Page 69 of Jon's Helter Skelter Cold Case

“Then you may return, Mr. Walker.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Grant got up and went to his original seat.

“Plaintiff calls their next witness, FBI Special Agent Marc Gonzalez.”

Marc got up, then he was sworn in and ushered to his chair at the witness box. He’d chosen to wear his FBI badge and windbreaker. Likely to visually reinforce just who he was. Smart. Then again, Marc was always smart.

“Agent Gonzalez, it’s my understanding that after Grant Walker tried to find the victim, you were called in. Why is that?”

“Well, Jonathan Bane and I go way back. He’s helped me on several of my cases, and frankly, I’d walk through fire if that man asked. I owe him a lot. So when he asked if I could try to trace the owner of a murder weapon, I said sure without asking too many questions. I am a licensed Tracer, he knows this, so he wanted to see what I could find from the weapon itself.”

“I see. And what did you find?”

“It’s fake.” Marc shrugged, but I knew he was playing to the crowd. The judge was as invested as all the reporters. “The weapon itself wasn’t made in a factory, or by someone’s hands. It was materialized.”

“Can you tell me more about materialization?”

“It’s an especially rare ability. We have only a dozen people in the whole United States who can do it. Basically, they are able tomaterialize anything they can properly envision. Depending on how strong they are, they can make some pretty large or complex things.”

“And you’re sure the murder weapon was materialized?”

“Without a doubt. It didn’t lead to anywhere—an origin—or anyone. It justpoof—existed. Also, a Materializer’s energy was all over this thing. It wasn’t even just the weapon. I checked all the other evidence and it was materialized as well.”

“When you say the other evidence, what do you mean?”

“The blood found in the drain, the GPS history on the phone, the electronic searches and orders, even the cleaning supplies. Theonlyevidence not made up was the victim’s clothes. And let’s face it, people change midday for all sorts of reasons, so the victim could very well have voluntarily taken those off and the true perpetrator of the crime just took advantage of the situation.”

“I see. So there isn’t any evidence—except for the clothes—that can be accepted at face value?”

“Not a one.”

“Thank you. Plaintiff rests.” Craig went and sat back down.

The poor defense attorney didn’t seem to know how to refute this, but he gamely stood anyway.

“Agent, you say that you can trace something back to the person who made it. But in this case, wouldn’t the psychic who materialized these things be the creator? Why can’t you trace them down?”

“I tried.” There was a tic in Marc’s jaw. “Trust me, I’ve been trying. He’s under the same kind of shield or barrier his victim is in, we think. I’m having the same trouble Grant Walker is—he’s there, but I can’t make a connection long enough to locate him. But this I can testify to with absolute certainty: It’s not Dwayne Evans who did this. I’d have locked onto him immediately, if that were the case.”

“But he’s been in the psychic ward of a max security prison.”

“Not for over two weeks, he hasn’t. He was moved from max security when Jonathan Bane vouched for his character. I started searching for the real perp after he was moved. I would have connected to him if it was his doing.”

“I see. Don’t you think this sounds far-fetched?”

“Like a freakin’ daytime soap opera,” Marc said in agreement, surprising me. “I’m losing sleep, that’s how frustrating it is. But honestly? Jon’s famous for the crazy cases, so while I agree with you, I’m also not surprised.”

Again, fair. Jon complained about his reputation, but it was also accurate. His cases were nuttier than most. A certain exploding casino leapt to mind.

Attorney gave up again. “Defense rests.”

Craig popped up again. “Plaintiff calls Francesca Harlington to the stand.”

Francesca was in a blue jean dress with her makeup perfectly applied. She looked good without looking overdressed, and I had a feeling it was a calculated move on her part. She was sworn in before sitting down, but she did look a little uneasy being up there. This was likely the first time she’d been in a courtroom.

“Ms. Harlington, you are a Materializer, correct?”

“Correct. I’m licensed and work as a prosthesis maker in a veterinary hospital.”

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