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
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
Publishers Since 1838
Published by the Penguin Group
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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!