"I resent the implication," the officer replied.
"Then explain how twelve different suspects in twelve different robberies all paced nervously outside the store, approached from the east, wore dark clothing, and fled in exactly the same direction."
Officer Williams was sweating now, his uniform collar damp despite the cool courtroom. "Criminals tend to follow patterns."
"So do fraudulent reports," Marcus said.
Richardson objected, but the judge allowed Marcus to continue.
Marcus lifted a new set of documents. "Officer Williams, are you aware that Mr. Davis filed insurance claims totaling forty-seven thousand dollars for merchandise allegedly stolen in these cases?"
"I don't handle insurance matters."
"Are you aware that your police reports supplied the documentation Mr. Davis needed to collect those payments?"
"That's not my responsibility."
Marcus walked to his briefcase and removed the final packet. Officer Williams gripped the arms of the witness chair as soon as he saw it.
"Officer Williams, I would like to enter bank records showing monthly payments of five hundred dollars from Jimmy Davis to your personal checking account over the past three years. The payments total eighteen thousand dollars and are labeled 'security consulting.' What services did you provide for that money?"
The courtroom erupted in shocked voices. Judge Morrison struck his gavel repeatedly while reporters wrote furiously and spectators turned toward one another in disbelief. Richardson rose and objected, but the records had already been displayed and the damage was done.