For the People Chapter 4

"Shouldn't you be wrapping up the prosecution's case today?" Rick asks over a very early breakfast.

"Mm-hm," Kate confirms breaking off a piece of a croissant. "Lauren's friends did pretty well. So did the saleswoman from Bloomfeld's, Ellie Levy. We're going to put Sam on the stand today. That should do it. But after Kaplowitz and Lennox get their chance, we'll probably have some rebuttal witnesses. And if Kaplowitz has Baird testify, we'll have even more of them."

"To confirm what a liar Baird is?"

"Yes, but not just that. If Kaplowitz puts Baird up there, then we can bring in prior acts to establish a pattern of behavior. But Kaplowitz may believe he's established enough reasonable doubt to avoid that. He's too good an attorney to chance having Baird testify unless he's feeling really shaky about his case."

"With the ego Baird has on him, couldn't he insist on testifying?" Castle wonders.

"He could," Kate admits. "But if he does, he won't know what hit him."

"Still, if that happens, it won't be for a few days, will it?" Rick queries.

"Probably not. Why? Did you want to fit something in before gluing yourself back to ZNN?"

"I'm not glued to ZNN," Rick protests. "I only turn on the sound when you're on. But I was thinking about a trip to do some research for my book."

"To DC?"

"Oklahoma. I can check into the records of the senator's plane crash from here. That stuff's all public. But if I can interview some of the folks who knew him before and after, I could get a better idea if there's any truth to the brain damage rumors. Even if I can't get confidential medical information, a change in his pattern of behavior, as you put it, would indicate an inflection point in his thinking."

"And you believe his friends and family might talk to you?"

"Kate, you'd be amazed at who will talk to me. I still am. For some reason or another, people like to see their words in print almost as much as they like to see themselves on camera – sometimes more. Books hang around longer than the news cycle. But anyway, I want to try. If I can charter a plane, I plan to fly in the day after tomorrow."

"Why not catch a commercial flight?" Kate asks. "You love the comforts of first class."

"I do," Rick admits. "But the senator flew out of a particular airfield that serves small planes. I want to fly in there and see if I can strike up a conversation or two. I might even get something out of my pilot."

Kate nudges Rick with her knee under the table. "You've turned into quite a detective, Babe."

"I learned from the best. But I haven't found out anything earthshaking yet. So wish me luck lining everything up."

Kate leans across the table for a kiss. "Definitely, good luck."

"And I doubt you'll need it, but good luck to you in trial today too."

"Thanks. Shapiro and I can always use it."


"Dr. Oglesby, could you tell the court a little about your background?" Kate requests.

Sam nods accommodatingly at Kate. "Certainly, Ms. Beckett. I took my undergraduate work with a double major in biology and anthropology at Harvard. I received a master's in biology and a doctorate in anthropology from Columbia. Then five years ago I returned to Columbia to earn a second doctorate in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology. I presently work for the Natural History Museum tracing human history through the analysis of DNA."

"Then, Dr. Oglesby, do you have an understanding of how a person could be identified through the use of DNA?"

"I do," Oglesby confirms.

"Could you outline that process for the jury in layperson's language?" Kate asks.

"I will do my best," Oglesby agrees. "Human beings have a great deal of DNA. Much of that is used to code the proteins we all need to live. As you might expect, that DNA's pretty much the same for most people. Otherwise, they'd die or become ill. But we also have areas of non-coding DNA. Those stretches can vary a lot without producing unfortunate effects. In fact, they can vary so much that if you look at enough of them, you can identify a specific person, and produce a DNA fingerprint, if you will. If you compare 13 of these stretches, the chance of any two people matching on all of them is roughly 1 in 575 trillion."

"And how many people live on the planet, Dr. Oglesby?" Kate queries.

"About 7.8 billion."

"So the chances of a random match would be very unlikely?" Kate presses.

"Extremely unlikely," Ms. Beckett.

"And Dr. Oglesby, do you understand the process by which these analyses are run? Would it be possible to introduce an error, a false positive?"

"Ms. Beckett, I've examined the lab reports and test results of the DNA involved in this case. The samples were run in duplicate by three different laboratories. I can't think of any way in which such an error could persist under those circumstances."

Kate nods. "Thank you, Dr. Oglesby. That's all I have."

Kaplowitz throws a sideways glance at Barry Lennox, who shrugs and rises from his seat. "Dr. Oglesby, did you run the DNA tests yourself?"

"No, Mr. Lennox, I didn't. As I told Ms. Beckett, they were run in duplicate at three different labs."

"And you were not present for any of the analyses?"

"No," Oglesby admits.

"So you can't testify that you witnessed the correct procedures being used."

"No I can't," Oglesby concedes.

"Thank you, Dr. Oglesby, that's all," Lennox declares and heads back to his seat.

"Redirect, Your Honor," Kate requests.

"Go ahead, Ms. Beckett," Judge Willis allows.

"Dr. Oglesby, you mentioned that the tests were done in duplicate at three different labs. Was one of those labs chosen by the defense?" Kate probes.

"That's what the paperwork indicated," Oglesby replies.

"And were the results the same as from the other two labs?" Kate inquires.

"Precisely the same, Ms. Beckett."

"Thank you," Dr. Oglesby.


Rick holds out a container for Kate to grab the last spare rib. "Oglesby really nailed Baird, didn't he?"

Kate shakes her head. "I think he convinced the jury that the semen on Lauren's dress came from Baird. But Baird can still claim the sex was consensual."

Rick guffaws. "How many women would knee a guy in the nuts after consensual sex?"

"We don't have hard proof that Lauren did. She says she did, and Ellie Levy saw Baird walking funny, but Baird could claim they were just playing rough. And Kaplowitz could still twist that to reasonable doubt. But for that to happen, Kaplowitz will have to put Baird on the stand. That's when we'll get our chance to make sure no one on the jury will believe that lying scumbag."

"Wow! Tell me how you really feel, Kate."

"You have no idea, Babe. The more I learn about Baird, the worse he gets."

"I don't know if I'm hoping it will go the same way with my research on the senator or not. I might not even learn anything."

"So, you've got your charter all lined up?"

"Yeah, I leave out of Teterboro around 6 am. The flight time's about three hours, which will give me most of the day to nose around. There's an old-style diner near the airfield. Supposedly the crews hang out there between flights. I thought I'd drop in for breakfast and see what I can pick up. But you can call me anytime if you need to vent about Kaplowitz."

"I may take you up on that." Kate licks barbecue sauce from her lips. "But I've got a meeting with Shapiro before court tomorrow, and if you're flying out at six, we should probably both get to bed early."

"Great idea."