Chapter 1 #2
“Don’t worry, it’s not like we need him. It would have been more for shock and awe. He’d add value for entertainment purposes more than anything else.”
She looked perfectly serious and it was at moments like this that he understood why she wasn’t a famous criminal defense attorney. She was crazy unconventional, like a mad scientist, just wild enough and brilliant enough to be scary yet effective.
“You’re not going to share that wish with anyone else, right?”
“Don’t worry, Blaise. Attorney-client privilege.
My crazy notions are strictly between us.
But even without bringing anyone back from the dead, when we get finished, you’ll be famous.
And you’ll be found not guilty. There’s no way a jury is going to send you to prison for an act of bravery.
” She gripped his arm, nostrils flaring, mouth a firm slash in her zealous face.
He felt her belief in him as real as the wood table where they stood.
“I swear, Kimble, if I wasn’t already engaged, I’d ask you to marry me right now.”
She scowled. It was a pursed-lip scowl, not the Shana-the-beautiful scowl, but then no one could compare to Shana. Not even when she scowled.
“Zip it, Blaise. This is no joking matter.”
The deadly mask fell over his face, covering up whatever sick humor he’d found in the too-serious proceedings and his crazy genius attorney.
In spite of the potential for a very bad outcome, such as prison time with the kind of men who’d jump at the chance to make his life hell, he couldn’t take the idea seriously, couldn’t bring himself to believe, in spite of his overriding cynicism, that any judge or jury would put him away for what he’d done.
But then, he’d never in a million years have figured that Cap would betray him by arresting him in the first place. And then testify against him.
Don’t go there.
The court officer stood and boomed out the ominous words, “All rise.”
Judge Katz walked into the courtroom and took her place behind the bench, motioning for everyone to sit.
Kimble led him to the judge’s bench as if he needed assistance to make the short walk.
He turned to Shana and gave her a wink. She gave him a half smile back.
He was glad to get that much. Her smiles had been few and far between since Whitey Nash blew up the beach shack.
Their home. Whitey, in fact, had blown up their entire life in his mad scheme for vengeance.
“Mr. Blaise.” Judge Katz nodded as she spoke. No smile. “You understand the seriousness of this charge?”
“Yes, ma’am. Your Honor.”
Katz turned her canny attention to his attorney.
It wasn’t lost on Dane that these were a pair of formidable women, each in her own way.
He could take them in a street fight, but in a stare-down contest, he wasn’t so sure.
There were a lot of iron-willed people in this room.
He wondered where Cap stood on that spectrum, whether he was still stubbornly entrenched in his sudden stricter-than-necessary-letter-of-the-law position on his killing of Whitey.
The killing was clearly justified. Not murder.
“Nora, you ready?”
“Yes, judge. Bring it on.”
Katz nodded, banged her gavel once and nodded at the clerk. Dane took his seat at the defendant’s table next to Kimble. Shana sat in the first row behind him with Sassy clutching her arm. The governor, Peter John Douglas, sat two rows back with Joe, his bodyguard for the duration.
The District Attorney, Steve Philimino, sat with an assistant from his office who Dane didn’t know.
Behind them sat the contingent from the FBI and Cap.
Dane flicked his eyes at Cap. He sat ramrod straight, not looking in Dane’s direction, unreadable expression.
Serious as hell. Dane squelched a sigh and kept his mask in place, a nonthreatening neutral expression that he knew wouldn’t offend the jury.
The clerk paraded in the jury pool and the jury selection process began.
Kimble ducked her head in his direction and whispered, “I’m not going to use all our challenges. It’ll throw Philimino off. But I’m confident that most of these people have warm and fuzzy feelings about you. It’s why I wanted the trial here on the island in spite of the prosecutor’s protesting.”
“Fine. Except I recognize one of Cap’s men in that jury pool so you might want to challenge him.”
She nodded.
DA Philimino proceeded to blow through all sixteen challenges while Kimble only challenged the one state police officer Dane had pointed out to her.
They appeared to have their jury of sixteen including four alternates after what would have been a grueling process if it hadn’t been for the fact that Dane’s freedom, possibly his life, was at stake.
Not that they were going to execute him, because there was no death penalty in Massachusetts, but he might be a target if he ended up in prison.
He slid a gaze over to where the feds sat and wondered if that was what they’d counted on, if they’d send him somewhere that he’d be guaranteed trouble.
Ever since he exposed FBI Special Agent Peck a few years back as corrupt and involved with a scam, the local Boston office hadn’t been his biggest fans.
In fact, they loathed him, labeled him a troublemaker and made his life difficult every chance he got.
If it weren’t for the governor being in his corner, who knew where he’d be.
But Peter was in his corner, there today in court, more to keep the feds honest and to give the press the whole story.
After the DA made his sixteenth challenge, Dane thought they had a jury, but no.
“Your Honor.” Philimino stood when he spoke. “I’d like to challenge the next juror with cause.”
Kimble leaned in, whispering to Dane, “He has to be kidding? Why would he challenge her?”
Dane thought about telling Kimble that he knew the woman, but said nothing.
“Approach the bench. All of you,” the judge said.
Kimble took his arm and led him up to the bench to be in on the conversation with the judge and DA. He wasn’t so sure the judge meant to include him in the sidebar, but after she raised a brow, she said nothing. Philimino scowled at him, but didn’t object.
“What’s your objection to this juror, Mr. Philimino? Before you answer let me say that I’m not inclined to waste any more time than we need to on this trial so it better be something mind-blowing.”
“Your Honor, I believe this juror is an acquaintance of the defendant.”
“What makes you think that? The jurors were already asked if they knew Mr. Blaise.”
“I believe she is an employee at a place that Mr. Blaise frequents.”
Dane could tell she wanted to roll her eyes, but she kept her judicial demeanor up and instead nodded.
“Take a seat. Let’s find out what your juror has to say.”
Dane kept his cool even while Kimble had a stranglehold on his arm as they sat back down.
“Do you know her?” she whispered furiously.
He said nothing, saved by the judge proceeding with her inquiry.
“Juror number sixteen, do you know the defendant, Dane Blaise?”
Dane watched Irene dart her eyes in his direction and kept his face blank.
He had no idea what she was up to. She’d been a waitress at the Lucky Parrot off and on for a few years.
They didn’t know each other well, but they knew each other.
Whatever she said, he’d go along. The last thing he wanted to do was get her in trouble.
“No, Your Honor, I don’t.”
Judge Katz banged her gavel though Dane doubted she needed to.
“Juror sixteen challenge denied. You may take your place on the jury.”
“Let the record show my objection,” Philimino said.
Judge Katz gave him a smile and said, “So noted.”
She banged her gavel and motioned for them to come forward to the bench.
“Miraculously we’ve got a jury,” Judge Katz said.
“Your Honor, I don’t think— “
“Zip it, Philimino. You’re wasting our time as it is with this prosecution. You’d better not be dreaming of an appeal.” She eyeballed him and his mouth turned down like a dog without a bone.
“We’re going to proceed with as little fanfare as possible. I understand there’s media attention, but I better not catch either of you playing to the media because the last thing I want to do is sequester the jury on this shameful waste of taxpayer money. Understood?”
Both Kimble and Philimino nodded. Judge Katz eyed Philimino in a way that reassured Dane that she didn’t like the DA, then she turned her attention to him.
“What about you Mr. Blaise? I don’t want you talking to the press either.”
“I won’t.”
“Make sure you behave yourself. Follow the rules of your release. Wear the ankle bracelet at all times—including the shower—and make sure you’re on island at home by midnight every night.”
“Understood.” Dane didn’t want to lie to the judge and the way she eyed him with a slight nod told him she understood him.
She noticed he hadn’t promised to follow the rules.
But he supposed it didn’t matter. If he broke the rules he’d be thrown in jail regardless of any promises he made or didn’t make today.
She dismissed them back to their seats then. “Court dismissed until Monday morning at nine a.m. when we will begin with opening arguments.” She instructed the jury not to talk to anyone until then.
“Have a great weekend,” Judge Katz pronounced and hammered her gavel. After the judge rose and exited to her chambers, the courtroom buzzed to life as if a smothering blanket had been removed.
Kimble whispered in his ear as she shuffled her papers back into her bag and the courtroom emptied out.
“Judge Katz is my dream judge. I got it on good authority after the grand jury indictment that she’s more than annoyed that Philimino is wasting everyone’s time with this case.”
He stood and Kimble turned to him, speaking in a rushed whisper, “You know juror sixteen.”
It wasn’t a question, so Dane didn’t say anything. No sense ratting out Yani. He could carry off the charade if she could. It wasn’t as if they were best friends. Shana would go along. He’d given no indication that he knew her.
Kimble didn’t prompt a response.
“The jury ended up favorable even with two old ladies in their eighties and two youngsters in their twenties,” she said. “The rest, the businessmen and government workers, will balance them out.”
“I’m surprised Philimino didn’t try any more challenges. Most of the jurors said they’d heard of me.”
“He knew he wouldn’t get anywhere since they all claimed to have no opinion about you one way or another. Juror sixteen was his test case and he failed.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
She smiled when Shana came around to meet them while Kimble closed up her substantial briefcase.
“I’m certain their opinions are favorable,” Kimble said. “I’ve been talking to people on the street these past few weeks and I get a good vibe about your reputation.”
“Good to know,” Dane said.
“Not surprising,” Shana said.
“It’s the men in the suits we’ll need to worry about,” Kimble added.
“What now?” Dane hoped she didn’t need him for anything.
“Now I go back to my hotel and do some trial prep.”
“I owe you big, Kimble.” He leaned in and gave her a hug, the kind he’d give a sister if he had one, the warmth of true gratitude rumbling through him.
“I figure I’m paying you back for all the sacrifices you’ve made in your life, Dane Blaise. It’s me who owes you and I’m glad to have a way to repay you.” She looked dead serious, her eyes penetrating and sincere.
“Well, shit.” He had no idea what to say.
He hadn’t been so taken aback in a very long time.
He was used to action junkie fans like Bill Gable and the regulars at the Lucky Parrot, but he didn’t know when was the last time anyone truly recognized and thanked him for what he did.
With his chest tight and his mouth temporarily disconnected from his brain by a well of emotion, he said nothing more, but returned her stare.
Shana put an arm around him.
“Thank you, Nora. I heard what you said to Dane.”
Kimble patted Shana’s arm and, if Dane wasn’t mistaken, his hard-ass future wife’s eyes appeared to be a little misty.
There were still people milling around, reporters some of them, photographers. Dane knew there’d be more waiting outside, knew they were probably surrounding the governor right that minute. Impatience to get to him, help protect him tugged at his sense of duty.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “We need to get Peter and escort him to the Lucky Parrot in a few minutes.”
“I’ll drive with you,” Shana said.
“No. Let’s take separate cars.” Dane turned away from the crestfallen expression on her face before it turned to the inevitable scowl.
She would know he meant to exclude her from something.
And she’d be right, though he wasn’t sure what that something would be yet.
He was sure there would be a hint of danger. He felt it in his bones.