“And what did you do then?”

“Detective Frost and I immediately knocked on the door to two-E.”

“Did you identify yourselves as police officers?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And what happened-”

“That’s a fucking lie,” said the defendant. “They never said they were cops!”

Everyone looked at Billy Wayne Rollo; he was looking only at Jane.

“You will remain silent, Mr. Rollo,” the judge ordered.

“But she’s a liar.”

“Counsel, either control your client or he will be ejected from this courtroom.”

“Shhh, Billy,” the defense attorney murmured. “This is not helping.”

“All right,” the judge said. “Mr. Spurlock, you may continue.”

The assistant DA nodded and turned back to Jane. “What happened after you knocked on the door to two-E?”

“There was no answer. But we could still hear the screaming. The banging. We made the joint decision that a life was in danger, and that we needed to enter the apartment with or without consent.”

“And did you enter?”

“Yes, sir.”

“They kicked my fucking door down!” said Rollo.

“Silence, Mr. Rollo!” the judge snapped, and the defendant slouched back in his chair, his gaze burning on Jane.

Stare at me all you want, jerk. You think you scare me?

“Detective Rizzoli,” said Spurlock, “what did you see inside that apartment?”

Jane turned her attention back to the assistant DA. “We saw a man and a woman. The woman was lying on her back. Her face was severely bruised, and her lip was bleeding. The man was crouched over her. He had both his hands around her neck.”

“Is that man now sitting in this courtroom?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please point him out.”

She pointed to Billy Wayne Rollo.

“What happened then?”

“Detective Frost and I pulled Mr. Rollo off the woman. She was still conscious. Mr. Rollo resisted us, and in the scuffle, Detective Frost received a heavy blow to the abdomen. Mr. Rollo then fled the apartment. I gave chase and followed him into the stairwell. There I was able to apprehend him.”