She crossed the short distance from the car and strode into the lobby of Arizona State Prison Complex-Lewis, located in the small town of Buckeye just west of Phoenix, site of the longest prison hostage situation on record.
She was greeted in the lobby by a plump woman with a friendly face and beautiful dark curly hair, wearing civilian clothes. “Dr. Boyd?”
Lauren stood and shook hands as the woman introduced herself as Correctional Officer III Patty Lopez. “I understand you have a special visit scheduled today with one of our high-profile inmates. You must have friends in high places. I’ll be escorting you. There are no other visits scheduled today so you’ll have the visitation room to yourselves. You’re not allowed to give the inmate anything nor is he allowed to give you anything. You may have a brief three-second hug at the beginning and end of the visit. Your visit has been authorized for sixty minutes. When your allotted time is over, you must return with me. Do you have any questions?”
“Just one.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Are we going to be separated by glass?”
Officer Lopez smiled. “You learned all you know about prison from television?”
Lauren laughed and Officer Lopez answered, “Inmate Wakefield is housed in protective custody because of his celebrity status, but he is entitled to face-to-face visits. There’s no barrier. He’s already waiting for you in the visitation area. Are you ready?”
Lauren’s heart was racing and her palms were sweaty. It wasn’t too late to call this whole thing off. Instead, she nodded.
Lauren was surprised to see inmates moving freely about the yard inside the Buckley unit. Some appeared to be engaged in productive activity, such as raking rocks, but many were milling about aimlessly. Most of them did not attempt to disguise their stares as they brazenly looked Lauren up and down. She was glad to be accompanied by Officer Lopez, who firmly admonished several inmates to “get back to work.”
Officer Lopez checked a window before saying, “Inmate Wakefield has been searched already and will be again before he leaves so ensure you do not pass anything to him. The room is monitored by video, but not audio. I will be waiting right outside this door if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll let you know when your time is up. Your visit will be over at 5:13 p.m. Do you have any questions?”
“No, thank you.” Lauren took a deep breath, determined to appear confident and composed. She pulled open the door forcefully. The room resembled a large fishbowl, with floor-to-ceiling windows. She could see Jake tipping back casually in a plastic chair next to a small round table with one other empty chair as she shut the door behind her.
Jake got to his feet. Whether this was remnants of the proper manners his parents had attempted to instill into him or his own effort to establish control of the situation, Lauren wasn’t sure.
Lauren took in Jake’s appearance, surprised at what she saw. Other than the unappealing outfit comprised of an orange jumpsuit and cheap orange shoes resembling Vans, Jake still looked devilishly handsome. Same perfect haircut, suntan, and teeth. He looked like he had been working out, upbeat, not like a guy who’d been handed a life sentence without possibility of parole.
He met her eyes and shot her a crooked grin.
She took a seat in the uncomfortable chair on her side of the table and he resumed his own chair.
“The accommodations aren’t much…” Jake joked, “…but it’s all gratis.”
“For you,” she shot back. “Not for the taxpayers. They’ve paid plenty for your two expensive trials and lifelong imprisonment.”
“You’re so testy. I’m pretty sure I paid enough in state taxes to cover all of this grandeur.” He swept his hand around the room grandiosely. “So, were you just in the neighborhood or did you want to reminisce?”
Lauren ignored his efforts to get a rise out of her. “I came to trade information.”
“I doubt you have any information I want.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“And how do you come by your knowledge?”
“Because I did it,” she told him quietly.
Chapter Seventy-six
(Thursday, December 16)
Jake stared at her as if trying to size up what she had just told him. She held his gaze. Neither said anything for quite some time.
Finally, Jake broke the silence. “How do I know you aren’t taping this?”
“I went through security,” she held up her arms, exposing her empty hands. “Besides you’ve already been acquitted of murdering Liz. You can’t be charged again.”
He cocked his head at her and contemplated for a moment. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“No, you’re right. You don’t, but if you don’t tell me, I don’t tell you. It’s a simple formula.”
Lauren could see he was mulling this over, saying nothing.
Then, after several minutes of silence, “Okay, they say confession is good for the soul so, here goes. I killed your fucking sister, is that what you wanted to hear me say? Now you go.”
“You’re talking to me, remember? The one person that already knows with certainty that you killed her. What I want to know is why. I want to know what happened. And I want to know why you tried to blame it on me.”
Jake vanished a bit in front of her as he recounted the night of Liz’s murder. He began to speak in a monotone as if he were in a trance.
“I was packing for my trip to D.C. and Liz was acting weird. She had recently learned I’d been with other women and she’d been bitching and moaning
about it. But that day, she was acting fake, like everything was fine. I could tell it wasn’t. I started to wonder if she was stepping out on me. What if that bitch had been cheating on me the whole time she had been making a stink about my dalliances? Maybe she was even sleeping with somebody I knew. All my teammates always said how hot she was. What if she had taken up with one of them to get back at me? They’re all a bunch of cheating liars.”
Jake’s teammates had protected him throughout both trials. None of them had ever betrayed Jake. Lauren was astounded he didn’t recognize how loyal his teammates had been, but she said nothing to interrupt him.
Jake continued his trancelike narrative. “I decided to check the bank charges. I kept a tight eye on her expenditures anyways. Maybe I’d find evidence as to what she had been up to. So I get on the computer and I checked the banking account. And, holy shit, she had just written an enormous check to some lawyer. When I looked that guy up on the Internet, I find out he’s a divorce attorney. That bitch was planning on leaving me and taking me to the cleaners.”
“I confronted her and she says she’s leaving me. After all I did for her? That girl would be nothing without me. She never even finished college. She said she was planning to move out of the house while I was gone for the weekend and we could sort out the rest of the details with the lawyers. So then I knew for sure. She had to be cheating. I start demanding the slut tell me who she’s sleeping with, but she keeps denying it. I grab my favorite bat off the bed. I was getting ready to pack it for the trip and I hold it up. I tell her I’m going to bash her brains in if she doesn’t tell me the truth, but she still won’t confess. She just keeps denying she was cheating. So I swung that bat with a nice level swing and I landed a good one on the side of her head. She’s bleeding and she tries to get the bat away from me, but she still won’t tell me the truth. If she had, I would have stopped. But she didn’t so I hit her again and she crumpled to the floor. She was still making gurgling noises and I can’t let her live now because she might go to the hospital or the police so I wind up and take one more big swing. Three strikes and she was out.” He smiled at his own morbid joke. Lauren felt sick to her stomach.
The Perfect Game Page 29
