MISCHA'S LAWYER, ABEAU CHANEY, stood and adjusted his microphone. Abeau was tall and trim and clean-shaven, conveying a neat overall appearance save for his head of wild black curls that danced as he moved about. Abeau was a good man. he'd spent hours listening patiently as she rambled incessantly about her innocence and her crazy theories about what had happened. And he'd taken some grief from some of his law partners for agreeing to defend her, though he was receiving a handsome sum for doing so----courtesy of Egor Tarabasov, who was bankrolling all the lawyers.667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcQKI0uVyJ
"Major Picard," Abeau began, standing just in front of the actresses' enclosed cell. "You recovered DNA evidence relating to Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Nicole Richie, and my client, Mischa Barton, in the automobile where the bodies were discovered."
"Yes," said the major, turning to face Mischa's lawyer.
"Saliva, hair follicles, blood, and a tiny bit of earwax."
"Yes."
"But no fingerprints?" asked Abeau.
Major Picard took a moment. "No fingerprints in the vehicle. But you will recall that we found their fingerprints on the murder weapon."
"Exactly," Abeau agreed. "All three of these women were careless enough to leave their fingerprints on a gun that would have been perfectly easy to wipe off. Perfectly easy. And yet, when they were in an d around the car, they were exquisitely careful, so much so that not a single fingerprint was found among them. Odd, yes?"
Major Picard inclined his head. "Presumably they didn't expect the gun to be found. But the bodies---they knew those would be discovered."
Pretty good answer. Picard had no doubt given this a lot of thought.
"Still," Abeau persisted. "Your position is that these women managed to leave all kinds of DNA throughout the automobile, and yet not a single fingerprint."
"I would imagine they were unaware of leaving behind this evidence," said Picard.
Abeau nodded. "But this does not leave room for the possibility that DNA evidence was transferred from another site----not by these women but by someone else? That in fact these women were never in that car, as they have claimed, and instead someone else transferred that evidence into the car?"
"I don't consider that likely," Picard answered. "I would suggest that these women shot the president and his bodyguard while the men were in the car, and that they checked on the men to be sure they were dead. They would not necessarily have touched the inside of the car or even climbed inside."
"Really," Abeau delivered the word as an incredibly ridiculous statement, not a question. "Well, take my client, Mischa Barton. You found Mischa's hair on the driver's-side rear seat and on the dashboard. And her ear secretion on the gearshift between the president and Mr. Tissot. How do you suggest Mischa managed to get her head between the two men, such that some of her earwax could have fallen into the gearshift? And she was in both the front and back seat at different times, each time with her hair falling out? But not one single fingerprint?"
Major Picard allowed a brief smile. "Mr. Chaney, we cannot reconstruct every movement. Nor should we assume that, just because we did not recover a fingerprint inside the vehicle, that this somehow means that the women were not inside the vehicle. Sometimes you don't leave a fingerprint."
"But tell me, Major: can you eliminate the possibility that the DNA evidence was planted there by someone else?"
Picard opened his hands, as if his patience were being tested. "Eliminate it? Heavens, no."
Abeau nodded, having gained a concession.
"And perhaps I might be more skeptical," Chaney added, "if two of the accused hadn't confessed."
Mischa heard some laughter from the gallery before the female voice in her headset had finished translating Picard's answer. She had to admit, it was a nice zinger.
"We'll get to that," said Abeau. "But Major, as you said, your theory as that President Diderot and Mr. Tissot were shot in the car, correct?"
"That is correct, Mr. Chaney. We believe they were already in the car."
Aubrey informed the presiding judge that he would be referencing a photograph from the dossier. He produced a blowup of the photograph, which showed President Diderot and Renaud Tissot dead in the Bentley convertible. Renaud was seated in an erect positon, head back against the headrest. President Diderot, in the passenger seat, had fallen to his left side.
Aubrey placed the blowup on an easel. "Major Picard, from the angle of the wounds, you concluded that President Diderot was shot while he was falling to his left, just as he was found. In other words, he didn't fall to the side after being shot; he was already in that position when shot."
"That was our conclusion, yes."
"And likewise, Mr. Tissot here, seated upright. You concluded that this was his positon when he was shot. He wasn't moved afterward."
"Yes."
"Now, I suppose you might say that the president was attempting to duck from the shots."
"I would, yes."
"But is it also possible that the president was reaching for Mr. Tissot? Trying to help his friend?"
"Yes, that too is possible."
"Mr. Tissot, on the other hand...." Aubrey pointed to Renaud, who was seated completely erect in the driver's seat. "He seems to have made no movement whatsoever in the direction of his president----the man he was sworn to give his own life to protect."667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXE0itddKUO
"Mr. Chaney," said the presiding judge. "The deceased, Mr. Tissot, is not on trial lhere for his bravery or professionalism. And you are not making a point that is helpful to your case, I must tell you."667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoh3DCKHny
Aubrey nodded respectfully to the judge. "Mr. President, with all due respect, that is not my point."667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuMHx3eLEs
Aubrey gestured toward the blowup photo. "My point is just that it seems that the bodyguard, Mr. Tissot, was shot before the president was. And I am wondering why."667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LLihgSkVj
