Silent Night Stakeout. Kerry Connor

burglar. Then there’s the matter of the fingerprints. Anyone over the age of ten knows about fingerprints, and any would-be criminal would do everything they could to keep from leaving any. Jeremy didn’t even have gloves in his pockets when he was arrested, and there were none discarded nearby. Jeremy wasn’t stupid, nor was he intoxicated or in any way impaired when they found him. Yet we’re supposed to believe he tried to commit a burglary and was foolish enough to leave his fingerprints on the broken window? It doesn’t make sense.”

      “People aren’t always smart, especially criminals. They make mistakes. Why else would his fingerprints be there?”

      “Maybe he was passing through the alley behind the house, saw the broken window and decided to investigate. He could have touched the glass by accident.”

      He exhaled sharply. “You really think that story makes more sense than the official theory?”

      “I’m just saying it’s another possible theory. You can’t prove it’s not true any more than you can prove yours is. That’s what reasonable doubt is all about.”

      “Be honest with me. After everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours, you really still think he was innocent?”

      “I think it’s not safe to assume he wasn’t. We don’t know that the murder was connected to his arrest.”

      “Really? Because as far as we know, Jeremy Decker’s arrest and his murder have one thing in common: you. You represented him, you found him outside your building, and you found his tongue on your front porch. It seems pretty clear somebody doesn’t want you talking about something they thought he told you. What else would someone think he told you about but the burglary?”

      “I don’t know,” Regina said. “Believe me, I wish I did.”

      “I would guess that there was an accomplice, the person who got away with Mrs. Madison’s jewelry. Most likely that person wanted to silence Decker to keep him from revealing his or her involvement.”