Reading from Friday, November 7

Today I read from pages 344 - 421. The lead on the B file is very promising, and it leads to a man named Leon Wells, who tells them the truth. That, in order to get out of a lawsuit, he bribed Carolyn and Larren Lyttle. Although this is very interesting, it is completely irrelevant because it is unnecessary to bring up in court. To end the state's testimonies, Rusty's psychologist, Dr. Miles Robinson, comes in. Not many questions are asked before he is taken out of the box, due to doctor-patient confidentiality issues. After this, Judge Larren Lyttle dismisses the case on the grounds of insufficient incriminatory evidence. In the end, we learn that Rusty's own wife was jealous about what was going on between Rusty and Carolyn, so she killed Carolyn. Rusty's fingerprints that were found at the scene were only for effect, not to incriminate him. Rusty figured this out on his own because the glass that was placed at the scene would make Carolyn's set 13, and Rusty's own set 11. He finally learns that the glass was in the possession of Lipranzer the whole time. It was hidden in his desk, but not for means of concealment. He had placed it there during the case, and no one cared to ask him about it. Rusty and his wife, Barbara, decide to take a break because Barbara got a job in Detroit, over 400 miles from their house. Nat is going to live with Barbara, and Rusty goes to visit regularly. He becomes the P.A. when Della Guardia loses the election. He still does not have a comfortable situation in his hometown, but it will make do, and he doesn't want to start over. This concludes Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow.

Reading from Thursday, November 6

Three more people testify in the my reading of page 306 - 343. Maurice Dickerman, a fingerprint expert, Ms. Maybell Beatrice, a civilian, and Dr. Tatsuo Kumagai, the autopsy doctor, are these people. All three lean toward the defense, Rusty's side. So much so that when the trial is over, Kumagai resigns. Lipranzer has also gotten a lead on the B file that Carolyn was working on, and after this trial day he and Rusty are going to check up on it.

Reading from Tuesday, November 4 to Wednesday, November 5

In the past two days I have read from page 272 - 305. Rusty's friend from the force -- Dan Lipranzer, testifies, and, accoriding to Rusty, it is the most damaging testimony to the defense, including Horgan. That night, Rusty and Lipranzer meet to discuss the missing file from Carolyn. Lip is reluctant to proceed, but Rusty pushes because he needs some dirt on Tommy Molto.

Reading from Monday, November 3

Today I read from page 258 - 271. Raymond Horgan, Rusty's old boss, is now testifying. Della Guardia, the prosecutor, brings to the attention of the jurors the fact that Rusty did not inform Horgan of his personal relationship with Carolyn, the woman whose murder he is currently investigating. During cross-examination, Sandy - Rusty's lawyer - brings to the attention the missing file that Horgan removed from Carolyn's office. No one else knew about this file, and Sandy brings up the topic of confidence in his workers. Sandy says that, if Horgan can place his confidence and rely on an ambitious young woman, how can he testify against a man who has worked for him for a dozen years without that same confidence in him. This hits hard with the jury and seems to give a point to the defense.

Reading from Sunday, November 2

Today I read from pages 204 - 257. Rusty still wants to investigate the missing file that Carolyn was looking at, especially now that he knows Tommy Molto was involved with it, and the only man he can get to help him is an old friend named Lipranzer. He is testifying against Rusty, not of his own free will, and he doesn't want to dig until his testimony is over with, for fear of what the consequences may be. Before the trial starts, Rusty and his lawyer realize that the glass from Carolyn's house -- the one with his fingerprints, the only thing that ties him to the scene -- has not yet been produced. Della Guardia realizes that they have lost the glass, and the evidence is falling apart. A particularly unruly testifier completely destroys an attempt of Della Guardia's to tilt the balance his way, and right now the verdict is looking good.

Reading from Thursday, October 30 through Saturday, November 1

Today I read from page 137 - 203. The battle between Nico Della Guardia and Raymond Horgan is done, with Horgan on the losing end, and with him stands Rusty. Normally, Horgan would have some time left in office before Dell Guardia would take over, but he decides to step down right away. After learning of this, Rusty is also told that he is the prime suspect for the murder of Carolyn Pholmeus. He finds this particularly absurd, and leaves the office raving. He hires a lawyer, and legal matters go on as normal. He is confused as to what to do with his son, but Nat seems to mature quickly, which helps ease Rusty's mind. This also brings Barbara closer to Rusty, to try and protect him, which is the one good aspect of it all.

Reading from Wednesday, October 29

Today I read from page 125 - 136. Election day is upon them, and the assumption is that Raymond shall lose. Things are coming to an end, but a lead has been found about Carolyn's missing file. In chapter 17 Rusty elaborates on the abrupt end he had with Carolyn.

Reading from Tuesday, October 28

Today I read from page 119 - 124. Rusty goes to one of his son Nat's tee ball games, which he loses, and, after that, they join Barbara -- Rusty's wife -- at a "local pancake house". She is still mad at him for taking up Carolyn's case, mainly because they were intimate. Rusty thinks about how they came together in the first place, and how that initial love could have taken such a wrong turn.

Reading from Monday, October 27

Today I read pages 109 - 118. Rust visits a different district, hoping to find something about the strange file or Carolyn's murder. Instead he leaves with nothing but the idea of finding a new job because he is almost certain Raymond will not win this election.

Reading from Friday, October 24 through Sunday, October 26

In the past three days, I have read from page 45 - 108. Rusty is still waiting for Raymond's final run for office. They're still in it, but things aren't looking good. He also figures out that Carolyn, the deceased, had a file that was unknown to him. It was about a sinful act committed by someone in Raymond's reign. Rusty also travels to see Carolyn's son, who tells him nothing of use. They get an accurate report from the pathologist, whose nickname is Painless, and aren't helped much by it, and the case is moving along at a very slow pace. Rusty also describes some of his secret times with Carolyn at night.

Reading from Wednesday, October 22 and Thursday, October 23

I didn't have much of a chance to read in the past two days, so I only read from page 39-45. Rusty and his wife talk about how Rusty is taking the case of Carolyn's murder. His wife becomes very angry, and after a long fight, he leaves the room and recedes to his son Nat's room to hide "beneath the protecting arms of spider man".

Reading from Tuesday, October 21

Today I read from pages 33-38. Not much is happening really. Rusty talks about Carolyn's overall dominance of his life. How he would always notice her, and she would oftentimes be staring at him. He then proceeds to talk about his son and the love they share for the spider-man comics. He mentions his wife's PhD program for mathematics, and how it surprised him, and how that surprise was taken by her as disapproval, which it was definitely not.

P.S. I am going to start posting my free reading 3-4 days a week instead of all seven because I don't have much time to read daily, but if combine days at a time, my entries will cover more ground and (hopefully) more interesting.

Reading from Monday, October 20

Today I read a surprisingly short amount, from pages 29-32. Rusty goes to see a psychiatrist, and he talks to him about his love for Carolyn, for he had a little crush on her. Someone named Raymond asked Rusty to be his partner in a case about a banker whose brother is a mobster and whose wife was being arrested on the charges of abusing her son. There was evidence that the mother had used a vice on the child's head and used a cigarette to burn a hole on his behind. The case was passed to Carolyn, and Rusty told himself he should take it too, so he did.

Reading from Sunday, October 19

Today I started a new book called "Presumed Innocent" by Scott Turow. I read from page 7-28. I find that it's really hard to go right into a new book after being immersed in a different one. The characters are just so different. Anyway, the main character, Rusty Sabich, is the Chief Deputy of the PD. A woman named Carolyn Pholhemus has just died, and the book starts with her funeral. He is in the car with a man running for local office against one of Rusty's old friends. It basically describes her funeral, and near the end Rusty talks about the pictures of her death, for he is investigating her murder.