Intersecting Lines – The Trial
Part 04 – Tearing Open Old Wounds
In Court
Alex's viewpoint
I watched as Andrea made her way back to our table, she'd just finishing walking Jane through her evidence on the conspiracy; she'd done well in helping tighten up the case in the jury's mind but now Jane was at the mercy of Peterson and his crew. Looking over to where Jane was sitting I could see she was carefully wary as she waited, obviously remembering the shabby handling Ana had received at their hands and expecting the same treatment.
This time it wasn't Ling, Cox instead doing the cross and as expected it didn't take long for his questioning to go off-topic, like Ling had with Ana, it was obvious Cox was trying to call into question her competence to be a detective. I'd tried to object but been told to sit down by Craven as Cox had smirked and, obviously feeling emboldened, started hammering away at Jane, attempting to run down her record and denigrate her achievements both here and back in Boston in the jury's eyes.
"…in fact your most notable achievement seems to have been a singular capability to be kidnapped or captured by serial killers" I exchanged a 'what the hell' look with Andrea as he rolled on with his smears. "Charles Hoyt captured you and would have killed you if your senior, male, partner had not rescued you" I glanced at Andrea who was already getting to her feet.
"Objection your honour, the Defence seems unable to stick to matters pertaining to this trial, instead delving back into events years past on the far side of the country that have no bearing or relevance whatsoever on this case" Craven shook his head.
"Defence will have their chance to demonstrate relevance" He looked to Cox. "I trust you can demonstrate relevance Counsellor?" Cox nodded confidently.
"We will Your Honour" Craven nodded once.
"Then proceed" Andrea slowly sat back down, like me waiting on the next objectionable statement.
"You were then captured once more by Charles Hoyt and were lucky to survive, doing so only at the cost of shooting Hoyt and killing another man" He turned to the Jury. "Rather a lot in common with the ill-starred Agent Romanov it seems, you both have a habit of leaving a string of dead bodies behind" Andrea didn't wait, standing and speaking up.
"Objection Your Honour, I am once again moved to ask what exactly does this have to do with the numerous capital charges the accused face?" Craven looked from us to Cox.
"Well Defence?" Cox rolled out the same line Ling had used against Ana.
"You Honour, we seek to prove that Detective Rizzoli is not a competent investigator, calling into question the witnesses' testimony" Craven nodded once and looked to us.
"Prosecution?" Andrea gestured with one hand as she spoke.
Your Honour, it would seem that the Defence is incapable of defending the suspects against the charges they face; particularly given they were recorded negotiating a price with a Mexican drug cartel to have this witness and other members of the investigating team killed…"
Objection!" It was Peterson. "Prosecution is attempting to taint the perceptions of the jury with irrelevancies as part of their diatribe" Craven looked at Peterson and nodded.
"Noted" He looked back to us and spoke. "Prosecution, get to your point" Andrea was unfazed; we would continue to take every opportunity to remind the jury of the facts, that one in particular.
"Yes Your Honour" She looked to the jury then back at Craven. "As I was saying, it has become more and more apparent that the Defence appears to believe the only way they can win in this case is by dredging expeditions into the past, some going back more than a decade ago, attempting to discredit the witnesses in a futile attempt to escape their client's culpability" She shook her head. "They seem to have forgotten we are trying their clients on capital charges, not conducting career performance appraisals on the witnesses, something their respective law enforcement agencies have repeatedly carried out in the interim"
Craven sat there for a few seconds as I saw Jane looking our way, probably hoping we could shut down this line of questioning, unfortunately Craven dashed those hopes.
"I feel that the Defence is justified in exploring the competence of this witness and should be allowed to proceed" Craven looked back to Cox. "Proceed" I exchanged an unhappy glance with Andrea as we sat, seeing Jane's face held rigidly composed as Cox dove back in.
"Then you were captured by another of Charles Hoyt's apprentices, taken prisoner along with another person, you once again escaped by pure luck, not skill, and in doing so, another person wound up dead" Jane raised an eyebrow then spoke.
"A big assertion there counsel, given you weren't there" Cox rounded on her.
"You question the facts as I have stated them Detective Rizzoli?" She nodded.
"I do, and so does the Boston Police Department. If you'd properly read the official investigation reports instead of relying on the newspapers you'd know that" Cox smiled thinly as he directed his next words to the jury.
"Official reports, interesting you should say that detective, remember that comment ladies and gentlemen" I frowned at that ominous statement as Cox rounded on Jane again. "Then Charles Hoyt once again attacked you, and you killed him, dead at your hands, along with another man" He theatrically shook his head. "Quite the body count you have there Detective Rizzoli" Jane shook her head, keeping her voice calm.
"We were attacked by a serial killer Mister Cox, I was forced to defend my colleague and myself, during which I was left with no option but to use lethal force" Cox regarded her with scepticism as he spoke, the same evident in his voice.
"Let us be accurate here Detective, you say you used lethal force, but you didn't shoot him did you, instead you shoved a knife into his chest" He looked over at Jane. "Did it feel good to kill him Detective, to end up with even more blood on your hands, literally in this case?"
"Objection!"
"Objection!" Craven looked to us where we'd both shot to our feet and spoke.
"Yes?" I handled the initial response.
"The person in question, Charles Hoyt, a serial killer with a long string of deaths behind him, had escaped restraint within the prison hospital in which he was confined, after being arrested by Detective Rizzoli I might add, and attacked Detective Rizzoli's colleague Doctor Isles, while Detective Rizzoli was fighting with Hoyt's accomplice" I shrugged theatrically. "Detective Rizzoli acted as necessary, utilising appropriate force, given she was not carrying her sidearm as per regulations within the prison, to defend her colleague and herself while under attack" Andrea jumped in after me.
"I will also point out that the actions of Detective Rizzoli were separately investigated by both the Boston Police Department and the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, in each case Detective Rizzoli was found to have acted appropriately under the circumstances"
Boston Division 1 Homicide
Barry Frost looked up from his computer where he was following the trial to look over Korsak's way, seeing the Sergeant's dark frown as he stared at his screen, Frost had got it set up for him so he could watch the trial as well, ear buds in and a worried expression on his face, one Frost knew he had as well. The defence was taking Jane back to some pretty bad parts of her life, ones that Jane still carried the scars from, both physical and mental. He shook his head as he sent a worried mental message to Jane, thousands of miles away.
'Stay strong Jane, you've got this, just stay strong'.
In Court
"Objection sustained, Defence, another line of questioning" Cox nodded as we sat back and he tried again.
"You were kidnapped once more, this time apparently by a…" He paused, pretending to double check what he was reading though I was sure it was all an act. He looked up and raised his eyebrows in overacted disbelief. "Apparently you were kidnapped by a baker?" He shook his head before looking down at his tablet again.
"You were kidnapped by a baker Detective Rizzoli, Boston does seem to have more than their fair share of prospective kidnappers doesn't it, and all apparently desperate to kidnap you?" He looked up, faux shock on his face. "What a surprise, though perhaps it shouldn't be, it does seem to be a singular talent you possess" I could tell it was a good thing Jane didn't have her pistol on her, lest Cox be dead where he stood. Instead she shook her head and answered.
"That person was seriously deranged; fortunately thanks to good police work he was arrested, tried and is serving time for his crimes"
"And you didn't kill anyone, that's an unexpected twist" I was on my feet without realising it.
"Objection Your Honour" I turned to Cox. "Counsel is being insulting while attempting to insinuate activities undertaken by the witness that are not supported by the evidence" Craven looked to Cox.
"Defence?" Cox shrugged then smiled, the smooth bastard.
"Your Honour, there is no insinuation, we are simply stating the number of times the witness's ineptitude led to actions which saw her either kidnapped or ended with her killing suspects rather than having them face trial" Craven nodded and looked to us.
"Be seated Counsellors" I exchanged a look with Andrea as I sat; she was as pissed as I was. Cox smiled and pushed on.
"Thank you Your Honour. To recap then Detective Rizzoli, you were repeatedly kidnapped by criminals in Boston, then there was your incident where you were captured by a killer inside Boston Police headquarters" Cox smiled broadly. "How exactly one gets captured inside a police station I'm not sure but it is Detective Rizzoli we're talking about here, so anything's possible I suppose" I was about to object when I was beaten to it.
"I wasn't captured" Jane's voice was way lower and more growly than normal; she was stamping down hard on her anger. "I traded myself for the life of a hostage" Cox turned to her.
"Ah, so you willingly allowed yourself to be taken hostage, how novel" For a split-second the look on Jane's face was livid before she stamped down on it once more, returning her face to a rigid mask.
"To save the life of another officer who was at risk of bleeding to death" I suddenly remembered that it had been her wounded brother Frankie who had been bleeding to death, no wonder Jane was boiling, I found myself admiring her almost iron self-control as Cox smiled and continued on.
"So you allowed yourself to be taken hostage, that didn't work out so well for you did it Detective?" He looked to Jane but she was silent. "I asked you a question Detective…" he prodded, drawing a reluctant response from Jane.
"The injured officer was saved and the suspect died of a gunshot wound before he could kill anyone else" Jane ground out, obviously not happy where this had gone.
"A gunshot wound you inflicted as I recall, is that correct Detective?" Jane was rigid as she replied.
"Yes"
"My, another dead body left in your wake Detective, you and Agent Romanov both seem to be exceptionally good at that, if nothing else" He shrugged. "Perhaps that explains your…closeness" He smirked at the jury. "Birds of a feather and all that, I suppose" That did it for Andrea.
"Objection Your Honour" Craven looked our way.
"Yes?" She waved towards where Cox was standing as she spoke.
"Would it trouble the Defence to actually focus their questions to this case, rather than wandering hither and yon" Andrea shook her head. "I have yet to see any efforts by the Defence to actually 'defend' their clients" She put it in quotes. "It's as if they have nothing else but smear and innuendo in their arsenal" Craven looked to Cox.
"Your response Counsellor?" Cox shrugged.
"Your Honour, the case against my clients is little more that hot air and wishful thinking; the investigating officers are obviously either blood-thirsty or incompetent, or both…"
"Objection!" I stood and leaned forward, one hand on the table in front of me. "The defence is once again smearing the witnesses without evidence" I shook my head. "What does he mean blood-thirsty?" Cox looked at me and shrugged.
"Both Agent Romanov and Detective Rizzoli here have left a trail of dead behind them, by their own admission I might add, and having proven Agent Romanov's incompetence we are in the process of identifying this witnesses' incompetence to investigate anything, let alone a major case such as the one they have brought against my clients"
"Your Honour, the Defence's grandstanding aside, we are here to assess the evidence against their clients, something they seem unable or more likely, unwilling to undertake" I looked over to Cox and shook my head as I continued. "Is it too much to ask for the Defence to actually focus on the evidence?" Andrea wasn't going to let them go either.
"Of course, if they are on a fee per day remuneration arrangement, that would explain much, dragging this out with irrelevancies to pad their bank accounts" Craven wasn't going to wear that, unfortunately.
"Prosecution will be seated and allow the Defence to continue their cross examination of this witness" I exchanged a glance with Andrea as we sat, even as Cox smiled.
"Thank you Your Honour" He turned to Jane. "Detective Rizzoli, is it not true that your personal fitness reports and assessments during your last year or so at Boston Police Department showed a marked decline?" He smiled. "I believe that your superior had recorded his grave doubts about your fitness to hold the position you did" Jane frowned.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Cox retrieved his tablet and flicked across pages till he found what he was after.
"Official reports Detective Rizzoli, you place great store on them apparently, based on your previous comments" He glanced up at the jury. "I am reading from Detective Rizzoli's most recent fitness report and performance appraisal in Boston, before she left that city and came to Los Angeles" He glanced up at Jane. "Looking for a fresh start in a new city were you detective Rizzoli, a place where you could hide from your reputation and all those serial killers and their kidnappings of you?" Jane shook her head slowly, obviously stamping down on her fury.
"No" Cox turned to the jury and smiled as he read from his tablet.
"Detective Rizzoli's previously adequate performance has deteriorated during the reporting period, to the point that she has been reprimanded and required counselling for her anger issues" He looked up at Jane and raised an eyebrow. "Anger issues, what a surprise" He looked down again and continued. "This officers working relationship with her fellow officers have deteriorated during the period and is a concern going forward. Despite counselling sessions, her attitude has not improved" He put the tablet down and looked to Jane. "Pretty damning stuff" Jane sat there, her mouth open in shock. Finally she managed to pull herself together and speak.
"Who wrote that?" Cox smiled.
"Your direct superior, a Lieutenant Cavanagh, the head of Boston's Homicide squad" He shrugged. "When I contacted him directly he had additional comments to make, including that he was considering sending you back to the Vice detail as you were unsuitable for Homicide work, and that your relationship with a number of your fellow homicide detectives had basically broken down, rendering you unable to work with other officers"
Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office
Maura's jaw tightened as she stared at the television. Cavanagh had let his animosity towards Jane get out of hand. Right then and there Maura decided there would be a reckoning with Cavanagh, one that was both long overdue and well-deserved.
That was a matter for later; right now she was concerned for Jane, watching as she saw her lover struggling to deal with the Defence's accusations and Cavanagh's betrayal, her heart going out to her.
"Oh Jane…"
Boston Division 1 Homicide
Riley Cooper and Barry Frost exchanged a shocked glance across their desks as they listened and watched the trial, both turning their attention to the office where Cavanagh was sitting back, watching his television with a satisfied smile on his face, then turned back to each other, sick horror on their faces.
The thought that Cavanagh would throw a fellow cop under the bus, potentially helping get six murderers get off, prospective cop-killers at that, because he didn't like the cop in question, filled Riley with sick loathing. What little respect she had for the man vanished right there, dead and buried.
She looked across at Frost, seeing the fury in his eyes reflecting hers; they exchanged a quick conversation of head shakes and grimaces before turning back to the trial, but both knew they'd need to talk about what had happened, soon.
In Court
"So you were on the verge of being shipped to vice where you could do less damage" Cox threw his arms wide, all fake innocence. "Was that why you fled to Los Angeles detective, to escape your well-deserved demotion?" Jane shook her head, her voice under rigid control.
"I left because my partner was offered a secondment, I was lucky enough to gain a secondment to the LAPD for the same period" Cox nodded agreeably.
"And lucky you were, given your poor fitness reports; it looks like Boston's gain was our loss" Jane spoke, her voice flat with anger held under brutally tight rein.
"The officer you quoted hates gays, when he realised I was gay he decided to punish me" Jane nodded towards the Defence desk and the tablet laying there. "That's why the adverse report" Cox's retort was all condescending scepticism
"Come, come detective, we are supposed to accept your assertion that you were a victim over the Boston Police Department's own human resources files?"
"That officer's opinion wasn't shared by his superior, or the Boston Police Department, they'd invited me to sit the promotion boards for Sergeant's rank" Jane smiled at Cox. "They obviously didn't put too much credence into that report"
"But you weren't promoted to Sergeant were you?" Cox turned to the Jury. "That waited until this witness joined the LAPD and was promoted by her friend Deputy Chief Johnson, looking after another member of her lesbian clique"
"Objection Your Honour" Andrea wearily pushed to her feet. "Neither Deputy Chief Johnson nor Commander Raydor has any say in the promotions of officers under their command. That is solely at the discretion of the independent promotions board, it was they who assessed then Detective Rizzoli as suitable for promotion to Sergeant" I stood as well.
"I will also add that at the same time the witness was deservedly promoted to Sergeant, several of her colleagues in Major Crimes were also promoted, to Sergeant and Lieutenant" Andrea grabbed that and ran with it, nodding as she did.
"Each of those officers, male officers I might add, received their promotions and were transferred to their new, more senior roles within another division" I sat down as she continued. "Hardly something you would expect if Defence counsel's assertions bore any resemblance to the truth, which they do not" Craven considered that for a moment then nodded and looked to Cox.
"Objection sustained, Defence, try something else" Cox nodded, I mean what else could he do, and set off again.
"You were the youngest person ever promoted to detective in Boston's Homicide division weren't you Detective Rizzoli?" Jane confined herself to single word answers.
"Yes"
"And the first woman as well I understand?" Once again Jane kept it terse..
"Yes" Cox glanced at the jury and shook his head.
"How very progressive of them, young, inexperienced and the first woman in a dangerous profession" Jane held herself very still, I could see she was pissed, something anyone with eyes could see just as well as I, as she answered his question.
"I was promoted on the basis of my fitness reports and performance, following a competitive examination, along with all other candidates for promotion to detective" Cox made a dismissive gesture and changed tack.
"Tell me Detective Rizzoli, how many fatal shootings have you been involved in?" Jane blinked at the sudden change of subject, her face closed off as she regarded Cox, obviously seeing him trying to tar her with the same one that she had used on Ana. Cox was about to prod her again when she replied, her voice tightly held.
"Throughout my career I have had a number of instances where I have had to defend myself, my partners or members of the public. Some of those have resulted in the suspect's death" She looked to the jury and continued. "I'm a homicide detective, that means we are trying to arrest individuals who have already taken a life, many of them aren't concerned about taking more"
"I asked you how many deaths Detective Rizzoli?" Jane looked at him then back to the jury.
"One here in Los Angeles, when we were ambushed on the streets by the Barrio Bangers as part of this case" She shook her head. "Back in Boston…" Seeing her pause I stepped in.
"Your Honour, I ask what exactly does the witnesses past, including incidents which were the subject of investigation by the Boston Police Department's own Force Investigation equivalent, have to do with the suspect's testimony on a case here in Los Angeles" I turned to look at Cox and shook my head at him pityingly. "Unless he is suggesting some kind of conspiracy by the Boston Police Department to have Detective Rizzoli here in Los Angeles to defend herself and her colleagues from an attack his clients arranged"
"Objection, Prosecution is attempting to negatively influence the jury's perception of my clients" I turned my head to regard him, trying hard to not sneer at him though some of my hostility probably filtered into my voice as I spoke.
"And what exactly do you call your behaviour here, smearing witnesses on the basis of misrepresenting actions taken years ago and on the far side of the country or the world? I looked to Craven. "Your Honour, we were not there, at these supposedly 'questionable' incidents…" I put it in finger quotes. "…however they were investigated by the relevant authorities, the witness's actions reviewed and they were cleared of any wrong doing" I waved towards Cox and the Defence tables. "That however is not good enough for the Defence, instead in an attempt to desperately shift attention from their clients, they insinuate, they smear and they undermine the outstanding careers of often-decorated law-enforcement personnel" I shook my head. "I find their tactics questionable, after all the witnesses have not carried out murders at the behest of a Mexican drug cartel, unlike their clients"
"Objection!" It was Ling and Peterson, both objecting to what I was saying as Peterson continued. "Once again the prosecution is attempting to taint the jury's perceptions" I shrugged nonchalantly as I replied.
"It's not my clients on trial for multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, including several attempts on the life of this witness" I smiled politely as I remembered something Andrea had said earlier and ran with it. "I was under the impression we were here to ascertain the guilt or otherwise of the defendants, not conduct performance evaluations of witnesses for actions taken years ago and far away from Los Angeles and this case" I glanced around the room, taking in both the jury and the camera's. "It's as if the Defence realise they have nothing else to defend their clients with" Craven interrupted, his voice testy.
"Get to the point counsellor" At his rebuke I nodded and pushed on.
"Yes Your Honour. We are here to ascertain the defendant's guilt, so far there has been no attempt to challenge the evidence provided, just ongoing efforts to smear the witnesses about their past history, nothing about their investigation of this case" I shook my head sadly, all theatrics. "I for one would like to actually debate the evidence in this case, not decade-old fitness reports, if that isn't too much trouble for the Defence" Craven unfortunately wasn't much help.
"Sit down counsellor" I did so as he looked to Cox. "Proceed with your cross counsellor"
"So your key characteristic as a detective in Boston seems to be an uncanny ability to let yourself be kidnapped by criminals Detective Rizzoli, serial killers in particular" He glanced to the jury. "An interesting technique to catch criminals, wait for Detective Rizzoli to be captured by one who she ends up killing" He smiled. "Let us all hope her technique does not continue out here, eh?"
"Objection Your Honour" It was Andrea, wearily rising to her feet. "The Defence seems to be trying to pad out their so-called cross-examination with complete irrelevancies, would it be too much to ask them to actually try and defend their clients against the evidence, rather than attempting to smear the investigating officers?" Craven nodded once and looked to Cox.
"Counsellor, get to your point" Cox nodded agreeably and turned back to Jane as Andrea resumed her seat.
"So, having ended up facing adverse fitness reports in Boston, you fled Boston for Los Angeles, a chance for a new start Detective, far from your previous failures" Jane shook her head, her voice under firm control.
"As I stated, my partner was offered a secondment to the LAPD as their Medical Examiner, I accompanied them and took up a role with the LAPD's Major Crimes division" Cox raised an eyebrow.
"That would be your lesbian lover Doctor Maura Isles?" I was on my feet immediately.
"Your Honour, what does the sexuality of Detective Rizzoli and her partner have to do with their fitness to give evidence here today?" Craven looked to me.
"The Defence will have their chance to demonstrate relevance" He shook his head. "Sit down Counsellor" I sat down, appalled, as Cox pressed on.
"So you and your lover Maura Isles relocated here, where you fell in with the ill-starred Agent Romanov and her lesbian lover, the flamboyantly gay Natalie Dearing…" Andrea wasn't going to let that past, standing and interjecting.
"Pardon me, flamboyantly gay? What the hell does that mean?" Craven frowned but Cox smiled.
"Natalie Dearing is by far the most in-your-face member of Chief Johnson's gay clique; she openly, almost aggressively, flaunts her sexuality in the face of the LAPDs heterosexual members…" Andrea wasn't going to wear that.
"How the… how do you interpret her doing her job as flaunting her sexuality?" Cox shrugged.
"Dearing regularly appears at crime scenes accompanied by her lover, the incompetent Bureau agent Romanov…" I stood and pushed into the debate.
"How do you declare Agent Romanov incompetent? That would strike me as a decision for the Senior Officer in Charge of the Los Angeles Bureau office, Director Martinez, given your complete lack of expertise in that area" Cox was unperturbed.
"Oh I have no doubt that her boss would deliver a glowing reference, if only to hide the fact that he continued to employ a substandard agent such as Romanov in a role she was clearly inadequate to perform" Craven intervened before I could lose it.
"Sit down counsellor and let the Defence finish answering your initial question" I frowned and sat down, leaving Andrea to take on Cox and Craven both.
"Thank you Your Honour…" Cox said. "…as I was saying, not only does the LAPD's media woman, Dearing, turn up at crime scenes accompanied by her lesbian lover, she has been featured in media articles highlighting her sexuality" Craven frowned and looked to Andrea.
"Is this true?" Andrea looked to Craven and nodded.
"Miss Dearing was one of four LAPD personnel, two women and two men, who were featured in an article in 'One Magazine' about gay members of the force" She shrugged. "Given the target demographic of the publication, Miss Dearing offered herself as a subject rather than ask another member of the force to do so" Andrea smiled politely. "As Your Honour is no doubt aware, not every gay person is happy publically acknowledging they are gay, given the actions of some reactionary elements in society who are hostile to gays. Miss Dearing offered to be so profiled in place of other members of the LAPD who were not as comfortable with being publically outed" She took a breath before continuing.
"As for Agent Romanov accompanying Miss Dearing to crime scenes, normally the only times she does so is when requested to by the officer on the scene, or in the case of late night call-outs, to ensure the safety of Miss Dearing" Andrea looked to Craven. "A prudent precaution as you would agree Judge, given some of the areas that Miss Dearing is called upon to attend crime scenes" Craven frowned, obviously not happy being put on the spot in front of the jury, the audience and the cameras, not that I had the slightest sympathy for the bigoted old fool. Finally he nodded to Cox.
"Get to your point Counsellor" Cox nodded.
"You arrived in Los Angeles and fell in with a clique of lesbians, did you not Detective?" Jane gave him a quizzical look then answered easily.
"I'd call it making friends in a new job and new city, but you can call it what you want" Cox nodded,
"I'd call it a gay clique forming, one that wasted no time in drawing in both Johnson and Raydor into your net" Jane frowned.
"They were friends long before we arrived here and if you think proximity to gay people turns you gay…" Jane slowly shook her head as she spoke, pityingly. "I'm sorry, but that's not how it works" Cox was dismissive.
"So you say, but the fact is that not long after you and your lesbian clique walked into their lives they too had entered a lesbian relationship"" Jane tipped her head to regard him before she spoke.
"If you think me or anyone else is strong enough to push two women as strong-willed as Chief Johnson and Commander Raydor into anything, let alone a relationship, you're…" Jane smiled maliciously. "…stark raving hazelnuts" Cox frowned for a moment then rallied.
"And yet they entered into the same lesbian lifestyle you embrace" Jane sat back and looked at him before replying.
"That was their choice; they were my friends before they became involved together. They'd still be my friends if they had chosen to enter relationships with men, as both the Chief and Commander had previously done, both had been previously married after all"
"But they became lesbians" Cox said, drawing a headshake from Jane as she explained.
"No, they decided to look for happiness with each other, something I can't fault them for" Jane shrugged. "You seem to have this weird idea that exposure to lesbians turns other women gay" She shook her head. "That'd be like me saying that if you worked with a couple of gay lawyers in your office, you'd soon be out trolling gay bars looking for a lover" She smiled. "Is that really likely to happen, honestly Counsellor?" Ignoring the barb Cox changed subjects, though I noticed two members of the jury smiling at the question and another nodding.
"But you soon formed a lesbian coven within the LAPD, you and Isles, Romanov and Dearing, Johnson and Raydor, you were joined by another of Johnson's detectives, Detective Mendoza and her partner, then wasted no time in arranging to have your friend Olivia Benson and her partner transferred from New York" I frowned darkly, seeing Andrea doing the same as we waited to see where the hell he was going with this. "…that is five gay couples in the two teams, obviously way outside the norms of society, as any fair-minded person would agree"
"Maybe to you Mister Cox, but I think you're not looking at the bigger picture here" Jane looked over to the Jury. "Major Crimes, the team I'm part of, has a total of eight people in it, of which four are gay women. That may seem high, but if you compare it to the vice squad for example, I don't believe they have any gay women out of their team of sixteen people"
"It suggests that you are bringing your 'exceptionally close friends'…" he finger quoted it. "…all together in one place" Jane shrugged.
"If that was the case then wouldn't you think that the same would hold true of Commander Raydor's Robbery Homicide team?" She smiled. "To the best of my knowledge the only gay female in that team is the Commander herself, the other seven members of her team are not" Cox shrugged.
"Not yet anyway" Jane smiled slyly as she replied.
"I wish I had your ability to see the future with so much certainty Mister Cox, it'd make winning lotteries so much easier" Cox didn't miss a beat.
"No such clarity is required, it's obvious to anyone why looks into your coven's activities that you are trying to bring all of your gay friends into one place, displacing normal heterosexual male detectives" Jane shrugged.
"The 'normal heterosexual male detectives'…" She emphasised his words mockingly. "…in Major Crimes might disagree with you there Mister Cox, after all they work with us, the senior people, both Lieutenants, seem more than happy leading a team of made up of straight and gay members, while our other male team members have never expressed any issues working with us either" She shrugged. "They're all going to be on the stand, giving evidence against your murderous clients, why don't you ask them"
"Oh I will, you can be sure of that detective" He shook his head. "I doubt they appreciate their team mates being shoved aside to make way for poorly qualified lesbians" I was on my feet at once.
"Objection Your Honour" Craven looked my way.
"Yes Counsellor?" I pointed towards Cox as I replied.
"The Defence presumes to pass judgement on the performance and record of the detectives who make up the Major Crimes team, despite his complete lack of credentials to do so" I looked to Craven. "If they persist in pursuing this line of questioning, irrelevant as it is, then the People will be forced to call as witnesses Los Angeles Bureau Chief Director Martinez, LAPD Chief Pope and LAPD head of Human Resources Candace Morrell to testify as to the witnesses qualifications and performance" I tipped my head to regard him.
"I for one would rather we didn't have to waste the time of both the court and these busy people to counter the Defence's spurious fishing expeditions, all made necessary by their attempts to smear and undermine the witnesses' testimony as they desperately try to justify fleecing their unfortunate clients of every cent they have" Craven shook his head.
"Careful Counsellor…" He looked to Cox. "Do you actually have a point Counsellor?"
"Yes Your Honour, we seek to prove that these witnesses are unfit for the positions they hold and that they were not motivated by professionalism but by their desire to promote other members of their lesbian cabal into positions of authority they were unfit to hold"
I shook my head and looked to Craven.
"Your Honour, it seems that the Defence, aware that they are unable to argue the merits of the evidence being presented, has decided that their only course is to attack the character and credibility of the witnesses" I smiled, all for the jury and cameras. "I would suggest that it reflects far more negatively on their own character and credibility, or the lack thereof, than that of the witnesses"
"Excuse me?" It was Cox. I turned to him and shrugged.
"If Counsel has developed a hearing problem I am more than happy to repeat what I just said for their benefit" Cox turned to Craven and pled his case.
"Objection Your Honour, the Prosecution is being deliberately insulting" I shrugged before Craven could say anything.
"As opposed to you I suppose, that description seems to fit your behaviour more than mine" There was a loud rap from the bench as Craven intervened.
"Counsellors will resume their seats" I did so, seeing Cox do the same. "I insist on decorum in my court do you hear me, I will not tolerate personal abuse from anyone, is that understood?" I glanced at Andrea and we both nodded before I replied.
"Yes Your Honour" He glanced at the clock.
"Given tempers seem to be running somewhat hot and given we are close to the lunch adjournment, I am calling the adjournment early. We will reconvene in 72 minutes from now" He tapped the gavel and the court officer called on us to stand as Craven left.
Once he was gone I immediately walked over to where Jane was getting out of the witness stand.
"Jane, I need the name of your boss in Boston, not the one who threw you under the bus, someone you can trust"
"That'd be Captain Marquette…" She spelled it out. "He's the boss of Homicide, he's always been straight with me" She looked at me. "Why?" I looked up from where I was typing his name into my phone and starting a Google search for a contact and smiled.
"I have an idea"
Boston Division 1 Homicide
The phone ringing dragged Captain Harry Marquette away from the paperwork he was working on late into the afternoon.
"Homicide, Marquette" The voice on the phone was female, a well-educated one he deduced given her diction.
"Good afternoon Captain Marquette, my name is Alex Cabot and I am a Prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office" He sat back…Los Angeles?
"How can I help you Miss Cabot?"
"I am prosecuting a number of corrupt police on charges of acting as assassins for a Mexican drug cartel, you may have seen it on the news" Unconsciously he shook his head.
"I haven't, but I've heard about it"
"One of your former Detectives, Jane Rizzoli has been giving evidence this morning" Marquette smiled, that was Rizzoli, she'd never been able to keep her nose out of a big case. The woman's next words wiped the smile away. "The Defence have been attempting to smear her testimony and claiming she is an incompetent detective" He reared back.
"They what?" He shook his head. "That's bull shit; pardon my language, Rizzoli's a great detective, a great homicide detective, one of the best I've worked with"
"I'm afraid so. It's not been helped by statements from Jane's former boss Lieutenant Cavanagh that he was considering kicking her out of Homicide and sending her back to Vice because she was incompetent" Marquette's frown was dark, as was his voice.
"You have got to be shitting me?"
"Regrettably no, the Defence tendered a copy of her final performance appraisal from your Lieutenant Cavanagh, as well as additional supporting statements from him to that effect only a short while ago" Marquette scowled, Cavanagh and he were due for a chat, soon.
"I didn't know about that and I sure as hell wouldn't have agreed with either his actions or his conclusions" He paused then continued on. "I know Cavanagh and Rizzoli had issues since she came out as gay, but to throw her under the bus like that…"
"It's somewhat worse than that, the corrupt cops she helped bring to trial, they tried to kill Detective Rizzoli, Doctor Isles and a number of other investigating officers, several times in fact"
"What the…?" He shook his head, not sure of what he'd heard. "Cavanagh's helping cop-killers get off"
"Attempted cop-killers Captain, but yes, I'm afraid he is"
"Thanks for bringing me up to speed, you can be sure I'll be talking to Cavanagh, but I assume there's something you want from me Miss Cabot?" The lawyer explained her request as he nodded.
"Give me your email address and you'll have it as soon as humanly possible" He paused then continued. "Tell Jane I'm sorry about this and she has my word that I didn't know anything about it" The woman's voice on the other end of the line was soothing.
"I'm certain she knows that Captain, Jane has previously spoken of you and I know she respects you" 30 seconds later the call ended and Marquette stood, walking out to his secretary.
"Marcy please put a call through to Tod Hardy in HR, urgently please, if he doesn't answer, track him down to wherever he is and pull him out, I need to speak with him very urgently, then call Cavanagh and tell him to be in my office exactly ten minutes from now" His secretary looked up, eyes wide at the cold anger in her usually easy-going bosses' voice.
"Are you okay?" Marquette shook his head.
"Not now, not yet, but I will be" He looked down at her and forced a smile. "I need that call to Tod Hardy urgently please Marcy" With that he turned and walked back inside his office leaving Marcy wondering what the hell had just happened as she picked up her phone to call HR.
In Court
We were back after lunch and Cox was at it again, attacking Jane's credibility when I stood up and rather ostentatiously looked around, searching for something, causing Craven to speak up.
"What exactly is the Prosecution looking for?" I looked up at him as I replied.
"Looking for a smoking gun Your Honour, there's sure to be one somewhere given the character assassination we're witnessing here today" There was a small wave of sniggers and one or two chuckles from the gallery as Craven frowned.
"This court is no place for flippancy Counsellor" I nodded soberly.
"Of course Your Honour, I apologise" I picked up the sheet of paper I'd printed out during the lunch break. "The Defence seeks to call into question the testimony of witnesses, apparently they have nothing else to use in their defence. Detective Rizzoli for example is a much decorated officer, both in Boston and since her transfer to Los Angeles" I glanced down then back up and addressed the jury. "The Boston Police department has awarded Detective Sergeant Rizzoli 16 separate commendations and medals, for bravery, coolness under fire and for solving some of the city's most difficult cases"
"Objection Your Honour" It was Cox. "Prosecution's time to enter evidence has passed" I jumped in before Craven could speak.
"You have made a number of assertions regarding the witnesses competence, rather than letting those assertions stand unchallenged, I am making the court aware of the full…and complete record of the witnesses' history" Cox looked to Craven.
"Your Honour, I ask that you direct the Prosecution to allow me to continue cross examining this witness, uninterrupted" Craven looked to me then asked a question.
"What is that document Counsellor?" I smiled.
"I hold a transcript of Detective Sergeant Rizzoli's service record, provided directly from the Boston Police Department during the lunch break in response to my urgent request. Given the witnesses' credibility is under attack I thought it appropriate to make the court aware of the witnesses' record" Craven nodded.
"Approach the bench Counsellor" I did so and he held his hand out, wordlessly asking me to hand it over, which I did. He flipped through it, pausing once or twice, then handed it back.
"Under the circumstances, given the witnesses' credibility is in question, I will allow their service record to be entered into evidence" He looked to me. "You may briefly summarise the witnesses' record counsellor, briefly you hear me?" I nodded once as I took the papers.
"Thank you Your Honour" I turned to the jury. "In addition to the commendations earned which I have already mentioned, Detective Rizzoli has brought to an end the actions of five separate serial killers, including the aforementioned Charles Hoyt, aka the Surgeon. Her actions against organised crime in Boston saw her awarded a commendation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for her work in bringing the head of the Irish mob, one Paddy Doyle, to trial" I glanced at the list and turned back to the jury. "Detective Sergeant Rizzoli is, proportionally for her length of service, the most highly decorated officer in the Boston Police Department's history going back over the last half century" I saw Craven starting to frown so I wound things up. "I will finish with but one example of her numerous commendations, this one for closing a decades-old murder case" I looked down at the paper and read a passage I'd emphasised with a neon yellow highlighter.
"Detective Rizzoli's meritorious conduct, her valour and her determination to bring the suspect to long-delayed justice exemplifies the highest traditions of the Boston Police Department and will be an inspiration to generations of officers to come" I turned to the jury. "That, ladies and gentlemen, is the true character of the witness testifying here today" I looked to Craven.
"Thank you Your Honour" With that I walked over and handed the printout to one of the Court Officers. "The People present Detective Sergeant Rizzoli's service record for entry into evidence" With that I turned and walked back to my seat and sat down, looked expectantly towards the Prosecution and smiled politely. "Your witness Counsellor"
I took great pleasure in seeing Cox's jaw tense in angry frustration as I sat back, even as Andrea held her fist out to me, I smiled and we bumped fists even as Cox tried to get them back on track after the bomb I'd just metaphorically thrown in his lap, his efforts drawing a carefully-hidden grin as I mentally gave him a message.
'Deal with that you miserable bastard'.