Chapter 106
TOWARD THE END of almost any trial, Yuki Castellano started to feel the stress. Most prosecutors did. It was a tough job and this was the most stressful part of it.
There were a few quick housekeeping matters to handle with Judge Cousins. He asked Yuki if she was ready.
Yuki said in a clear and firm voice, “The State calls Roberto Paz.” A moment later, a bailiff stepped to the main courtroom door. He held it open for someone to push Roberto Paz into the courtroom. All eyes were on the man in the wheelchair.
Yuki was already going through the initial questions in her head.
The bailiff walked in front of the wheelchair to open up the gallery’s low, swinging gate.
Yuki glanced behind her just as they came through the gate. She didn’t recognize the tattooed young woman pushing Roberto Paz.
Yuki looked down at her witness and said, “Where’s your son today, Roberto?”
One look at her witness’s face told her something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He was dead silent and kept looking at the floor.
Yuki dropped to one knee to look him in the face. “Roberto, is everything okay?”
That’s when she got her answer. Not from Roberto Paz but from the woman pushing his wheelchair, who leaned down and came back up holding an automatic pistol. She pointed the pistol at the two bailiffs.
The woman said in accented English, “Drop your guns!”
The bailiffs complied. Elio was already out of his chair, cackling as he raced across the courtroom and scooped up the two pistols from the floor. He hustled back to the defense’s table and offered one of the guns to another defendant.
The young woman who’d pushed Roberto into the courtroom called to Elio. Yuki’s limited Spanish told her the woman had said something like “We gotta move.”
Elio spun in the middle of the courtroom with his index finger on his lips to make sure everyone remained silent. To reinforce his order, his other hand held the gun at eye level.
Yuki was still kneeling next to Roberto Paz’s wheelchair. She was trembling so badly, she didn’t know if she could stand up. She glanced over at the defense’s table. Angela Torres looked terrified.
Both of her hands were on the table. It looked like she was trying to keep herself from shaking right off her chair. She was staring straight ahead.
Then Elio grabbed Torres by the arm. “You’re going to walk out of here casually with me. Anita’s going to stay here to make sure everyone keeps quiet until we’re out of the building.”
He jerked the attorney out of her chair, then dragged her toward the gallery.
Yuki just hoped he left without shooting anyone. It was a pretty big hope.