Page 33 of The Right to Remain

“I believe Owen said it was ‘a coward’s way out.’”

“And that he would never do it, correct?”

“Yes. He said that.”

“Mrs. Pollard, your husband was not a coward, was he?”

“I don’t think suicide has anything to do with bravery or cowardice. Some people lose their way.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. But let me rephrase the question. Did you ever hear your husband describe himself as a coward?”

“Owen? No. Never.”

“In fact, on his social media posts, he often described himself as a ‘sheepdog,’ did he not?”

“He did. We even have a sheepdog as our family pet.”

“A sheepdog is a special kind of animal, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I think they are. For Owen, definitely.”

“Your husband called himself a sheepdog because he thought of himself as a protector, am I right? The same way a sheepdog protects the flock, Owen protected his neighbors. His friends. And most of all, his family.”

Helena had never told anyone about her decision to take Austen and leave Owen. She answered the prosecutor’s question truthfully. “He saw himself that way, yes.”

“A sheepdog doesn’t just pick up a shotgun one day and check out, does he?”

Helena didn’t appreciate the sarcasm. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

“That’s fine,” said the prosecutor. “Let’s move on to something else.”

The junior prosecutor handed up an exhibit. Weller placed it on the table before the witness and continued.

“Mrs. Pollard, I’m showing you what has been previously marked as exhibit twenty-seven. I will remind the grand jurors that this exhibit was offered into evidence through the testimony of Miami-Dade detective John Osborne, who told us that his team found this handwritten list in your kitchen on the night Owen’s body was recovered.”

Helena stared at the list but said nothing.

Weller asked, “Do you see the handwriting across the top where it says, ‘Things Stressing Me Out’?”

She lifted her gaze and looked the prosecutor in the eye. “I see it.”

“And below that is a list of items numbered one through seventeen, correct?”

“Yes.”

“On the night the police came to your house, Detective Osborne showed you this list, did he not?”

“Yes.”

“We know from Detective Osborne’s report—and from his testimony here at the grand jury—that he asked you about the handwriting. According to his report, you answered, ‘Yes, it looks like Owen’s.’”

“That’s my recollection.”

“I want to ask about the circumstances surrounding that exchange with Detective Osborne. First of all, it must have been a very stressful time. Your husband had suffered a grievous head wound. The police were in the next room with the body. Your house was a crime scene. I could go on and on.”

“It was extremely stressful,” said Helena.

“On top of all that, you and Owen had been under stress. You told Detective Osborne that you were staying at your mother’s house. You only found the body because Owen called and begged you to come back home. True?”