ALSO BY DAVID ELLIS

Jason Kolarich novels

The Wrong Man

Breach of Trust

The Hidden Man

 

Eye of the Beholder

In the Company of Liars

Jury of One

Life Sentence

Line of Vision

By David Ellis and James Patterson

Mistress

Guilty Wives

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G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS

Publishers Since 1838

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014, USA

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USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com

Copyright © 2013 by David Ellis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Published simultaneously in Canada

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ellis, David, date.

The last alibi / David Ellis.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-101-62114-1

1. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3555.L59485L38 2013 2013015329

813'.6—dc23

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To Ed Nystrom

Contents

Also by David Ellis

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

THE TRIAL, DAY 1

Chapter 1: Jason

SIX MONTHS BEFORE TRIAL

Chapter 2: Jason

Chapter 3: Shauna

Chapter 4: Jason

Chapter 5: Jason

Chapter 6: Shauna

Chapter 7: Jason

Chapter 8: Shauna

Chapter 9: Jason

Chapter 10: Jason

Chapter 11: Shauna

Chapter 12: Jason

Chapter 13: Jason

Chapter 14: Jason

Chapter 15: Jason

Chapter 16: Jason

Chapter 17: Jason

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 1

Chapter 18: Shauna

Chapter 19: Jason

Chapter 20: Shauna

Chapter 21: Jason

SIX MONTHS BEFORE TRIAL

Chapter 22: Jason

Chapter 23: Jason

Chapter 24: Shauna

Chapter 25: Shauna

Chapter 26: Jason

Chapter 27: Jason

Chapter 28: Jason

Chapter 29: Jason

Chapter 30: Shauna

Chapter 31: Jason

Chapter 32: Jason

Chapter 33: Shauna

Chapter 34: Jason

Chapter 35: Jason

Chapter 36: Jason

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 2

Chapter 37: Shauna

Chapter 38: Shauna

Chapter 39: Jason

Chapter 40: Shauna

Chapter 41: Jason

FIVE MONTHS BEFORE TRIAL

Chapter 42: Jason

Chapter 43: Jason

Chapter 44: Jason

Chapter 45: Jason

Chapter 46: Jason

Chapter 47: Jason

Chapter 48: Shauna

Chapter 49: Jason

Chapter 50: Jason

Chapter 51: Jason

Chapter 52: Shauna

Chapter 53: Shauna

Chapter 54: Shauna

Chapter 55: Jason

Chapter 56: Shauna

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 3

Chapter 57: Jason

Chapter 58: Shauna

Chapter 59: Shauna

Chapter 60: Jason

Chapter 61: Jason

Chapter 62: Jason

Chapter 63: Jason

FIVE MONTHS BEFORE TRIAL

Chapter 64: Jason

Chapter 65: Shauna

Chapter 66: Jason

Chapter 67: Jason

Chapter 68: Jason

Chapter 69: Shauna

Chapter 70: Jason

Chapter 71: Jason

Chapter 72: Jason

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 4

Chapter 73: Shauna

Chapter 74: Jason

FIVE MONTHS BEFORE TRIAL

Chapter 75: Jason

Chapter 76: Jason

Chapter 77: Jason

Chapter 78: Shauna

Chapter 79: Jason

Chapter 80: Jason

Chapter 81: Jason

Chapter 82: Shauna

Chapter 83: Shauna

Chapter 84: Jason

THE DAY OF ALEXA HIMMEL’S DEATH

Chapter 85: Shauna

Chapter 86: Jason

Chapter 87: Jason

Chapter 88: Shauna

Chapter 89: Jason

EIGHT YEARS AGO

Chapter 90: Jason Kolarich, Assistant County Attorney

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 4

Chapter 91: Shauna

Chapter 92: Shauna

Chapter 93: Shauna

Chapter 94: Jason

Chapter 95: Jason

Chapter 96: Shauna

Chapter 97: Shauna

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 5

Chapter 98: Jason

Chapter 99: Shauna

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 6

Chapter 100: Jason

Chapter 101: Jason

Chapter 102: Jason

Chapter 103: Jason

Chapter 104: Jason

THE DAY OF ALEXA HIMMEL’S DEATH

Chapter 105: Shauna

Chapter 106: Jason

Chapter 107: Jason

Chapter 108: Shauna

Chapter 109: Shauna

Chapter 110: Jason

Chapter 111: Jason

THREE MONTHS BEFORE TRIAL

Chapter 112: Jason

PEOPLE VS. JASON KOLARICH TRIAL, DAY 7

Chapter 113: Jason

Acknowledgments

THE TRIAL, DAY 1

Monday, December 9

1.

Jason

Judge Judith Bialek, from her bench overlooking the court, peers down over her glasses at the defense and prosecution. Until now she has been businesslike, efficient, carefully instructing the twelve jurors and three alternates as to their duties in this case. But this particular case gives her pause, as she is familiar with the parties and tries to emit some kind of acknowledgment of this fact: a grim smile, lips tucked in, a brief nod in the direction of the defense table.

“Please remember, above all,” she says, “that the defendant has pleaded not guilty, and he is presumed not guilty unless proven otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Everybody knows that, of course. You’ve only made it as far as Judge Bialek’s courtroom if you’ve uttered those two words: Not guilty. Not guilty by reason of insanity. Self-defense, maybe. But always Not guilty!


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