PATSY by Kenneth L. Ehrenthal (fantasy novels to read .txt) 📕

service for that.  They do all the heavy lifting” He turns on some soft music.  “Can I use the “facilities?” she asks.  “Of course” he says.  This is very interesting, thinks Sid.  This very pretty lawyer has entered both my life and my home, without me really trying. 

”The bathroom is really sensational” she says.  “Well, you should have seen it before I bought the place...a real dump.”  Heidi sits down on a sofa and dreamily look out the window at the twinkling lights of the city and of course the building across the street which is black.  “Pretty nice view you have,” she says.  Thanks, that’s one of the reasons I bought this place.”  Sid sits beside her.  From the side of his head he sees her watching him.  “You know”, she says, I could look at that view all day.”  It isn’t as nice in the day time, but at night it can seem magical.”  She moves closer to him.  “I feel so comfortable here with you”.  Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve ever come up to a “dates” apartment, in my life.”  I didn’t take you for that kind of person”, says Sid.  She lays her head on his shoulder and he tentatively puts his arms around her.

Sid wakes with a start.  He looks over and sees Heidi fast asleep next to him.  He mouth is slightly open and she is breathing softly.  He remembers the night.  He quietly goes to the bathroom and upon returning Heidi is awake.  She is sitting up with a sheet pulled up to her chin.  Tears are slowly tracing down her cheeks.  “Why are you crying”? Asks Sid.  Oh Sid, I’m so happy.  I’ve never felt this way before. IIII ....love you!  Sid is shocked.  He tries not to show it.  He sits next to her on the bed and slowly kisses her tear stained cheeks.  I know this is so sudden and we haven’t known each other for long.”  “For long”, says Sid.  We know each other for two dates, and one of them was not even a date.”  ‘I know”, says Heidi,” but Sid, I’ve been so lonely and overworked and this time with you has made me realize how wonderful you seem.  You make me feel so comfortable”.  “I must say”, said Sid, “I’ve never met anyone like you and truth be told I feel very comfortable and loving to you.”  “Look”, she says, “It’s six o’clock and I have to go home, change and get to work.”  “Take a shower here,” says Sid, “and we’ll go to your place so that you can change cloths and we’ll get back down town together.”  “That’s great”, she says.


                                        
                                                       
 
                                                        Chapter 5


Melvin Lewis sat down in front of Sid's desk.  'I'm glad that you could see me so fast".  I've seen you around the court and I know of your reputation."  "Let me start at the beginning."  "Three years ago, I was working at the Public Defenders Office."  I pulled a murder case. A New York City cab driver was accused of raping and murdering a business woman they day she returned from a business trip from Boston.  In our investigation we ended up with several witnesses who place my defendant some where else at the time of the murder.  I thought we had an open and shut case for innocence.  Someone else did it.  But just before the case closed, the DA presented DNA evidence of my clients being at least the rapist and therefore the murderer.  He was sentenced to 25 years to life. 

"But I felt that something was wrong. But we didn't have the man power to do a thorough post trail investigation.  Now my man sits in Sing Sing, and I'm really not sure justice was done.  I've since left the Public Defenders and am moving to LA to be near my girl friend and I can't follow through.  The real reason I feel so strongly about this case is something that happened just days before I left my job.  That was about three weeks ago.  I received a call from someone in the New York Medical Examiners Office.  That's what the caller ID showed but I never got his name.  His message was very cryptic.  He said there was information on the medical examiners report that was left off the report that was sent to the court and therefore never presented at the trial.  That was it and nothing to indicate that the missing data was probative to my case."  Sid frowned, "You realize the cost of reopening the case.   We have to find the missing piece of evidence and even that might not be enough to get the case reopened. "Look", said Sid, "leave the records with me; I'll take a look when I get the chance, and I'll get back to you."  Leave me your new number in LA, and I'll call either way.
 
Sid was left with a nagging feeling that something, beyond just a new challenge with the law; a new case and also a new relationship.  He wasn’t the type to attract females.  When he was young he was very shy.  At a club dance when he was seventeen he finally got up the courage to ask someone to dance. That became his first relationship and lasted until the summer separated them.  Several years later on Orchard Beach he met another girl and they seemed to click.  But just two weeks after they met, she moved away.  He saw her once more, but the distance, and inconvenience was too great.  During college he met a girl and he felt as though he was on a great conveyor belt inexplicably moving him to marriage.  During his first year at NYU law they got married.  It lasted 8 years and produced two children.  The marriage ended with great pain and he saw his children only occasionally.  He did faithfully pay the child support. 
 
But for the past 15 years he had several girl friends and female acquaintances but not anyone seriously.  Now, for some reason he had attracted Heidi.  He guessed that she was in her thirties and maybe she felt panicked that she was not married and had no children.  Women of that age are supposed to feel that way....aren't they?  He was stable and relatively well off.  Although, he thought, she probably made more money than he did.  He did sense a depth in her, witness the crying this morning.  She did say she was lonely and we were comfortable together.  Her saying she loved him had knocked him over.  I suppose it could happen.  Did he love her?  That was a horse of a different color.  He must admit, he thought that since that first meeting he had continually thought of her.  The "date” that they had yesterday was terribly wonderful.  He never expected to end up in is place and sleeping together.  Was he again being pulled along passively to conform to someone else's agenda?  That is something I have to watch out for. 
Sid felt that if he did look into the case and then decided to take it on, there would be a great economic burden on him and probably his whole firm.  Whole firm: four associates, a legal assistant, and two secretaries.  He decided to meet with his "crew" for a discussion and sound them out.  He asked Margie, his Secretary to gather the group for a meeting.  The "crew" was of course Margie, who had been with him for ten years, from the beginning.  Louis Swinger, just out of law school, and the most "gung ho" advocate, he knew; Mary White, long time defense stalwart, and his alter ego; Frank Carroll, about fifty-five, and a long time foe of the establishment; and Margaret Winthrop, about thirty and soothe as silk in front of a jury.  His legal assistant Denise Williams: also with him from the beginning and the youngster Ann Lawrence: coffee maven, and general all purpose secretary.  The all crowded into the small conference room.  "OK" said Sid, "I called you all in together to fill you in on what I think will affect us all for the next year."  He laid out the information that Marvin Lewis had offered.  He told them that he had gone sketchily over the files in the last few days and something was wrong.  I'm going to have Margie write out some pertinent data and send it to you all.  After you read it, let me know what you think.  The results were very interesting to Sid.  Everyone agreed that the case should be pursued.  Boy thought Sid, do I know how to pick 'em.
 
The next day, Lou intercepted Sid as he came in.  "Sid, he said, "there is too much information missing and we probably won’t be able to get much that easily.  Even if we subpoena people, we really don't know the proper material to look for, except the medical examiners report.  And you told us you had that or at least the MA’s report to the court.  But, from the call to the Public Defender, there must be another fuller report somewhere.”  "Louis”, he said, you’re right.  I've been considering hiring George Hyman for the investigation.  He has lots of friends in the police and he'd been a New York City detective, until a bullet ruined his legs”.  “That’s a great idea! I hate to ask....but how much is this going to cost?"  Good question...well have to deal with that later." 

 
 
 
 
 
                                         
 
Chapter 6
 
 
George Hyman, looked like a New York City detective, overweight, about 5"8" and a full weather beaten face.  He walked with a noticeable limp.  George walked into Sid's office with a big smile on his face.  "How ya doing counselor."  What da ya need?  "George it’s good to see you! How have you been?" “I’m pretty much the same.  Hey, the daughter just got engaged, to a dentist yet!"  Congratulations George that just great."  I have a case for you, if you have the time."  "For you Sid, I'd find the time."  "Here's the story."  Sid lays out all the information he has, but what he was told and what the records told.  "It seems to me, says George that the hinge of the case is the DNA stuff."  "And wasn't that what that anonymous phone call was about."  "That's right!"  "Let me nose around the Medical Examiner's Office, I know some people there and see what I can find.  My usual fee, right?"  Yup.

The very next day George calls.  "Sid", "yes George."  "I discovered something very interesting.  There is no record here that the defendant ever had a DNA test.  And even more interesting, the victim was at least two months pregnant."  "None of that was in the report."  "I know"  "Sid, what I would like you to do is scour the trial records and all the arrest and hearing records to see if any mention is made if the police or the prosecutors ever had your client tested;"  because there is no record like that here."   "Oh, one more thing, the fetus had the same DNA of your client."  "Once again, that was never mentioned in the trial record."  "If that is true, the client would have had to know the victim at least two months before he picked her up at the airport."  "That's right!"  "There was nothing said or brought up at the trial about anything like that." ‘That’s right."

Sid sat back.  What are the odds that an itinerant taxi cab driver has an affair with a classy business woman?  Gets his cab hailed by her, as the next cab in line, at the airport.  Takes her home, rapes and kills her.  That just