Page 108

CHAPTER 106

YUKI FELT SURE that once El Gato testified today, the jurors would decide if Dario Garza was guilty or not before they even heard other witnesses, and before she or Credendino summarized their case.

El Gato was that important.

Not only was he an eyewitness to the murder of Miguel Hernandez, but he also had taken several photos and a few seconds of video of Dario aiming a gun at Miguel Hernandez’s head.

Yuki had entered that material into evidence.

El Gato was young, unsophisticated, and he felt inferior to the slick killer on trial. Still, the jury had to believe him. That required him to have confidence and a good memory, and he had to be honest.

Days ago, El Gato had told Yuki that he had the shakes because of this responsibility. He said that he was afraid of public speaking even if he couldn’t see the audience. And he was afraid of what Dario would do to him if he was found not guilty and set free.

After their talk, Yuki spent hours speaking with her witness over a secure Wi-Fi connection. She outlined the key points of his testimony so he would have notes if he got confused or overwhelmed. And she assured him that he knew what he’d seen and what was said.

Days after Yuki had begun the coaching sessions, El Gato thanked her for standing by him. It was important to him knowing that he was doing the right thing, that he was doing his part to put away the man who had killed his friend.

Nick Gaines had also worked to protect El Gato. He’d collaborated with computer techs to make sure that the network was secure, and that the voice modulation would fully alter El Gato’s voice, that the facial mask would truly disguise him, that the shades and curtains would be drawn so as not to give away his location.

All of these preparations came down to now.

Court was in session. Judge Walden asked Yuki, “Are the People ready to introduce their first witness?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

The multiscreen computer was on and visible to the jurors and the legal counsel. The link had been sent, and Gaines initialized the connection so that El Gato was now seen sitting in an ordinary reclining chair against an eggshell-white backdrop. His mask was made of black latex, and his voice was clear and unaccented.

The bailiff swore in the witness and it was on.

“Mr. El Gato, you’ve recently told me you prefer just to be called ‘Gato,’ no ‘El.’ Is that correct?

“Yes, if that’s okay.”

“It’s fine. Gato, please tell the court what you know about the events of June 15th when you were a passenger inside Mr. Garza’s car.”

“Yes. Okay. Well, I want people to know that I am not a so-called popular kid like Mr. Garza and Miguel Hernandez, may he rest in peace. So, I was very excited to be going out with them. I knew Miguel much better, and he was in the front seat next to Dario, and he was, like, Dario’s public relations guy.”

“Can you expand on that, please?” Yuki asked her witness.

“Yeah, sure. Miguel was telling me that Dario was a sex magnet. That he had slept with a lot of girls and women, no strings attached, and Miguel said, like, ‘Have you ever heard of snuff films? Well Dario does them without the cameras. It’s the real thing.’”

Gato went on, saying, “Dario got very mad at Miguel for talking about him like that and to me. So, he pulled the car off the road and took a gun out of the glove box and told Miguel to get out of the car.”

Yuki said, “Please go on,” but this story had changed since Gato had told her about that June 15th. Wherever he was going, she couldn’t stop him now.

“Dario was aiming his gun at Miguel,” said Gato. “I got out of the car and I had my phone out. So, I took pictures of the gun in Dario’s hand, and Miguel was in the frame, and I was getting scared, so I said, ‘Dario, don’t do it.’ And he told me to shut up, so I said, ‘Miguel, run,’ and he did. And then Dario shot Miguel, and he turned his gun on me, so I jumped behind a parked car.”

This was the first time Yuki had heard about a threat on Gato’s life. She felt as if she were walking on a high wire between two skyscrapers without a net. There was no way to talk to Gato privately, even if she could pause his testimony now. Everything he said was being broadcast into the Judicial Building on the Folsom Prison grounds.

“And then what did you do?” Yuki asked.

“I watched him,” said Gato. “He muscled Miguel’s body into the trunk of the car and took off.”

Yuki was absorbed in Gato’s narrative and didn’t see Dario rise from his seat. He yelled, “ He’s lying! Nothing but lies! ” He shot Gato a threatening look, saying, “He did it. I demand to testify!”

Dario’s outburst so derailed Gato’s testimony that Yuki barely noticed Judge Walden banging her gun butt on the bench. Attorney Jon Credendino grabbed Dario by the arm and tried to pull him back into his seat. But Dario shook him off, insisting, “Don’t I have rights? I want to speak to the jury.”

A new sound filtered into the courtroom. It was a muffled rumble like that of an old car engine, and for a moment Yuki conflated the engine sound with the roar of Dario’s car, which was in her imagination.

But this new engine sound was coming from the south and outside of the building, and it was not imaginary.

The jurors grabbed at and talked to one another, and even Gaines was shouting, “What the hell?” By then, everyone in the courtroom knew that something was going very wrong.