Animal Instinct by Rosenfelt, David (novels for students TXT) 📕

grudge against Kline. I came out and admitted it to Lieutenant Battersby, who was working the Lisa Yates murder.

But that would not be enough. I am not a career criminal with a history of violent crime; I am a former cop who has never been marred by a hint of scandal. They wouldn’t have made this arrest, and especially so quickly, if they did not have more convincing evidence.

After a couple of hours in a cell, I am taken out and brought into a room where Andy Carpenter is waiting. Once we are alone, I say, “You know, I never hired you.”

He nods. “Unfortunately, Laurie did.”

“I can’t pay your fee.”

He nods again. “Even more unfortunately, Laurie waived it. Now can we move on to more important matters?”

“We can.”

“You discovered the body and you had a grudge against the victim. We know they have that, but they have to have more.”

He has just perfectly summarized my view. “I don’t know what they could have because I didn’t do it.”

“Kline called you to the scene. If he did so under duress, then the purpose could have been to frame you. After he was forced to make the call, they killed him.”

“They’d still have to have other evidence.”

“Laurie said that someone broke into your house,” Andy says.

A light goes on; I hadn’t made the connection. “As far as I could tell, nothing was missing.”

“Any idea why anyone would want to frame you for murder?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Okay; we’ll find out everything in discovery. I will see you at the arraignment tomorrow.”

“Where is Simon?”

“At our house. We’ll keep him until you get out; Tara insists on it.”

“Will you get word to Dani about what’s going on?”

“Laurie already did.”

“What about bail?” I’m afraid of the answer.

“Tough in cases like this, but we’ll do what we can. A lot will depend on which judge we draw.”

“Maybe we’ll get a judge who likes you.”

“Maybe Amelia Earhart will be found singing karaoke at a bar in Fort Lee.”

“Thanks for this, Andy.” It’d be hard for him to say anything that would make me feel less anxious, but at the very least it’s nice to know my team is in my corner. That’s especially comforting since when I look across the ring to the other corner, I see the entire state of New Jersey.

Andy shrugs. “Any friend of Laurie’s…”

I’VE attended a handful of arraignments in my career.

It was never in an official capacity because no testimony is offered at them. Mostly they were just cases where I was particularly and emotionally invested in an arrest I had made, and I wanted to see the accused handcuffed and facing justice.

This is different and weird; I am the one being arraigned. I am the one handcuffed, and I am the one facing what the system sees as justice. The only similarity is that I am emotionally invested.

Very emotionally invested.

Andy has gone over what to expect, even though we both know that I am aware of the procedures. All I have to do, when prompted, is to rise and say, “Not guilty.” I don’t need a teleprompter for that.

The prosecutor is Dylan Campbell, who I had some dealings with back in the day. He’s smart and relentless, or at least that’s how he seemed to me, and that’s his reputation.

“Dylan hates me,” Andy says. “I’ve beaten him three times, and I refer to him as Hamilton Burger.” Andy is talking about the legendary Perry Mason prosecutor whose record compared unfavorably with the Washington Generals’ record against the Harlem Globetrotters.

“Does he know you call him that?”

“I think so. I say it to his face.”

“How does that affect me?”

“If he hates me, then he hates you. It’s a principle of the law; the Latin name for it is antagonis transferris.”

“Wonderful. Is there anyone in the legal system who doesn’t hate you?”

Andy shakes his head. “Not since Laurie retired.”

The judge is Nelson Wallace, which Andy considers relatively good news. He describes Wallace as fair and more willing to tolerate unconventional courtroom tactics than most judges. Andy’s specialty is unconventional courtroom tactics.

Judge Wallace gavels in the proceedings, and Dylan presents the charges. There’s some back-and-forth between Andy and the judge regarding pretrial motions and court procedures, but nothing that is particularly interesting to me. I am totally focused on the issue of bail.

Andy finally brings up the matter of bail, and Dylan immediately jumps up, obviously anticipating the request. “Your Honor, the State vigorously opposes bail in this case. The nature of the crime is so heinous, and the evidence so compelling, that public safety demands that the defendant be remanded to the county jail.”

Andy shakes his head disapprovingly. “Your Honor, first of all, the evidence is always compelling to Mr. Campbell, yet based on my history with him, juries often seem to disagree. Secondly, though he has made a rush to judgment in the matter, he has not rushed to turn over discovery to the defense. But sight unseen, I can assure Your Honor that the evidence cannot be compelling, because Mr. Douglas is innocent.

“Mr. Douglas served as a police officer for twenty-five years and amassed an impeccable service record. During that time he was armed by the city and given the significant power that a badge carries, yet the public safety managed to have emerged unscathed. He protected the public; he did not endanger it.”

“Mr. Douglas was never charged with murder during those years,” Dylan says.

Andy nods. “Thank you for making my point for me. He was never charged with anything. Not once. Not ever. Not until this ludicrous charge was filed.”

“What do you propose, Mr. Carpenter?” asks Judge Wallace.

“A substantial bail, the amount to obviously be set at your discretion. Also we would be comfortable with Mr. Douglas wearing a GPS monitor and staying within a seventy-five-mile radius of his home. He needs to be able to work; his obvious talent and experience make him an integral part of his own defense.”

It looks like the judge is frowning a bit while Andy