Fallout

Chapter 30

"What were you and Thorsen talking about at the party?" Angela asks over her quick mug of coffee.

Wesley puts down his cup. "Work. He wants to start a foundation to free falsely accused prisoners, and he wanted to know if I'd serve as an attorney."

"More pro bono work?"

"No, I'd get paid. Not big bucks, but better than I can earn now with my history. Aaron's passionate about the project."

Angela reaches for her jacket. "I can understand that. He'd probably still be rotting in jail if he didn't come from money. So, when is this all supposed to happen?"

"He's already got lawyers working on the paperwork to establish a non-profit. That's not my branch of the law anyway. But he wants me to go through a stack of letters prisoners sent him as someone who beat being falsely accused."

"Most of the prisoners who wrote those are probably lying," Angela declares. "If you listen to their stories, they're all innocent. Think about how convincing Bailey's husband was at slinging the bull. Some sociopaths can convince anyone of anything."

"I know," Wesley acknowledges. "Most of my clients have been guilty. I knew that. I just gave them the best representation I could. But there would be some signs pointing to the innocent ones. Some public defenders have so high a caseload that they can't put on a thorough defense. Some of the others don't try very hard. They collect their fees and move on. I'll be looking through the arrest reports, investigations, and court transcripts to see who got a raw deal."

"Sounds like a lot of digging."

"It will be," Wesley admits. "But I can bring it home so I can work while Jackson's sleeping. And I won't be spending my time on handyman projects John Nolan has to fix."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that. So, do you have to talk anymore with Thorsen? He can come home with me after he finishes his shift with Harper. We could pick up some ribs on the way."

"Have him pay for them," Wesley advises. "He can afford it."

Angela leans in for a caffeinated kiss. "I like the way you think."

Lucy gazes at Tim Bradford as he steers their shop out of the garage. "So I'm going to be listed as the arresting officer on all our cases."

"That's what I told you at the party," Tim confirms.

"But as the arresting officer, I'd be doing most of the write-ups. You'd just sign off on them," Lucy considers.

"Isn't that pretty much what's happening now?" Tim asks.

"So, what's the difference?"

"The difference is that you'd be getting the credit for the arrests. That's what you wanted, isn't it? You'll be the one getting the high fives. And you'll be building your record toward training to go undercover."

"I thought you didn't want me going undercover. You said I didn't have the personality for it."

"So, maybe I changed my mind. But you won't find out unless you have enough arrests under your belt to request the assignment. If Harper takes maternity leave before Thorsen finishes his rookie year, I'll have to take him through the final weeks. That would be the perfect time for you to start training under Shea. You know, Nolan's well on his way to building a specialty. And he got his degree. That will push him up the ladder toward being a TO. You should also start climbing if you want the tap to be a detective."

"So, now you're convinced I can do that?" Lucy presses.

"I'm not convinced. Last time you got lucky. That doesn't mean you'll get lucky again. But I trained you to be a good cop. That means you have a shot."

"So you're still taking the credit," Lucy accuses. "Harper and Shea got me through undercover work. And they were the ones who helped Nolan and me with the hostage situation. I didn't need you."

"Well, you need me now. So, do you want credit for all our arrests or not?"

Lucy lets out a deep breath. "I want it."

Nolan checks the caller ID on his cell and pulls over. "Hey Wesley, what's going on?"

"I need some advice, John."

"Trying to put up more shelves?"

"No, I'm back to something you won't have to rework. But it does have to do with construction. I'm looking at the case of a man who was convicted of murder. According to the prosecution, he deliberately sabotaged a cement structure so it would collapse on the victim and kill him. He claimed he did nothing wrong, worked according to the plans with the materials provided. But three witnesses testified he had a fight with the victim, who died the next day. As far as I can tell, the original counsel never investigated the building materials or the plans. He just made a last-ditch effort to convince the jury that the death was a tragic accident. They didn't buy it."

"So, you want me to help you figure out if it could have been an accident," John asks.

"Or whatever happened. The prosecution had photos of the collapse and the plans and materials. I'd appreciate it if you'd take a look. Can you come by after your shift tonight? Angela and Thorsen will be there too, with food.

"Food and an excuse to see little Jackson? I'm in. I don't know if I'll spot anything useful, but I'll give it a try."

Carefully studying each sheet, John works his way through the Studeman case file. "Can I see those photos of the scene again?" The grooves in John's forehead deepen as he studies the images. "This isn't right."

"What?" Wesley asks.

"The mix. The kind used for building structures like this has concrete, sand, and aggregate in a one to two to four ratio. But look at the bags around the mixer. There's too little concrete for the amount of sand and aggregate. If that's what Studeman used, it would never stand up to vibration or even a heavy wind. According to Studeman's testimony, he used the concrete that was already in the mixer. If he was telling the truth, he wasn't responsible for the accident; whoever mixed the concrete was. You need to find out who filled the machine."

Wesley sinks into a chair. "I don't know if I can. Studeman was convicted years ago. The people who worked on that job may not be around anymore."

"But you have me behind you," Thorsen points out. "My mother is the queen of reality TV. I can ask her to put out a call on one of her shows." He reaches in his pocket for his cell. Aaron shakes his head. "She's not picking up. She was having dinner with a distributor tonight, maneuvering to get two of her shows picked up. But I can try again tomorrow if Harper gives me a break."

"I'll talk to her," Angela offers.

Nolan picks up another document. "And I'll go through the rest of this file to see if I can find anything else. If someone wanted to sabotage the work, there would have been other ways to do it. Wesley, did anyone besides Studeman have a grudge against the victim or the builder?"

"That's something his original counsel never investigated."

"Then it might not hurt to investigate it now. If someone else put unsuccessful bids on the contractor's jobs, that would be a matter of record. Causing an accident would get him out of the way. He'd have a hell of a time getting liability coverage. And he'd be a fool to work without it."

"So the motive might not have had anything to do with the victim," Wesley realizes. "Thanks, John. That gives me a fresh place to start."