‘Did you subsequently interview Mr. Skinner?’ Dan asked.
‘I did.’
‘And did he provide you with any physical evidence related to the defendant’s knowledge of handguns?’
‘Yes, he provided me with a photograph of Dr. Snow at a gun range, where she is in the process of firing a revolver.’
Dan introduced the photograph of Janine at the range, which was presented to the jury. More than anything else, Stride knew that the real impact of the photograph was Janine’s expression. Confident. Assured. Almost aroused. She knew how to fire a gun, and she liked it.
‘Based on your interview with Nathan Skinner, did you also learn that the defendant owned property in addition to the home where she resided with Mr. Ferris?’
‘Yes, we discovered that she owns an apartment on Michigan Street in downtown Duluth.’
‘Did you conduct a search of this apartment?’
‘We did. We discovered a cache of prescription pain medications. There were nearly five hundred pills in fifteen bottles, made up of medicines such as Percocet, Oxycontin, and Vicodin.’
‘Did the defendant subsequently admit to you that these pills belonged to her?’
‘Yes.’
‘Were the prescriptions in her name?’
‘No, the prescriptions were all in the name of Holly Jorgenson. She acknowledged that this was a fictitious patient she created to obtain pills for herself illegally.’
‘Lieutenant, did you find that fictitious patient name significant?’
‘Yes, the defendant’s husband, Jay Ferris, published a column in the Duluth News-Tribune last July about a prescription drug addict named Holly. The column threatened public exposure of this information.’
‘If Mr. Ferris had exposed his wife’s addiction and criminal behavior, would there have been consequences for the defendant?’ Dan asked.
At that question, Archie Gale intervened. ‘Objection. This calls for a conclusion outside the witness’s expertise.’
‘Sustained,’ Judge Edblad ruled.
Dan wasn’t deterred. ‘Has the evidence you uncovered regarding the defendant’s abuse of prescription pain medications now become public?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘And to your knowledge, have there been consequences to the defendant in relation to her behavior?’ Dan asked.
Stride nodded. ‘Yes, according to a statement by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice last month, she has voluntarily surrendered her medical license.’
He stared at Janine Snow as he said this, and so did the jury. For the first time he could remember, he saw genuine emotion in her face. It was as if her world had already crumbled around her, and nothing else in the courtroom mattered. A tear slipped from one blue eye, and a moment later, she was crying silently.
Gale began to question Stride.
‘Lieutenant, you did not recover the murder weapon in this case, is that right? It is still missing?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Did any of Dr. Snow’s neighbors report seeing her leave the house between 9:45 p.m. and the arrival of the police an hour later?’
‘No.’
‘Did you find evidence suggesting that Mr. Ferris’s Hummer had been driven between 9:45 p.m. and the arrival of the police an hour later?’
‘I’m not sure what evidence would be available to confirm that,’ Stride said.
‘Well, did you check the hood of the Hummer?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Was the engine warm?’
‘No,’ Stride admitted. He added quickly: ‘However, this was almost an hour after I arrived on the scene. The temperatures were below zero.’
‘Lieutenant, did your department receive a report about an unidentified Toyota Rav4 parked near Dr. Snow’s house on the evening of the murder?’
‘We received a report from a teenage driver who thought he remembered passing a Rav4 parked on West 8th Street that evening. The teenager later acknowledged using marijuana that night, so we considered his recollections to be suspect.’
‘Did the driver say he saw the Rav parked there after ten o’clock?’
‘He thought so, but he didn’t check the clock.’
‘Is the corner of West 8th and Skyline within a couple hundred yards of Dr. Snow’s house?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you talk to residents on 8th Street?’
‘Yes, we did.’
‘Did any of those residents own a Rav4 or have visitors who owned a Rav4?’
‘No.’
‘Were you able to identify who owned this Rav4?’
‘No.’
‘Thank you, Lieutenant. You testified that you were unable to locate a revolver allegedly owned by Jay Ferris, is that right?’
‘Yes.’
‘You allege that Mr. Ferris owned a revolver because of a photograph supplied by the victim’s brother Clyde Ferris, is that right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did Clyde Ferris make a statement to you that his brother routinely carried his gun with him?’
‘Yes, he did.’
‘Did Clyde Ferris also make a statement to you that he went ice-fishing with his brother in early January, less than a month before Jay Ferris was murdered?’
Stride hesitated. ‘Yes, he did.’
‘Were you able to independently confirm that this outing took place?’
‘Yes.’
‘How did you confirm this?’
‘I got a copy of a report filed by Jay Ferris with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.’
‘Did the report indicate that due to thin ice, Jay Ferris lost his truck and his fishing shanty into the water of Superior Bay at that time?’
‘Yes,’ Stride said, and he knew where Gale was going now.
‘Lieutenant, isn’t it possible that the gun allegedly owned by Mr. Ferris — which his brother said he routinely had with him — could have been lost in his truck or in his fishing shanty when they went through the ice?’
‘It’s possible,’ Stride acknowledged, ‘although the truck and shanty were both salvaged once the ice came off the bay in the spring. The gun wasn’t found.’
‘Would it have been possible for the gun to be lost in the bay when those items flooded and sank?’
‘I suppose.’
‘Thank you, Lieutenant. You also testified about an affair between Dr. Snow and a former colleague of yours named Nathan Skinner, is that right?’
‘Yes.’
‘You discovered this affair because the defendant brought it to your attention, is that right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did Jay Ferris have a history of animosity with Nathan Skinner?’
‘Yes, he did.’
‘In fact, Nathan Skinner was fired from the Duluth Police because of columns written by Jay Ferris, is that right? Columns in which he cited Nathan Skinner’s use of vile racial slurs?’
‘In part, yes.’
‘Did Nathan Skinner assault Jay Ferris after he lost his job?’
‘Yes, there was one such incident.’
‘During the course of your investigation, did you find evidence that Jay Ferris had discovered the affair between his wife and Nathan Skinner?’
‘Yes.’
‘Is it reasonable to conclude that this information would have upset Mr. Ferris?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘Mr. Ferris’s wife was sleeping with a man whom Mr. Ferris described in his columns as a racist, and you don’t think he would have been upset?’
‘I can’t speculate about Mr. Ferris’s reaction,’ Stride said.
‘Did you interview Nathan Skinner when you learned about his relationship with Dr. Snow?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Did Nathan Skinner admit to being angry at Jay Ferris?’
‘Yes, he did.’
‘Did Nathan Skinner have a verifiable alibi after 9:45 p.m. on the night of the murder?’