"Special Agent Hobbs, were you in Army Special Forces in Vietnam?"
Hobbs doesn't answer. I can see his brain reacting to figure out what to do as surely as if I were watching it through a CAT scan.
"Did you not hear my question?"
This brings him back to face his current dilemma. He is positive that Reid must have brought absolute evidence of his military connection to Cahill and Dorsey. To deny it is to commit perjury even more blatant than previously.
"Were you in Army Special Forces in Vietnam?"
"Yes."
"Was your rank first lieutenant?"
"Yes."
"Did you command a small secret unit which operated behind enemy lines?"
"That is classified."
"I think that war is over, Agent Hobbs. Were Roger Cahill and Alex Dorsey under your command?"
His answer is soft, as if he's hoping no one will hear it. "Yes." The resulting buzz from the gallery and jury says they heard it loud and clear.
"So you knew them? Had contact with them?"
"Yes."
"So Agent Spodek was right? You were lying before when you denied contact with them?"
"I didn't realize you were talking about in the army. I thought you meant more recently, during the investigation."
"That's another lie, isn't it, Agent Hobbs?"
"No, it isn't."
"So let me see if I understand," I say. "You knew them in the army but haven't had any contact since?"
He nods. "Yes. That's correct."
"You say this fully aware of the perjury laws in the state?"
"Yes."
I introduce as evidence a tape recording supplied by Cindy. It is Bureau practice that all calls from agents' offices are taped, in order to protect the agents and help in investigations. Thinking she might need it to protect herself, Cindy had confiscated a tape of one of Hobbs's conversations with Dorsey, and I play it for the court.
It is a devastating record of a conspiracy between Dorsey and Hobbs, and though Hobbs doesn't directly implicate himself in any criminal acts on the tape, there is no doubt in anyone's mind he has committed multiple perjuries in his testimony today.
I ask Hobbs if Murdoch was in his squad and if he knows that Murdoch was recently murdered. He acknowledges the army connection but denies knowing about the murder. Not a person in the room believes him.
I'm finished, and Dylan doesn't even cross-examine the shell that was Special Agent Hobbs. His defeat is total; the man is ruined.
Heh, heh, heh.
WE ARE A SUBDUED GROUP DURING OUR NIGHTLY meeting. We're nearing the end; the only issue to resolve before closing arguments is whether or not Laurie will take the stand.
Laurie still wants to, but in light of today's positive developments, is willing to listen to arguments. Kevin and I tell her the basics: that there really is nothing for her to add and that the dangers are potentially enormous.
I feel compelled to point out that, while we did really well today, we are still in very precarious shape. The jury could easily find that our entire defense, centering on Hobbs, Dorsey, and Cahill, is interesting but off point. The only tangible evidence in the Dorsey murder still points to Laurie, and the jury may follow that evidence--in fact is more likely to than not.
It's a lively discussion which finally ends with Laurie trusting our judgment and agreeing not to take the stand. This allows us to focus on the closing arguments, which in this case are going to be even more important than usual. It will be up to us to make the jury understand that what we have been saying matters, and creates at least a reasonable doubt as to Laurie's guilt.
The media are filled with the trial news, and there is open speculation that Hobbs will be indicted and tried for perjury. The FBI director himself has issued a statement saying that Hobbs is being put on temporary leave, and both federal and state investigations are under way. It's gratifying, but it's small consolation if it doesn't result in Laurie's vindication.
Our first action in court is to announce that the defense is resting, and Dylan tells Hatchet that he is ready to give his closing argument.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he begins, "I stood here at the opening of this trial and told you that the evidence would show that Laurie Collins murdered Alex Dorsey. I told you the defense would utilize tricks and mirrors to make you think otherwise, but that what you needed to do was focus on the facts.
"My message today has not changed. The evidence has been presented, the facts are clear. The defense has been even more illusory than I expected, presenting a wild tale of Green Berets, frame-ups, and conspiracies.
"In the process, an FBI agent has been shown to have lied. I won't dispute that; we all saw it before our eyes. But what does that mean to this case? No evidence was presented implicating him in the murder you are here to judge. In fact, as a federal officer, he had nothing to do with this case whatsoever; it was handled by the Paterson police. Nor did anyone come up here and say he had a grudge against this defendant. Why would he have framed her? It doesn't make any sense.
"Yes, Agent Hobbs lied, perhaps to hide his embarrassment at his relationship with criminals and a cop gone bad. It's interesting, it's troublesome, and it will be investigated, but it has nothing--I repeat nothing whatsoever--to do with the murder of Alex Dorsey.
"The state has proved its case, proved it well beyond a reasonable doubt, and I ask you to return a verdict of guilty against Laurie Collins for the murder of Lieutenant Alex Dorsey."
I get up to give our closing argument aware that we have a big hill to climb. In a perfect world, a lawyer wants to be able to recap and summarize the compelling evidence he has presented during the course of the trial. This case being tried in a less-than-perfect world, I have the task of explaining what the hell our evidence has to do with it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there is absolutely nothing in Laurie Collins's background, not a shred, which would indicate she could possibly be capable of a brutal act such as the murder of Alex Dorsey. On the contrary, her entire life has been devoted to furthering the public good and the cause of justice.
"The prosecutor says she did it, and points to certain items of evidence. I say she was framed, and that the same evidence was planted to further that end.
"But Mr. Campbell completely rejects the idea of a frame-up moments after he tells you that the reason he first charged Oscar Garcia with the crime is because he was framed! Mr. Garcia could be framed, but Ms. Collins could not? Why doesn't he explain that?
"And let's look at what he does say about it. He says that Ms. Collins framed Garcia to avenge one of these grudges that he thinks she carries around. Yet an FBI agent, Cindy Spodek, testified that she made the call accusing Garcia. Ms. Collins had nothing to do with it. Mr. Campbell was wrong about that, as he has been wrong about so much in this case.
"Which brings me to Special Agent Hobbs. Even Mr. Campbell admits Hobbs perjured himself. Now, I don't know exactly what Mr. Hobbs did, or why he did it, but I'm going to give you a theory. It may be right, or it may be wrong, or the truth may be somewhere in the middle.
"I think the evidence shows that Hobbs led a squad, much of the same squad he led in the military. I think they got into positions where they could abuse the system and commit crimes, and Hobbs was in a position to protect them and to take a healthy cut of their profits.
"And he did protect Dorsey, but it got to a point where he couldn't protect him anymore. Dorsey didn't want to go to prison, and he threatened Hobbs with exposure. Dorsey may well have intended to fake his own death, but that wasn't good enough for Hobbs, and he either killed him or had Cahill kill him. And when Murdoch was going to talk to me, Hobbs had him killed as well.
"Before killing Dorsey, he either tricked him or forced him to tape a message to Ms. Collins, which he played in a phone call to her, making us think Dorsey was alive. Because as the actual murderer trying to deflect attention from himself, Hobbs had a very strong interest in Ms. Collins getting convicted.
"Now, as I've said, this is just a theory, though I believe it is plausible given the facts before you. Don't you have to admit it's possible? I believe that you do. Can you say beyond a reasonable doubt that I'm wrong? I don't think so.
"One of the many unusual aspects of this case is the fact that the lawyer for the defendant was a key witness in the defense. I sat up there and told you that Roger Cahill confessed the murder to me and told me about the bloody clothing behind the stadium, clothing he said was his own. I also told you that I sent Ms. Collins out there to retrieve the clothing.