Presumption of Guilt Read Online Free PDF Page B

confession, the district attorney’s office relied on testimony from Ms. Singer’s classmates at Munsee High School to show her long-standing resentment toward her parents and the restrictions they’d placed on her. Classmates described her as a spoiled rich girl, used to getting her way and prone to angry outbursts when she didn’t.
Although Robert McDonald, Ms. Singer’s attorney, elicited testimony from Molly’s closest friends that painted a different picture, it wasn’t enough to overcome the most damning witness: Molly Singer’s boyfriend of two years, Finn Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds told the jury that he was with Ms. Singer the night before her parents were found dead in their beds. He stated that Mr. and Mrs. Singer were trying to separate the couple, but Molly told him that night that she would do whatever she had to in order for them to be together.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 28 .
    Dani pushed away from the computer. Donna had mentioned that Finn had testified against Molly. The prosecutor couldn’t have known of their conversation without Finn bringing it up, yet the couple were supposedly in love. Dani jotted down a note to ask Molly about Finn.
    The rest of the day was spent reading the appellate decisions in Molly’s case. Although it gave her some sense of the defense strategy, her real understanding of the case wouldn’t come until she got a copy of the trial transcript. Dani had heard of Robert McDonald. He had a reputation as a top-notch litigator. A claim of ineffective counsel wouldn’t be available to her as an avenue of appeal.
    By the time Dani finished her review, it was past four o’clock, an hour later than the time she usually left the office. It meant she wouldn’t be home to greet Jonah when he returned from school. Instead, Katie, his sitter—an absolute godsend—would watch over him.
    On her way out, Dani stopped by Bruce’s office. “I’m going over to Bedford Correctional tomorrow morning, before I come into the office,” she said. “I’ve decided to sign up Molly.”
    “So you think she’s innocent?”
    “I don’t know—but those letters, they might mean something. Or lead to something. And I want to find out where.”

C HAPTER
    7
    T he buzzer on the intercom didn’t stop, despite the county executive’s strict instruction to his secretary to hold his calls. Reluctantly, he grabbed the telephone.
    “Jeannette, I told you—”
    “I know, I know, Mr. Reynolds, but it’s Sheriff Engles and he was insistent.”
    After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Okay, put him through.”
    When the phone rang again, Frank Reynolds picked it up quickly. “John, what can I do for you?”
    “Is the line safe?” Engles asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
    “What the hell are you talking about?”
    “Is it safe? Could anybody else be listening in?”
    Reynolds wanted to laugh at him. Engles liked drama, always finding conspiracies where none existed. Still, even the paranoid were sometimes correct. So he withheld his snicker. “Of course it’s safe. Who do you think could hear us?”
    “Well, your secretary for one. The woman’s the biggest gossip around. I wouldn’t put it past her to be listening in on your calls. Especially one from me.”
    Reynolds sighed. Jeannette was pushing fifty, had worked in government offices for over twenty years, and was the most efficient secretary he’d ever had. It was ludicrous to think she’d monitor his phone calls. Still—he’d been wrong about others before. “If you’re so concerned, call me back on my cell. You’ve got the number.”
    A few minutes later, Reynolds’s cell phone vibrated and he answered it immediately. “This better be important, John.”
    “Maybe, maybe not. But I thought you needed to know. Molly Singer has a new attorney. From the Help Innocent Prisoners Project. Came to see her on Saturday.”
    Molly Singer. At first, he’d felt pity for the girl. After all, he’d known her since she