Disclaimer: I do not own the Mentalist. If wishes were horses…..
Well Lisbon had her say in court. She paints a pretty bad picture of Beau and Colt. Lassiter will also have his come-uppance. Thanks for all the new readers who have favourited this story. I appreciate the detailed comments! It is great that you take the time to explain what you like and how you respond to the development of some of the characters. So glad to see Sally turn into a lovely young woman with potential. She does have a long way to go but she has also come so far.
And Their World Came Tumbling Down
Chapter 21 Cho Speaks
Sally and Teresa had had their days in court, a chance to tell the world what suffering had gone on in that farmhouse. Forensics was still waiting to lay out their evidence. Deputy Sheriff Lassiter had been identified as the co-conspirator of Beau and Colt. His day in court was yet to come. His father Ralph also awaited his trial, each day while in prison, slipping deeper and deeper into remorse and regret. Of all of the players in this sordid affair, he was the only one who understood just how far he had fallen. Beau and Colt were psychopaths, and unable to perceive their victims as anything other than pawns in their money making scheme. The Deputy Sheriff was just a greedy narcissist who wanted attention and play money. The collision of all these disparate personalities created a perfect storm of crime and inhumanity. But their days on the loose were over. The only ones who didn't quite get that conclusion yet were Beau and Colt.
Cho paced the halls of the courthouse with pent-up energy. He was by nature a doer, not a talker. This deposition to testify was both a very good thing and a real test of his patience. He couldn't wait to reveal all that his team had discovered, but he would rather be back at his desk, destroying the career of some other criminal. The clock was ticking so slowly he checked to make sure the arms on the face of the clock were not, in fact, going backwards.
He had just sat down to check his phone when the call came out of the courtroom. He was needed inside. Flipping his phone shut, he took a deep breath, and walked through the heavy wooden doors, determined to leave Beau and Colton's lives in tatters.
He strode purposefully up to the front of the room and swore to tell the truth. Sitting down, he folded his hands and waiting for the grilling to begin. The prosecuting attorney began by asking him to give proof of a timeline of criminal activity on the day that Patrick and Teresa disappeared in Harrington County. Cho was able to show, via phone records, GPS tracking devices in cars operated by Beau and John Lassiter, and eye witness accounts, their whereabouts that day on an hour by hour basis. The Three Amigos were a frequent sight in the diner, co-incidentally always when travellers came through town in expensive vehicles. Using the testimony of Patrick and Teresa, Cho was able to give the court a timeline of their arrival in the County, and match that up with cell phone calls between Lassiter and Beau and Colt. The counter staff at the diner had backed up Patrick's story about the tripping incident, and also explained that it was a ploy used often by Beau. Other unfortunate strangers had been similarly singled out. Cho explained that the GPS on Beau's truck pinpointed his presence at the campground on the evening that Patrick was shot and Teresa was kidnapped. A bullet casing was found in the uncut grass at the campsite, and ballistics had matched it to a gun owned by Colt. Cho announced that based on ballistics, and the markings on the bullet taken from Patrick's shoulder, the gun used to shoot Patrick was Colton's. Beau leaned back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear. He thought he was off the hook on an attempted murder charge. Friendship only went so far, and he was happy to let Colt take the fall for this murder rap.
The lawyer asked Cho if any evidence was found to support the claim that numerous vehicles had been stolen by Beau and Colt, that could be traced to missing persons. Cho explained that the VIN numbers of the vehicles in the barn matched those of vehicles driven into Harrington County over a long period of time, whose owners had long since disappeared. Cho discussed the collection of evidence in the house. Fingerprints in the house were limited to just a few people. Prints matching Beau, Colton, Teresa, and Sally were all over the house and its' contents. However, since no one ever cleaned to any degree, fingerprints from another person also showed up in the house, and especially in the bedroom used by Sally.
The attorney asked Cho if there was any way to identify the extra set of fingerprints. Cho looked at Beau and frowned.
"Not at this time. We are in the process of getting clearer images of the prints using new technology. However, we feel strongly that the prints will be found to belong to a young pregnant woman who was abducted and held at the house for months."
"Objection Your Honour!" jumped up the defense lawyer. "Speculative! Inadmissible!"
The Judge glared at the lawyer for longer than was necessary, to send the signal that such outbursts needed to be more temperate in tone.
"Agent Cho, can you support your theory about the possibility there was another pregnant woman at that house at some point?"
Cho turned to the Judge and nodded. Then he turned to face Beau and Colt before he spoke. He had been saving the best evidence until now.
His lawyer spoke again, framing the question for maximum effectiveness.
"Agent Cho, has the FBI found anything, anything at all, that could prove your assertion that Beau Chandler and Colton Franks killed anyone at all?"
Cho unfolded his hands and faced the court.
"Yes. We did. We took all of the weapons that were found at Beau's farm and in Colt's room in the barn. We had cadaver dogs go through the underbrush at the base of the canyon for a week."
"Did they find anything besides garbage down there?"
"Yes. Within a day of their arrival, the dogs started to find human remains. Bones and bone fragments lay where bodies had decomposed in the heat and the moisture down there. Some of the bones had been disturbed by wild animals, but for the most part, where the bodies fell, they remained. This gave us the ability to create a timeline of how long each body had been there. The newer bodies lay on top of the older skeletons. Some garbage was sandwiched between the remains. We took DNA samples from every bone fragment we found. We then established a database to compare that DNA evidence with DNA samples we took from the relatives of tourists who had gone missing in Harrington County or thereabouts. "
"And what did you find when you made these comparisons Agent Cho?"
Cho gave the tiniest smirk of satisfaction when he answered this question.
"We found perfect matches in every case. The bodies could be identified using DNA. The family members who had gone missing months and even years ago were finally found. Families from out of state and in some cases, out of the country, finally had closure. They finally knew where their loved ones were."
"Did the bodies reveal anything else besides their identities Agent Cho?"
"Yes. Several of the skulls contained bullets or bullet fragments, which we compared to the handguns owned by Beau and Colt."
"And what did your ballistics testing find?"
"We found that some of the victims were killed by bullets fired from Beau Chandler's gun, and the others were killed by bullets fired from Colton Franks' gun."
Beau lost the smirk that he had been wearing ever since he thought his attempted murder charge would be thrown out of court. Both men now sat stony faced. This was not going the way they expected.
"Agent Cho, Sally and Mrs. Jane have both told this court that there was in fact another woman kidnapped, because she, like Teresa Jane, was pregnant. Sally had testified that Beau wanted a son so he could bring him up the way he thought his son should be educated."
"Yes Sir?"
"Has your forensics team found any evidence at all to support this assertion, other than random fingerprints in the house you have yet to identify? Is there any truth to the story that a woman gave birth in that house and both she and her baby consequently died? "
Cho grimly carried on, undeterred by the distasteful subject material.
"Our cadaver dogs were out there in the canyon for a full week. As they uncovered the remains layer by layer, we found the skeleton of a young woman. Lying on top of her remains was the skeleton of a tiny child. Forensics has concluded the child was a newborn."
Gasps of horror erupted in the courtroom.
"Order! Order in the court!" the Judge commanded, banging his gavel upon his desktop. The prosecution decided this was the perfect time to end the questioning for the day.
"Thank you Agent Cho. That will be all for now. You may step down."
Cho nodded and stepped away from witness box. He would have to return when the defense attorney attacked his testimony.
"Bring it on…" he silently challenged them, looking their way as he walked out.
Beau and Colton were led out of the courtroom and back to their cells while upstairs, their attorneys sat with their shoulders hunched up, deep in discussion. Whatever chance they thought they had at the beginning of this trial of getting an acquittal, seemed farther and farther out of reach. Beau and Colton had no hard evidence to support their claims of innocence. They still clung to their story of being innocent but wronged businessmen. Their lawyers would do their best, but this would not be a shining moment on their resumes.
The next day dawned chilly and wet. A general gloom hung over the usually sunny Austin skyline. Cho was returning to court to face the lawyers trying to defend Beau and Colt. Cho thought the weather was perfect. Why feel sunny and bright when you are trying to convince a jury that your clients are not scum? Yes, the weather suited Cho just fine.
Once again, Cho was ushered into the packed courtroom. Formalities over with, he sat down once again in the witness box and turned to face the defense attorney.
"Agent Cho, you have told this court that GPS tracking proves that my clients were at the diner the same day and time as Mr. and Mrs. Jane on the day in question. Correct?"
"Yes."
"Are you implying that my clients do not have the right to travel freely throughout Harrington County, and to enjoy the food and friendship offered to all at the diner?"
"No."
The lawyer stopped his walking around and looked at Cho, confused. He was not used to the robotic way Cho sometimes spoke. But Cho always did answer the question, he just didn't ramble.
"No, what Agent Cho? My clients don't have the right to travel around the County freely?"
"No, I did not imply anything. I gave you hard facts. Any supposition made was done by you Sir." Cho smirked.
"Let me reiterate my previous statement Agent. Beau and Colt have the right to drive anywhere they want, at any time they want."
"What's your point?" deadpanned Cho. Small snickers wafted up from the courtroom. The Judge gave the spectators a hard look. The snickers ended.
Running his hand through his thinning hair, the attorney tried again.
"Moving on. Supposing Beau Chandler and Colton Franks did arrive at the diner at the same time as the Janes, you would have to admit that it could have been circumstantial."
"Could have been, sure. But it wasn't. Just like their arrival at the same campground where Mr. and Mrs. Jane were camping could have been circumstantial, co-incidental even. But that also is not the case. Beau Chandler and Colton Franks were called from the diner by Deputy Sheriff John Lassiter. He had done his job, scoping out possible victims. When the Janes pulled in with their Airstream, the Deputy Sheriff called Beau and told him to get over to the diner. We have the cell phone records to prove it. Within minutes, that is exactly what happened. But I guess that phone call was just "circumstantial", as you say."
"You have said that some fingerprints at Beau Chandler's house are unidentifiable. How can you insinuate that these unreliable fingerprints could in any way tie Mr. Chander and Mr. Franks to the murder of a young mother and her baby? Friends and acquaintances come and go all the time. Everyone leaves fingerprints. That is quite a stretch of this court's credibility Agent."
"Is it? Sally has testified that Beau and Colt never had any friends over to the house. They did not socialize with anyone from town. In fact, they went out of their way to keep people away. Extra eyes around their property might have seen evidence of their stolen car business. They wanted to isolate Sally in the house. Visitors would not be welcome. The only person who came over was Deputy Sheriff Lassiter, who never came into the house. The only other prints inside the house belonged to women who were under the control of Beau Chandler. Once we have a name to connect to the fingerprints we found in the house, we will have an identity to match up with the bones we found in the bottom of the canyon."
Getting nowhere with this line of questioning, the defense attorney was desperate to get something useful out of Cho to help his clients. He held up a file, waving it around to impress the jury.
"Agent Cho. You have said that Beau, Colt and Deputy Sheriff Lassiter were all engaged in a criminal enterprise together. You claim that you can show proof that they all profited from stealing, murder and kidnapping. But the Deputy Sheriff had a full-time job. He had regular deposits to his bank account. Beau and Colt also worked their farm and sold the odd vehicle from time to time. How does any of that constitute ill-gotten gains?"
Cho just sat and stared at the lawyer. He had concluded that Beau and Colt had not had the funds to pay for a good lawyer, as this one simply had no clue as to what was going on in those financial records. Trying to be patient, Cho exhaled loudly and gathered his thoughts.
"Deputy Sheriff John Lassiter did receive regular deposits to his bank account as his pay as a peace officer. Those dollar amounts are not in question. Our forensic accountants have followed a circuitous path of deposits that cannot be explained away based upon legally received funds. Times and dates for deposits to bank accounts owned by all three defendants match perfectly. Every time Beau and Colt stole a vehicle based on Lassiter's help, Lassiter got paid. Every time Beau and Colt sold a car which they had stolen, the money was split three ways. Deposits into their accounts coincide with the disappearance of our victims. Sometimes the deposits happened very soon after the driver when missing, sometimes it took longer, depending upon how long it took for Beau to sell the vehicle. The dollar amounts and the dates all match."
"Agent Cho, has it occurred to you that Deputy Sheriff Lassiter and my clients were close friends? Lassiter could have helped out around the farm, received pay from Beau for various farming activities. Illegal means is not the only way he could have made extra money."
"Farming? Is that what you are going for? Farming?"
"Agent Cho, keep your comments to yourself, and just answer the question" admonished the Judge.
Cho turned to look at him, and nodded his head. This whole process was turning into a sham, but he could outlast this fool lawyer.
"Ok. Sure. Lassiter and Beau and Colt could be part-time farmers. Growing wheat and corn and barley. Raising long-horned cattle and chickens. Maybe growing apples and peaches on fruit trees out by the barn. I am sure if I send my investigators out there today we will see abundant evidence of farm equipment, produce waiting to be picked and packaged, not to mention the cattle which by now must be desperate to be fed and and watered. That farming?"
"Your Honour, I must insist that this witness take this line of questioning seriously!" whined the defense attorney, facing the Judge.
The Judge, who knew full well that Cho had in fact answered the question put to him, resisted the urge to bark at the overwhelmed lawyer.
"You can insist, but it will get you nowhere. Your witness has fully complied with your request for an answer. Proceed with caution Sir."
"Yes... Your Honour" the lawyer mumbled in embarrassment.
Turning back to Cho, the attorney stared at him for a long moment. He went over to his desk and riffled through a stack of papers.
"Counsellor? Are you done with this witness, or do you have further questions for Agent Cho?" asked the Judge.
The attorney faced the Judge and then Cho. Admitting defeat in his mind, he did the only sensible thing he could do.
"We are done with this witness Your Honour."
"You may step down Agent Cho," said the Judge with a smile.
Cho nodded and got up, never looking at the forlorn lawyers on the other side of the room. The gloom that had filled the horizon this morning had now fully settled into that little corner of the courtroom.
Making his way out of the courtroom, Cho headed straight out of the building and back to the FBI headquarters. He had work to do, and he was tired of this whole sad affair. There was one more eye witness to call.
Patrick Jane would finally have his chance to tell his story.
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I love Cho. He can say so much in so few words. Running circles around this poor lawyer must have been fun to watch. Patrick has waited the whole summer to address the court. Their baby is due very soon, so the sooner this case is finished, the sooner the new Mom and Dad can move on with their lives.