Chapter 14 #2
“You don’t need to respond, Mr. Mason,” Ruhlin said.
“I know the company’s position. I have to say, as much as I would like this case off my docket, I understand the position of the plaintiffs as well.
It looks like we are going to go to trial.
Mark your calendars, gentlemen. We will have two days for jury selection beginning April third, and then I fully intend to start this trial on Monday morning, April seventh.
We will have final pretrial motions one week before that.
I expect final witness lists the day before we start to pick a jury.
Is there anything else you wish to bring to the court’s attention? ”
“Yes, Your Honor,” I said.
“Go ahead, Mr. Haller,” Ruhlin said.
“Well, two weekends ago, there was a break-in at Grant High up in the Valley—specifically, the guidance counseling offices. It appeared that nothing was taken. But several files were found to be in the wrong order in the storage cabinets. Students’ files.
And the job history on the copy machine showed that it had been used to make copies in the middle of the night. ”
“And what does that have to do with this case?”
“I’m just concerned, Your Honor. Among the files that were out of order were those of the victim in this case, Rebecca Randolph, and her killer, Aaron Colton. My concern is that, if those files have been copied and end up in the hands of the defense—”
“Objection!” Mason cried.
He sounded like a wounded animal.
“He’s now accusing us of committing break-ins at high schools,” he said. “It’s outrageous, Judge. Where does it end? There should be sanctions.”
Ruhlin held one hand up toward me to stop me from responding and one hand toward Mason to stop him from talking.
“Enough!” she said. “Both of you, stop right there. We’re not going to have another shoot-out between you two. Now, I’m a good listener, Mr. Mason, and I did not hear Mr. Haller accuse you or your client of breaking into the school.”
“He certainly implied it,” Mason said.
“Your Honor,” I said. “All I’m trying to do is ask the court to keep this trial on course. It’s about Tidalwaiv’s actions and motives and not about the victim’s or even the killer’s.”
“We are certainly allowed to probe the mindset of the killer,” Mason said.
“Oh, then maybe your client did have something to do with the break-in,” I said. “Who would break into a guidance counselor’s office only to copy student files?”
“Stop it right there!” the judge ordered. “Both of you. Mr. Haller, how do you know of this break-in?”
“Someone at the school tipped my office manager,” I said. “She’s a graduate of Grant High and has kept contacts there.”
“And were these the only two student files copied?” Ruhlin asked.
“It’s impossible to tell,” I said.
“Then I am hard-pressed to see where it connects to or affects this case,” Ruhlin said. “Have any arrests been made?”
“No, Your Honor,” I said. “Not that I have been informed of.”
“So then, what would you have me do, Mr. Haller?” Ruhlin asked.
“I would have the court be vigilant,” I said. “Vigilant about any effort to impugn the victim in this case or set the killer up as a scapegoat.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ruhlin asked. “How would he become a scapegoat? He is the killer, after all.”
“I think it’s pretty clear that the defense is going to put the shooter on trial and blame him,” I said. “It’s like the old NRA argument: ‘Guns don’t kill people. People do.’ But this is different. A self-learning machine with limited guardrails caused this tragedy.”
Marcus Mason started to speak, but Ruhlin stopped him.
“That’s not necessary, Mr. Mason,” she said.
“I take your side in this—for the most part. Mr. Haller, the question of responsibility in this tragedy is a jury question. I will certainly be vigilant in my running of the trial. And I can assure you I will be unsympathetic should it be revealed that either side gathered information through illegal means. Very unsympathetic. Now, this meeting has already gone on too long. I need you gentlemen to leave so I can continue my work.”
We thanked her and exited in the same order as before. I once again brought up the rear, behind Marcus, and whispered to him.
“I know you had someone break into the school,” I said. “By the time we get to trial, I’ll be able to prove it.”
It was a bluff. I knew from Cisco, who had looked into it after Lorna got the tip from her former guidance counselor at Grant, that the case was being half-assed by a mid-level burglary detective assigned to the LAPD’s Van Nuys Division.
“You’re dreaming, Haller,” Mason said. “If I were you, I’d be worried about what the judge said in there at the end.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” I asked.
“She’s going to be unsympathetic to evidence gathered illegally. I think she was talking about you, sending you a message.”
“Sure, Marcus. Now who’s dreaming?”
But he got to me with those last words. They left me silent and pondering questions as we made our way through the courtroom. Did the Masons know I had the contents of the killer’s computer downloaded? Was I being set up? Who had left the drive in my car at the dry cleaner’s?