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Credit is due to Patricia Yankosky for showing me her stained glass creations and giving me a step-by-step lesson on how these works of art come into being. I learned a lot about the craft, Pat. If not for Valoise Douglas, I would have had to embark on my research cruise to Alaska alone, missing out on all the fun we shared. Thanks, Val, for having been my travel companion and, as always, an excellent editor of the book. Again, my gratitude goes to my daughter Franziska for proofreading the initial manuscript. I am indebted to the members of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime and believe that through their programs, support, and workshops, I continue to hone my craft of writing. Most of all, I appreciate my husband, Wilfried, for putting up with my reclusive behavior, book after book.
Following the jury selection on Friday, August 10, the actual trial began on Monday, August 13, with opening statements from both the district attorney in charge of the prosecution and Rachel’s defense attorney, David Wachterman. There ensued testimony of a string of witnesses called by the prosecution, consisting of police officers, medical doctors and toxicology experts. The twelve jurors plus two alternates paid keen attention, although some of the experts’ monologues seemed beyond their comprehension. The authorities had found poisonous oleander mixed in with Steven Moretti’s loose leaf tea. Oleander is an evergreen perennial bush containing the toxic glycoside oleandrin, and as little as one leaf of the plant may be toxic enough to cause death in human beings.
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The judge did not accept the motion challenging the legal sufficiency of a case against Rachel. After the jury assembled again, he proclaimed, “Court adjourned until tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.”
Huber studied him for a long time. By no means handsome, he had a pleasantly agreeable face, perfectly suited for a general practice physician. He had delicate hands, which he kept folded in front of him on top of the desk. He seemed to be under stress, which Huber linked to the situation Rachel was in. The doctor looked extremely young, almost boyish. He must be straight out of medical school, she presumed, wondering if she’d have confidence in someone that age, were she his patient.
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